It's official...

…I’m going to Bolivia! I was offered the position as libraries educator and network organizer with the Mennonite Central Committee staff in Bolivia last week, and two days ago I accepted it. I’ll be working with a Bolivian woman named Sandra Sánchez, who has a couple of years’ experience working with the libraries program, to help communities start and run libraries in communities and schools in the city of Santa Cruz and surrounding areas. (A longer description of what I’ll be doing is at the bottom of this email.)

A major goal of the program is to increase literacy and education opportunities. This is especially important in Bolivia, one of the poorest countries in Latin America. Since 55% of its population over 15 years of age can’t read or write, this is not an easy problem to solve. All I can do is play a very small role in working toward empowering Bolivians to change this reality, but I’m looking forward to doing my part.

Those are long-range issues, and I hope to keep you informed about them in the weeks and months ahead. What does this mean short-term? My last day at my current job will be September 2. I’ll be moving out of my apartment at the end of August, so I’ll be storing some things and selling or giving away others. (More on this in a future email.) I’m planning a two-week train trip to visit a few friends at the end of September/beginning of October. Then I’ll have just over a week before traveling to Pennsylvania for a general MCC orientation (October 18–November 1), and I’ll leave for Bolivia from there.

I would greatly appreciate your prayers during what’s looking to be a busy transition to this new chapter of my life. Thanks for being a part of it.

P.S. If you would like to be on my mailing list for future updates and haven’t already done so (or aren’t sure if you have), email me with “sign me up” somewhere in your message. And don't forget to keep me posted on what's happening with you.

From the assignment description for “popular libraries educator and network organizer”:

Limited educational opportunities in Bolivia remain a huge obstacle to development. In spite of recent government efforts at educational reform, illiteracy rates are still the highest in South America, and less than half of students who enter first grade will ever graduate from high school. MCC’s libraries program responds to this situation by helping communities start and operate modest public libraries that provide help with homework and access to otherwise unaffordable textbooks, opening cultural and educational spaces for the whole community.

The libraries educator and network organizer works with the MCC libraries team to provide training and support in the following areas:

1. to encourage and facilitate the development of a regional network/organization of libraries and/or library support groups
2. to communities, churches, schools, and other groups that are starting small public libraries
3. to groups of teachers and/or to universities and teacher training institutes in order to encourage library utilization and provide ideas for making libraries an integral part of the school system.