To Read is to Change the World

Picnic de Palabras

Picnic de Palabras is a foundation founded by Marcela Escovar. Her dream was to bring books to children living in the countryside of Colombia. Reading is an essential skill that opens up many opportunities later in life. It provides acces to higher education and better jobs. But it also opens the mind to different realities, different worlds and different imaginations. Reading means knowledge, inspiration and growth. A lack of reading in places where books simply don't arrive because of their remote location, decreases the opportunities of children later in life. Bringing books to these places is therefore an essential part of decreasing nationwide inequality.

On May 13, Picnic de Palabas invited us to Duitama and Paipa. Accompanied by author Carlos Riaño, they distributed 168 books to 42 children from the “Arriba Abajo” collection. For Marcela it was important to not only give away the books, but als share the experience of reading with the children and their families. To teach them the importance of reading, how they help us grow and dream, and to become readers for life. During the event, the children were divided in groups and asked to read one of the books together. Finally, they presented their interpretation of the book to the rest of the group. As a symbolic gesture, local teacher Andrea Tamayo handed out small trees to the members of Picnic in exchange for the books. This way, the environmental impact of the distribution was minimised, while its social impact will continue to accumulate in the years to come, each time a child opens another book.