We are very excited to announce that NCA International is getting ready to build a new library! Although our school is now in its 23rd year of existence and has grown from 7 students to over 340 students, our library is currently in a room that is smaller than the classrooms. Despite our many attempts to help the library grow and improve, we have reached an impassable wall: without a larger space, we will not be able to make the library into what it needs to be.
It is noteworthy that even the concept of a lending library is still little-known in Nicaragua. Most schools do not have a library, and the closest they may come is having a set of reference materials that are kept locked away in the office (for fear that they might be lost or stolen) and available to teachers upon request. Nicaragua's central library in Managua does not allow anyone to borrow books. Its primary purpose is for research, and all materials must stay inside the library (for fear that they would never be returned). Most children in Nicaragua have never checked out a book, and many have never even sat down to read a children's fiction book.
As you probably know, instilling in children a love for reading is extremely important to their language development and life skills. If students are successful in language arts, this opens up the door to success in other academic subjects, and it gives them a strong advantage in life. We are hopeful that as we build a new library facility, we will be able to continue to strengthen this important area in the lives of our students.
For more information about the library project, please watch the following 4-minute video.
