Our Programs

The mission of BOOKS for the BARRIOS is to strengthen public elementary school education worldwide, equal access to quality education to all children, most especially the disadvantaged children. We have many programs designed to help students and teachers, both at home in the U.S. and throughout the world.

Over the past two decades, BOOKS for the BARRIOS has had a major impact on education in the Philippines and on the awareness of U.S. children. The following are our major programs and some of our proudest accomplishments.

National Education Development Program for the Philippines

National Book Distribution Program — Our central program involves collecting high-quality books and educational materials in the United States and shipping them to poor, remote schools in Philippine barrios. To date, we have shipped more than 9 million pounds of educational materials to 18 million Filipino children.

National Model-of-Excellence Schools Program — To date, we have transformed 56 Philippine barrio schools into learning institutions that set a new national standard. This program helps assure that the materials we ship are used as effectively as possible.

National Teacher Training Conventions — Scores of volunteer American education development specialists provide advanced training to thousands of rural educators.

American Schools Programs

In addition to improving education worldwide, BOOKS for the BARRIOS educates children at home, involving U.S. children in breaking the cycle of poverty, promoting awareness of poor conditions in other countries and sustaining the future viability of our work.

 

Each year thousands of U.S. children take character development school field trips to our National Children’s Education Sharing Center where they learn about their counterparts throughout the world. The program stresses how children, wherever they are just like them. In addition to the field trips, hundreds of thousands of additional children participate in accompanying school donation drives each year, which emphasizes the reuse of educational resources.

Environmental Programs

BOOKS for the BARRIOS also helps to sustain the global and U.S. environment.

 

Each year, BOOKS for the BARRIOS diverts at least 700,000 pounds from U.S. landfills by shipping valuable books and other learning tools that might otherwise become waste. The program aims to educate elementary school children worldwide about the environment.

 

National Tree Raising Environmental Education Program –  In the Philippines, BOOKS for the BARRIOS’ commitment to the environment is demonstrated by our National Tree Raising Environmental Education Program (TREE), which requires each Filipino pupil who receives donated educational materials to raise a mahogany tree to maturity.

Global Development Programs

Our Global Development Programs help us bring our model to other countries:

Education Development Consulting Service — Each year, BOOKS for the BARRIOS provides informal consulting services to approximately 40 individuals and organizations interested in replicating our model in U.S. cities and other developing countries. We are happy to help you start a program in your community, or to serve a new community abroad.

Global Pupils' E-mail Program — Our Global Pupils' E-mail Program encourages Filipino children to communicate with a global network of nearly 40,000 participants using the internet, and to become computer literate. The program aims to teach American and Filipino children that their classmates overseas are "just like them."

Global Development Programs

BOOKS for the BARRIOS works closely with American military combat forces engaged in the global war on terrorism in the Philippines. We support our troops in the conflict areas by sharing our resources to support their local humanitarian aid projects.