The story of this community library began with a simple question: How can we create more opportunities for the children of this community? The answer came from the community itself and from its ability to organize, imagine, and build together.
Carmen Carranza, a community leader in Víctor Raúl V Etapa, remembers the early days: a space built with esteras—woven reed mats—that soon filled with children, volunteers, books, games, and opportunities to learn. The space became a place for academic support in reading and communication, math, and English, as well as drawing and painting workshops.
At Sayariy, we believe that access to education does not end in the classroom. Communities need safe spaces where children can study, read, create, play, connect with others, and develop their abilities. That is why this library represents much more than a building. It is a space where children can exercise their rights and their potential.
This story was not built with bricks alone. It was built through community organization, solidarity—including the support of Wilbor Oliveros—and the participation of the very people who would benefit from it: the neighbors of this community.
Of course, the community has faced many challenges. The first structures made from esteras were affected by theft and loss. Then the COVID-19 pandemic forced in-person activities to stop and changed the way families could be supported. Even so, the project did not stop.
The women of the Familias Unidas Community Kitchen, with guidance from Sayariy, obtained permits, secured donations, and organized the distribution of food and family food baskets to those who needed them most.
Over the years, it has been remarkable to see the original esteras give way to a new brick building. Behind every step forward is community effort: fundraising activities, sales of ceviche, cachangas, picarones, and stuffed potatoes; community clean-up days; efforts to secure donations; and, above all, countless hours of organization and shared work.
Yovana Cárdenas, president of Familias Unidas, describes this journey as a collective effort. That is what makes this library more than the project of the people who first envisioned it. It is the result of a community that chose to get involved, knock on doors, ask for support, and contribute in whatever ways they could.
At Sayariy, we accompany these processes because we believe communities are the protagonists of their own development. Our role is to help strengthen their initiatives, connect people and resources, and create opportunities for their dreams to become sustainable realities.
There are still challenges ahead. Some spaces remain to be completed, services need to be improved, and new needs will continue to emerge. But there is also an organized community, a committed team, and a dream that is no longer just a dream.
At Sayariy, we want to continue walking alongside this community and welcome those who believe that a more just society is built when no one is left behind.
The doors of this library will be open to all the children of the community.
And they are also open to everyone who wants to become part of this dream.
Written by: Kat Martinez