The Beginnings
Truth be told, La Pagina en la Puerta literally began in a doorway – hence the name (the page in the door) -- the doorway to our home, which became a doorway to the amazing world of literature for the children in our neighborhood. And the children couldn’t have been happier to sit on the little benches, under the sun in our entrance, or just inside, or on the steps, choosing and reading the few books that were then available...
... Amy Bakal
An idea is born...
Amy Bakal’s great passion was to bring literature and literacy to Cusco Peru. During the school year (April through December) 2005, she worked independently at a national school that serves a poor population. For some of the students, their first experience with Spanish is at school, Quechua being their native language. Ms. Bakal worked
Nextwith 2 first grade classes. She read with the children, followed by educational projects based on the books that were read. According to Ms. Bakal, “It was wonderful watching the children and their enthusiasm for literature. I was greeted each visit with wonderful hugs.”
This wasn’t enough. Ms. Bakal wanted to reach out to a greater number of children. Ms. Bakal thought the affect of a neighborhood library, and future libraries could be much broader. She was right – at the school she only worked with about 60 children. The library has received, so far, more than 600 children, works on occasion with local schools and several children’s homes.
Why a library and literacy?
Reading is something quite important to Ms. Bakal and beginning a library for children, in a city such as Cusco where children’s libraries don’t exist, is something that she had wanted to do for a while. She had delayed the project with many excuses -- no space, not enough books, no support, no money, and then realized that she had all she need to get started – 200 or so children’s books in Spanish. Ms. Bakal bought 2 shelves and hung them inside her