Two Penn Staters help rebuild children's library in rural Belize

Two Penn Staters help rebuild children's library in rural Belize

University Park, Pa. -- A fractured cement foundation is all that remains of the primary school in Monkey River Village, a beautiful coastal town in Belize that was ravaged by Hurricane Iris in 2001. As the building was decimated, so was the library that fed the minds of the village's children and many others in the Monkey River region. After learning this, two Penn State graduate students who visited the village last March knew what they had to do. They were going to rebuild that library.

During spring break 2004, a group of nine Penn State students led by Frank Higdon, senior lecturer in agricultural ecology and rural sociology, traveled to Monkey River Village as part of a community and economic development project. Working closely with the University of Belize and the Toledo Institute for Development and the Environment, the students were there to perform an ecological and sociological assessment of this small fishing village, which was rapidly being developed for tourist ventures. While interviewing three schoolteachers, Jenn Logan, a graduate student in environmental pollution control, and Erin James, a graduate student studying rural sociology and environmental pollution control, learned about the loss of the library and how its destruction had affected the students of Monkey River Village.

"Without having access to the same resources found in other communities, the students of Monkey River cannot fairly obtain a complete education," said Logan. "Last year, no students from Monkey River qualified to attend high school because they needed more experience. Losing their extensive library has undoubtedly taken a toll on the students' progress."

To help alleviate this problem, Logan and James decided to start a book drive to rebuild Monkey River Village's library. With the help of several elementary school teachers, students and librarians, the graduate students were able to collect more than 1,000 books. "We have collected several hundred pounds of books," said James. "So far, we have about half the money we need to ship the books to the children, but we are confident that we will reach our goal."

Overall, the population of Belize is relatively well educated, but the children of Monkey River are unable to even imagine going on to high school or college since their resources are so limited. "We're fortunate enough to have almost every resource imaginable at Penn State, and this is just a little way of sharing those opportunities with these children," said Logan.

To learn more about the Monkey River Village library project, contact Logan at jal302@psu.edu or James at eej115@psu.edu