Won’t You Please Also Help the Jaco Library and the Kids? I’ve donated $100…

The Jaco Library and Learning Center is a non-profit organization and the only public library on the Central Pacific Coast of Costa Rica.

Our mission is to provide materials and services to help community members acquire knowledge and information meeting their educational, professional, creative and personal needs. The Jacó Library and Learning Center is committed to increasing literacy and education throughout the community in order to empower individuals to reach their goals.

The Jaco Library and Learning Center is more than just a library, it’s an unofficial community center. We have kids coming in every day, many of which get opportunities through the library that they would not otherwise receive.

They are able to consistently participate in art projects, science experiments, literacy programs, and educational movie viewings. In order to reach children in nearby rural communities, we provide a mobile library service that visits the small surrounding schools.

To increase the library’s interaction within Jaco, the library conducts local school visits, provides free weekly yoga classes, and organizes beach activity days. Back onsite, we also offer Spanish and English lessons as well as tutoring. We hope to expand our programs to include entrepreneurial workshops and talks on sex education.

The Jaco Library and Learning Center is a non-profit organization set up by Liana Robinson and is controlled through CornerStones Education Foundation 501(c)(3) of which she is director.

CornerStones doesn’t yet bring in enough funds to support the library, so Liana has been doing so with her own funds since December 2010. As a registered non-profit, all donations are tax deductible in the United States and Canada.

Our Wish

Our wish is to expand the library and learning center to meet and grow with the needs of the community. Currently, the library is renting a commercial space which is too small and unaffordable.

We want to develop the library and learning center to include a science lab, an art room, a supplemental education classroom, a computer lab, a play room for young children, and a teen center.

We also want to be able to incorporate laptop computers with the mobile library project so that students in rural areas get a chance to learn about and utilize current technology. Ultimately, we wish for a place where community members feel welcomed, encouraged, and challenged.

The Jaco Library and Learning Center needs $50,000 in order to reach our goal of moving to a bigger and better facility. The funds will be put towards rent and utilities, staff, renovations, and new equipment.

• Rent for a year at our new facility ($15,600)
• Utilities for a year at our new facility ($13,800)
• Staff ($12,600)
• Partial basic renovations of the new facility ($5,000)
• Five new computers ($3,000)

If we do not reach our entire goal, the funds raised will go towards a suitable facility within our price range. The funds will also go towards expanding and enhancing our programs. Items to be purchased will include computers, English and Spanish learning materials, new books, a check-out system, and science equipment.

Ways You Can Help

As you can see form the screenshot above, I – Scott Oliver – donated $100 and would ask you if you can, to do the same.

We understand that some people just can’t contribute financially, but you can still help us in our 50k in 75 days READ LEARN PLAY campaign:

SPREAD THE WORD about our campaign. Indiegogo has easy share tools, where you can get the word out to your friends and networks ‘LIKE US’ on Facebook here or you could volunteer with us in Costa Rica >

[custom_script adID=97]

Andrew Makarik

to@welovecostarica.com

Andrew Makarik is the main editor of WeLoveCostaRica, a fan of this sunny country. He is also a loving husband and a has a lovely daughter. By being a devoted family man and the biggest Costa Rica fan, he wants to make more people feel at home there. WeLoveCostaRica unites people and helps them find new home or a new travel destination. This website is a friendly community where everyone can find not only information, but also new friends and travel pals. Andrew is also passionate about IT and programming, so he himself maintains a friendly atmosphere in this cozy environment of WeLoveCostaRica.com.