The Challenge

On May 12, 2008 China experienced a 7.9 earthquake in Sichuan Province. Currently, in the aftermath of the earthquake, rescue workers across southwest China struggle to reach the tens of thousands of people who remain buried, as the death toll climbs above 70,000. That toll is likely to rise still higher as workers break through to affected areas, making the earthquake China’s deadliest natural disaster in three decades. Hundreds of thousands are injured or homeless.

Books of all kinds play a critical role in children’s development. Unfortunately, there are very few books beyond school textbooks found in most elementary schools and orphanages in Asia. It’s a terrible thing for a child to grow up without having access to books. Having additional books available helps to encourage independent learning, intellectual curiosity, and a lifelong passion for reading. Orphanage headmasters and school administrators often lack the expertise and resources to establish small libraries in their orphanages, resulting in libraries that contain little to no books of interest to children. Children’s books are a luxury to have in Asia and are a rarity in most orphanage and elementary schools.

The Library Project Approach to Providing Earthquake Relief

The Library Project's approach to providing earthquake relief is to help rebuild the educational system that was affected as a result of the earthquake. It is projected that hundreds of elementary schools have been damaged in the Sichuan and Shaanxi Provinces. The Library Project will be providing books and libraries for elementary schools and orphanages as they are rebuilt or repaired.

The Library Project has identified school districts that have between 25% and 100% of rural elementary schools that have sustained damamge because of the 2008 earthquake. The aded cost of repairing or rebuilding the schools affected is a real strain on the school distric's already stretched budget. The cost of repairing and rebuilding the schools will most likely come out of the already small budget for improving the education at these schools. That is where The Library Project comes in. Depending on each school's current needs, we provide shelving, furniture, and mats to sit on. Many schools have these items, but lack the books to put on the shelves, or have books so old that they are falling a part. The Library Project without a doubt improves the education of every student in an Elementary School in Asia through the gift of books.

Books

We have donated over 50,000 books to schools and orphanages in China and Vietnam. We have a goal of donating over 200,000 books by the end of 2008. It is a large but attainable goal.

The vast majority of our books are acquired through community-based book-drives. This not only gets the community involved, but also raises awareness of the realities of countryside schools and orphanages. Ninety percent of the books we donate are in the local language and the other 10% have been in English, Korean, Japanese and Russian. In China as with other developing countries, the study of a second or third language begins at a very young age. Our libraries aim to help children become proficient in both native and regional languages.

The Library Project Results

To date, The Library Project has established 5 libraries in China and Vietnam. Over 80 libraries are planned in China and Vietnam by the end of 2008. Some of our libraries are small and others are large, but all of our libraries help to improve the education of each and every child that touches their many colorful books.

How You Can Help

Place a Donation — Make a donation towards one of our libraries in a particular country, to the program in general, or leave it up to The Library Project to best allocate your contribution.

Adopt a Library — Sponsor the establishment of one or more libraries.

Volunteer — Learn about volunteer opportunities with The Library Project.

Email Updates — Sign up for our monthly newsletter to get updates on the organization, our programs, and more.