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FROM THE FIELD

Book-drive gives children access to information and chance for further education
27 Oct 2009 07:01:10 GMT
 Source: World Vision Middle East/Eastern Europe/ Central Asia office
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Students believe these new books create better opportunities for their further education.
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Students believe these new books create better opportunities for their further education.
World Vision MEERO, http://meero.worldvision.org

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A book-drive has collected more than 1,000 books for students in Armenia's Alaverdi Region in response to a letter written by the schools asking for World Vision's help to update their libraries. With the help of the Union of Writers of Armenia and one of the biggest libraries in the capital Yerevan the bookdrive attracted support from individuals, libraries across the country, as well as institutions and schools.

'For many years I have been trying to find 'Romeo and Juliet' by Shakespeare, but neither our school library, nor the village library has a copy', lamented Mane Avetyan, 15, undergraduate student of Akori Village School in Alaverdi Region.

A tiny room, with a number of short and half-empty shelves and a couple of old desks is the norm for a school library in many Armenian villages. The libraries have not been updated for decades with books either destroyed or lost due to the lack of financial and technical means to protect them and keep them updated.

Both belles-lettres and professional literature is rare; 'Children are given assignments knowing that they are going to borrow the rare samples of textbooks from their peers to be able to accomplish it', said Asya Tomoyan, head of the Akori School. 'Compared to their peers living in big cities, village children are deprived of many opportunities, especially of having access to information'.

The collected literature included dictionaries, grammar and algebra textbooks, encyclopedias, fiction and fairly tale books. A number of international organisations also contributed providing contemporary literature on human rights and child rights.

'This was a joint accomplishment, we are glad the schools themselves took the initiative of asking for support, and most importantly the Union of Writers and libraries agreed to join', said Tatevik Davtyan, World Vision Armenia Advocacy Expert.

'The history of Armenia comes to prove that our most clever and talented people come from the regions, that's why it is crucial for our country to provide better opportunities for the children in remote villages', said Liparit Sargsyan, beloved Armenian children's writer, during the meeting with the students of Akori Village.

'I have decided to become a specialist of English language; today I see that we have received a series of modern English-Armenian dictionaries and an English Encyclopedia. I am going to be the first borrower, for sure,' said 16-year-old Armine Petrossyan.

-Ends-


[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]

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[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]

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Last updated:Tue Oct 27 12:13:58 2009