Mobile Project

The San Juan del Sur Biblioteca’s Mobile Project began in May 2003. Three times a week, library staff and volunteers load bins of books into the back of a pickup truck and, on a rotating basis, visit 37 communities surrounding San Juan del Sur. Students and teachers at each site browse the collections and students choose the books they want to check out and take home. The Mobile Project offers children access to reading materials in their schools and homes that would otherwise be unavailable.

Many people wonder how a lending library system can work in an area that has this much poverty but we find that students are so excited to read that they will return their books just to be able to check out more. We have had a 96% return rate at all of our schools since we started the program in 2003.

As a regularly-scheduled community service, the Mobile Project serves as a vital link between remote communities and the town of San Juan del Sur.  The local ( MINED) Ministry of Education and Mayor’s office also see the library and its mobile outreach as a resource. These are both excellent collaborations. We are able to offer support as requested in various ways including transportation for teacher events, food delivery, assistance with school maintenance needs and provide sustainable support for the water and sanitation projects that are completed.

The Mobile Project in conjunction with the Biblioteca is also actively taking steps to give rural residents equal access to public services.  In addition to library and information services, reading, crafts, snacks, and educational activities are occasionally provided to create an environment that encourages students to explore and take their education into their own hands.

We also partner with international organizations such as VOSH to provide optometry services, and building improvements. We have partnered with the local San Juan del Sur organizations to provide sanitation installments (toilets, septics, water towers, and sinks), school uniforms, school supplies, and more. The HJH Foundation has been able to provide these advancements to 22 rural schools the Mobile Project serves.

To ensure we have the ongoing support of the schools and surrounding neighborhoods, and to guarantee the success and sustainability of our program, we offer our services only to communities who have explicitly asked for them.  Over the years, we have had many communities contact us after hearing about our services from another school, asking us if we can visit them as well. In 2022, we added our 37^th location in the community of Tiruri.

Communities Served by the Mobile Project: