In order to encourage the habit of reading, through The Voice of Guanacaste’s Tell a Story campaign, 837 children received a free book specially dedicated to each one of them.
Readers of The Voice of Guanacaste donated one or more books that could benefit children from 31 schools in Nicoya and Hojancha. The newspaper assigned the names of the students and participants sent the books through the Costa Rican Post Office.
One example is a fifth grader from the school in Monte Romo of Hojancha, Manuel Gonzalez, who received a book from Dania Elizondo from San Ramon, Alajuela. When the boy read the inscription, he said, “Could it be that this lady knows me? I am going to read a lot today, and tomorrow I will tell them what the book is about.”
According to the commercial director of The Voice of Guanacaste, Cesar Rodriguez, books were received from Mexico, Canada, Ecuador, United States and all over the country.
“For us it has been wonderful to discover the excitement and surprise of these children every morning when the postman arrives and they anxiously await their book. Having such a unique and personalized gift from someone they do not know makes these books a significant tool for promoting reading in communities where it is hard to get children’s literature,” Rodriguez said.
The campaign was held from March 17th to April 18th. However, the International University of the Americas (UIA- Universidad Internacional de las Americas) in San Jose will be collecting books during the entire month of May. Additionally, for the month of September, the 72 Fischel pharmacies will join the initiative.
Comments