Opening Two School Libraries in Sonsonate, El Salvador

The Intl. WeLoveU Foundation branch in San Salvador, El Salvador, searched for schools that needed to improve their educational environment, in conjunction with the El Salvadorian Ministry of Education. Centro Escolar Caserio Tapalchucut Norte School, which is located in the mountain region of Izalco, Sonsonate, (a neighboring city of San Salvador) is a public school catering for students from the first grade to the ninth grade. Lotificacion Palmeras de Paris school, located in a remote rural area of Armenia, Sonsonate, is a public school catering for students from kindergarten grade to the elementary sixth grade.

Both the schools did not have enough classrooms, so they held two sessions of education per day. The first session started from 7 a.m., and the second one from 1 p.m. In the classrooms, there were no other facilities besides old desks, chairs, and blackboards. The government had only supplied them with uniforms, notebooks, and shoes. Above all, there was a lack of books, including textbooks and teaching materials. The teachers hoped that the students would gain much more knowledge by cultivating their reading habit in the newly established libraries.

The WeLoveU decided to establish a library for each of the schools by remodeling storerooms, and the members helped with painting and entrance door repair.

On one side of the Centro Escolar Caserio Tapalchucut Norte school library, the members made a sitting space with carpets and low bookshelves for young children. After completing the library, they donated bookshelves, desks, chairs, and a total of 420 books which included study materials, science books, dictionaries, and story books. The space, which was previously used as a store house, turned into a small library for the students who dream of a better future.

Rina Magdalena Chile, the Principal of Centro Escolar Caserio Tapalchucut Norte school, said, “For a long time, I’ve dreamed of getting a library for my students to have access to a sea of knowledge by reading and thinking for themselves. I’m so thankful to the WeLoveU for having made a library for the school. I will make sure that the students read lots of books,” she shared her impressions at the opening ceremony.

Luz Morena, the Principal of Lotificacion Palmeras de Paris school, showed his expectation, “Having a library at the school has been a long-cherished wish since the establishment of the school. I hope that the students will read books every day and equip themselves with wisdom and knowledge.” He added with thankfulness, “I’m fully aware that the WeLoveU helps many people in different places in the world. I wish you all the best in the future.”

Rosa Amelia Funes, an official from the Ministry of Education, said, “We thank the WeLoveU for providing us with such a beautiful library. Thank you for letting us feel love like the name ‘WeLoveU.’ In the library, students can now search for knowledge and wisdom while cultivating their habits of studying.”

Both Centro Escolar Caserio Tapalchucut Norte school and Lotificacion Palmeras de Paris school gave certificates of appreciation to the WeLoveU for establishing libraries and donating books. The two newly-opened libraries will be freely opened to not only 365 students of the two schools but also to the citizens; the libraries will serve as the cradle of knowledge for them. The WeLoveU is going to support many more schools and encourage students to have a better future.