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Goshen College

Carazo – Cora

July 21, 2013

Cora reads a story to one of the boys.
Cora reads a story to one of the boys.

Cora works with Libros para Niños (Books for Children), an organization in Jinotepe that promotes reading.   An earlier date for Maria to visit Cora at her work was rescheduled for this past week, when Maria visited Cora in the central park of the town of Dolores.

Central American towns all have a central park, and the central park often has a kiosk in the center.  In Dolores the kiosk is where Cora works with two other women reading books to children, giving them time to read on their own, and loaning out books.  In a circular room at the base of the kiosk the organization has a small library.

The day begins at 8:00 with the arrival of a class of first-grade students from a local school. Cushions were handed out for the children to sit on the floor, and the session began with one of the women reading a story using a Japanese technique of having a special wooden box displaying laminated pictures to the students while the presenter reads from text behind the box.  They find this gives better interactions with the students.

Erika, on the left, is the program coordinator, and Melba is paid by the municipality to help with reading, loaning, and recovering books.
Erika, on the left, is the program coordinator, and Melba is paid by the municipality to help with reading, loaning, and recovering books.

Afterwards they put 150 books in two baskets, from which the students pick and choose which books they want to read themselves.  When finished reading, the students can also check out books to take home.  When the time for the first grade students was finished, they were replaced by a class of second-graders that came, and so on through the morning.  After the class of sixth-graders finished, there is open reading time when older students can come.

Cora has lunch each day with one of her two co-workers, and in the afternoons on Monday-Thursday she goes with them to do similar work in Jinotepe until 6 p.m.  Every Friday, afternoon, however, she stays in Dolores, where sometimes they have Viernes Locos, Crazy Fridays, where they come dressed in different costumes.

The program works in a few other locations in the area, and sometimes they travel to small rural communities to offer the same activities.

Cora helps a student read a book.

Maria did a brief survey with the students, asking them which books were their favorites.  Although most of the books are translations of popular children’s books in the U.S., by far their favorite was Las Cinco Noches Arrechas (The Five Angry Nights), a folk tale that takes place in Nicaragua.

The kiosk in the park where the reading program is done. Underneath is the library.
Erika, on the left, is the program coordinator. Cora and Melba, on the right, are facilitators.
Children sit on mats to hear a story read.
The wooden display box for reading stories.
After the story is read, kids rearrange their cushions to read a book on their own.
Baskets of books for the kids to pick from.
Kids reading on their own.
Getting your picture taken while reading is extra exciting.
One of the students shows his favorite book.
Cora reads a story to one of the boys.
After the primary grades have finished, secondary students can come for open reading time.
The t-shirt reads, “More students studying, less students working,” a reference to many children in Nicaragua who drop out of school early in order to work in the streets.
This older student helps read books to others.
An older student reading to Cora.
The library underneath the kiosk.
In this book kids can “express what I want and feel about the reading corner.”
The house where Cora lives.
Cora with sister Maria Alejandra and host parents Sandra and Eliseo.
With brother Jose, his daughter Maria, and wife Michelle.
The street Cora walks to work.