Before the Room To Read library in the Tra Vinh school was built, books were not easy for students to access nor was there space for reading. Sociology@UCSantaCruz Professor and Science & Justice Director Jenny Reardon and her family worked with Room To Read, an organization that builds libraries and reading rooms for children who would otherwise not have books to learn to read, to fund the building of a library for the school in Tra Linh. Today the students have a large, bright and cheerful space with 42 mats to sit on and over 6,000 books to read.
In a recent visit to the library, Reardon learned that it was not only benefiting and enriching the lives of the children, but their families as well. In a blogpost, Reardon relays the story of a parent who wanted her to know that the library was not just teaching the children, it was 'creating a culture of reading and learning in the community'. While his nine-year-old daughter loved the library and went every day, he also frequently visited. For him, it was 'the only place he could find books to learn about things happening in places beyond Tra Vinh'. This access to information in a supportive environment creates and fosters education, intergenerational literacy and social mobility.
Aiming to build another Room To Read library, Reardon is raising funds for a library in Cà Mao, the capital of Cà Mau Province in the Mekong Delta region in the southernmost part of Vietnam's inland territory. In this region of Vietnam less than half of the primary schools meet national standards, and all are in great need of reading rooms to promote literacy among children.
To support the Reading Room effort in Cà Mau, contributions can be made on the Room To Read fundraising site.
Read more about Reardon's visit to the Tra Vinh library at: https://banditbiking.
