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Rotary Club of Punta Gorda bookshelf project: The Joy of Reading!
In Belize, less than 50% of students entering pre-school have books in their homes and parents rarely have had a high school education. In Belize, 8 per cent of children do not complete primary school and 31 per cent do not complete secondary school.
Since Covid struck in 2020, the Ministry of Education has focused on the desperate need for intensive reading intervention for the youngsters in the Toledo District. While the Ministry of Education has partnered with a Canadian Rotary Club to introduce a phonics-based reading program, no one has been able to supply reading books to the schools, thus leaving the teachers to teach reading without colorful and enticing picture books that will make reading fun for the children.
Through a generous donation, in October 2024, Believe in Belize will be shipping over 600 boxes of books from the United States to be donated to Belizean schools. Over 10,000 of these books (200 boxes) will be sent to the Toledo District.
Out of the many schools contacted in the Toledo District, 13 responded resoundingly that they need books. Out of these 13, 8 also indicated that they need shelving to properly display and protect the books. Therefore, in addition to providing the books donated by Believe in Belize, the Punta Gorda Rotary Club is fundraising to supply these 8 schools with sufficient bookshelves to house and protect the books. We will be providing the schools with 4-foot-long shelves, as well as brackets and hardware to hang the shelves on the cement walls of the classrooms. The shelves will last for many years since they will be made of treated lumber and hung with sturdy elbow brackets.
The 8 schools involved in this project educate between 100-200 students each. That means that approximately 800-1,600 students would benefit from these books and shelves, along with countless family members who would also be able to enjoy the borrowed books at home.
In fact, the more funds we raise, the more bookshelves we can donate which will enable us to accept even more books going forward.
This project will allow all the classrooms in 8 district schools to surround the children with wonderful books to read in the classroom and borrow to read at home with the rest of their families.
Having books displayed in the classrooms enables children to access books during free time or when they have finished their work. They will get used to the idea that reading during free time is a pleasurable option.
Thank you in advance for supporting the children of the Toledo District of Belize!