The United States and Bolivia: United in Reading
The Embassy of the United States of America contributes to the education and culture of the Bolivian people through the Book Program “The United States and Bolivia United in Reading.” This program has supported the countrywide “Donate a Book, Orient a Life” campaign launched in September 2004. The campaign provides books and other educational materials directly to municipal libraries in towns throughout Bolivia.
Participation in the Book Program was extended and expanded with the “Fostering Reading” initiative, which seeks to attract attention of young people, parents, teachers, students, school principals, etc. to literature and to bring books closer to children and young people in order to stimulate their curiosity and encourage the habit of reading as part of their individual development. For this purpose, the U.S. Embassy has established agreements with municipalities to visit libraries and conduct reading sessions for children.
“The United States and Bolivia United in Reading” has benefited municipal, neighborhood, communal libraries, and other public libraries that operate in schools in low-income neighborhoods and universities, delivering a selection of quality books written by American authors and published in Spanish.
Up to July 2014, this cultural outreach program in Bolivia has helped more than 150 libraries in the 9 Bolivian departments, and in the city of El Alto, donating almost 50,000 books for the benefit of Bolivian children and young people living in rural areas and low-income urban communities.
Requirements to apply for a book donation
Public libraries interested in receiving our collections should write a letter of application addressed to:
Cultural Attaché
Embassy of the United States of America
Av. Arce No. 2780ZZ
Casilla 425
La Paz, Bolivia
The letter must describe the specific service the applicant library provides to the population:
- If they have an exclusive space for the library
- If there is a permanent librarian in charge providing services
- Hours of operation
- Population benefited by the library: (average weekly attendance, type of users: schoolchildren, university students, etc.)
The letter should be signed by the Municipal Mayor, Senior Cultural Officer, or a local authority with responsibility over library services. The Embassy will respond to the address or telephone number provided by the sender. If the application meets all the requirements, we will coordinate an event for the donation of books and other materials with the interested library.