BOOKS for the BARRIOS is an international non-government organization that specializes in conflict area rehabilitation. Its education development program, instituted nation-wide by the Philippine Department of Education, has executed civil-military humanitarian operations in the Philippines for 30 years. BOOKS for the BARRIOS has recently established a comprehensive humanitarian aid partnership with the Armed Forces of the Philippines Civil Relations Service Command (AFP-CRS), under the auspices of the Office of the President.

The program seeks to advance soft operation poverty fighting through education, by means of direct logistic assistance, as a primary, formal military strategy to promote peace in the most critical areas of the Mindanao Region. The pact establishes a seamless pipeline for the transfer of thousands of tons of high-quality education resources sourced by BOOKS for the BARRIOS from America, through the AFP-CRS, to deprived, depressed, underserved public schools throughout the Philippines.

When American Special Forces operators began to deploy to the theater in 2006, BOOKS for the BARRIOS, having conducted extensive educational aid programs continuously in the area for decades, immediately inaugurated a wide-ranging close combat support liaison with our soldiers downrange. Over the ensuing nine years, 200 tons of school supplies have been delivered directly to Philippine and American military units who have completed aggressive civic development projects in the villages they protect.

With BOOKS for the BARRIOS logistic and training support, troops have rebuilt schools destroyed by insurgents, formed soccer leagues, hosted local teacher training seminars, acted as emergency tutors, and created precious school libraries wherever communities suffer. These successful peace promoting missions have encouraged sustained local political support for public education while earning the trust and appreciation of the people.

Working to identify deployed military units with the provision of quality education opportunity for the children they serve advances their mission by promoting autonomous development and stimulating local democracy. Philippine combat commanders report that the children of the rebels now carry books instead of their father’s rifle; recipient mothers explain that poverty is no hindrance once their children get the books; and the population reports IED activity. Everyone contributes their share, everyone shares the peace.

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President Cory Aquino Congratulates BOOKS for the BARRIOS Founder Nancy Harrington for Ten Years of Service to Aid Philippines Public Education Development  — Malacanang Palace, Manila, Philippines, 1991.

BOOKS for the BARRIOS has since then shipped 16 million books to the most deprived schools throughout the country. The all-volunteer San Francisco Bay Area peace movement fights poverty and promotes peace through educator empowerment in global conflict areas.

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Here is a video featuring an interview with BOOKS for the BARRIOS founder Nancy Harrington. Our photos and videos are shown along with the interview. Nancy tells the story of BOOKS for the BARRIOS. “Peace is a process, it must be recognized,” says Nancy.

Learn about BOOKS for the BARRIOS and Nancy Harrington in this video. Nancy also gives her advice on running a non-profit, charitable organization.

This interview is part of Celina Laguisma’s senior project. Thank you Celina.

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Without books children of the rainforest are helpless.Through your donation support us in providing little girls like this one with good quality books and other educational material to their library. We are a East Bay charity engaged in promoting quality education and teacher’s training in the Philippines. We establish libraries in the remote rainforests and get high quality books and educational materials to the little children who would otherwise be eager to learn but without any books to read and enjoy. To make your donation goto : http://booksforthebarrios.org/donate-2/

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TODAY – Library hour at a school in Bohol

Positive feedback of our work keeps our spirits high!

Here is a  letter of appreciation from a teacher in the Bayong Elementary School , Guindulman, Bohol in the Philippines sent to us in April 1991.
” I have the honor to inform you that we received the books you sent to us/our school last March 12, 1991. In this connection, I would like to let you know how happy we were upon receiving those books. We really appreciated your kindness and thoughtfulness.In return, please accept our heartfelt thanks and prayers for the happiness of you and all the people behind ” Books for the Barrios”. We promise to take care of those books/materials so that more and more children can be benefitted from them. Again, thank-you very much.”

 What she says has been echoed time and again over the last twenty -three years not only by kids and teachers in the Philippines but also by children here who have been a part of our … Project of the Heart.

From 1991 till date we have received hundreds of letters like this from teachers and students both here and in the Philippines thanking us, appreciating our work and giving us a positive feedback of our work. Here are some more examples:

(from 4th grade student who came for his class fieldtrip – Jan 2002)

Dear Nancy…

 I learned that I’m a very lucky person.  To help kids who need it makes me feel important.

I feel very lucky to live in a rich country.  I can be clean, get a great education and get a nice job.  But after this field trip I know that a lot of kids can’t have most of that.  But now, I found a way to help.

This field trip made me feel important.  Now I feel that kids of the Philippines have an opportunity to grow up and find their passions.  When I boxed the books I left feeling proud to help.

(from a Third Grade Teacher Mactan Elementary Model of Excellence Elementary school, Philippine)

I THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart. Even if we just met for a short while, you have renewed my commitment to my profession and helped me realize how crucial and vital a teacher can be in the child’s being.

(Kids positive feedback)

You made me learn that one person can make a difference.  I have never met another person that has as much passion for helping people.  I rediscovered how lucky we are to live here.

I appreciate the pineapple and dried mango.  I have learned the Philippine girls have a fashion show.  I hope that there isn’t another storm.  I would not change the kids mind.  I am going to tell everyone I know about Books for the Barrios.  This field trip made me feel happy!

 It is words like these that give us a thumbs up and help us continue our effort to bring quality education to the deprived communities.

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BftB is an ALL volunteer East Bay area non-profit organization.BftB aims to improve the quality of education for underprivileged youth in deprived communities especially in the Philippines. BftB has given the gift of education to millions of children through its powerful, effective and culturally sensitive programs.

To date BftB has sent over 14 million books overseas, trained teachers in ^­developing countries in modern methods of teaching and established over 70 ^­­” ^­Model-of-Excellence” schools in Philippines.

The BftB Model School program transforms selected large, severely deprived ^­elementary schools into world-class institutions of learning by development of curriculum and instruction backed by resource materials and consulting from BftB. We have transformed 70 impoverished Barrio (village) into ” Model of Excellence” schools. This program improves and equips schools with  libraries, books, learning resources and computers. It sets a new national standard of education and helps assure that the materials shipped are used as effectively as possible.

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Army captain reads to kids in the school

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Destroyed library in Palo, Leyte. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
SAN JOSE, California—For over 30 years, Books for the Barrios (BftB) has reached the farthest corners of the Philippines—those that are the hardest to reach and most in need—building much-needed libraries and, often, putting books into the hands of disadvantaged children for the very first time.
Dan and Nancy Harrington are the power couple that spearheaded this enormous undertaking over 30 years ago. Their work is in transition, shifting from collecting and shipping donated books to rebuilding typhoon-damaged schools and teacher training.
The Harringtons lived in the Philippines for six years, traveling to rural areas on the weekends. In these excursions they would visit beach resorts and barrio schools. They noticed a pattern—“greats kids, but no books.” This observation was the turning point for the Harringtons and the beginning of a long endeavor.
BftB reports that last year approximately 174,000 pounds of materials were shipped overseas and delivered to over 100 schools in dire need of books. Books for the Barrios is “a project of the heart” that sends 100 percent of its fundraiser proceeds and donations to struggling schools.
“Their passion is contagious and the cause is something I could easily get behind,” said longtime supporter Christina Dunham. Poor children will literally travel over mountains and cross rivers to get to school, she said.
“Books for the Barrios does an amazing job of supplementing what little materials many of these barrio schools have, from pencils to crayons to coloring books. With over 12 million books sent overseas, BftB has had a tremendous impact on the lives of many students in the Philippines. An example of this is Cassidy Elementary in Carigara, Leyte, where many of my own relatives go to school,” Dunham added.
Books for the Barrios collects appropriate books for school children grades K-6. Unfortunately, many who have the passion to learn are unable to attain it. The group’s mission is to “spread peace and battle poverty through education.”

School kids using books donated by Books for the Barrios

School kids using books donated by Books for the Barrios. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
Nancy Harrington has seen concrete results of their work. She said, “The rate of illiteracy has certainly declined in the schools we have reached out to and supported, and from that, many of the schools top the national academic test scores.”
In a letter to the Harringtons, an administrator at the University of the Visayas, Eladio Dioko, whose library is a recipient of BftB books, said, “Your Books for the Barrios program is the best thing to happen in this part of the country insofar as our goal of improving the quality of the teaching-learning process is concerned. With these beautiful books available we can entice our children to love books and therefore develop their reading habit at an early age.”
With no paid employees, BftB depends on 10,000 volunteers to help the organization flourish. To date, 14 million books have been donated with an average of 600,000 books a year. More than 10,000 libraries have been provided for deprived, depressed and underserved public schools.
Pupil-researcher Kim Ronquillo, 11, wrote a letter to the Harringtons. Ronquillo and her teacher made an experiment titled “Efficacy of Fermented Snake Plant Against the Eggs of Golden Apple Snails” and joined a contest at the division level.
Ronquillo placed second and then moved to the regional science congress where she placed third, qualifying her to join the national science quest where she was first runner-up at the national level.
“Because of that victory, I went on to compete and win the gold medal in agriculture category,” Ronquillo said. “Thank you so much Ma’am Nancy; because of the books from the model of excellence we are so blessed and privileged.”
The organization is changing but still going strong. “Books for the Barrios is concentrating on efforts (in 2014) to find sponsors to fund our ongoing humanitarian disaster relief operations throughout the Philippines,” said Dan Harrington.
It will no longer collect books and will be sending its last container shipment of books in August. Instead, it will be holding fundraisers to raise money for rebuilding libraries that were destroyed by Typhoon Yolanda as well as invest in teacher training.
“The most important aspect of donating to a Third World country is the opportunity to provide a good education especially to young children,” stated Dan Harrington. “We do so by providing quality books, educational materials, and professional teacher training.”

Read more: http://globalnation.inquirer.net/99368/books-for-the-barrios-shifts-to-rebuilding-schools-training-teachers#ixzz2vaPuLIhr
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Our field trips have impacted tens-of-thousands of American schoolchildren.  The field trips are based upon a  California State standard learning unit.  The focus is on the promotion of peace, human rights and the environment.  Our Filed Trips promote character development through hands-on  activities.

Our field trips provide a significant benefit to the environment.  Our volunteers learn to organize their communities to re-use rather than trash.  Since incorporation in 1990, we have delivered over fourteen million books that otherwise would have been trashed.

During the field trips the local children collect and package books and other learning materials.  These supplies are then distributed to needy children by our troops as they build local schools while on deployment on the frontiers of conflict around the globe.

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