Project Launch:

The kids of Maca, Peru lacked access to the kinds of information and resources that many others have access to on a regular basis and take for granted. They worked with a local Peace Corps Volunteer to apply for a grant from World Connect's Kids to Kids Program and a $500 grant in 2011 supported the town of Maca in building a library for its children to help address this lack of access to information. The kids, who have plenty of free time in Maca and spent a fair amount of it watching soap operas during the day, can now go to read in their library. The adults of Maca fully supported this project and were happy to see their kids reading as many had struggled with the fact that local kids often have difficulties getting accepted into the university as the education they receive often prepares them less well than what is offered in the cities. This project has helped improve the education overall for kids who may have been behind with homework since kids did not have access to the Internet or easily accessible resources to help complete their assignments. With the library, a reading club was also introduced and makes the kids feel comfortable being in the new library and checking out materials. The reading club provides the kids with an extracurricular activity to participate in and helps constructively fill the hours in a day.