Indonesia
WIJABA has been building libraries and teaching programs in Indonesia since 2009. Our libraries are built in hubs to best ensure that we work consistently with the community to foster lasting relationships and increase impact.
Our Indonesian staff are members of the communities we serve and are best able to identify the ways in which we can promote education for the children of Indonesian.
WIJABA works in the following regions:
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Sidoarjo: Devastated by world's worst mudflow disaster
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Padang: Recovering from a tsunami and numerous earthquakes
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Bali: Coping with a significant orphan population
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Purbalingga: Remote region with little to no access to books
Indonesia is the site of nearly 80 WIJABA libraries, 3 mobile libraries, 1 horse library, a student librarian program, an art program, a storytelling program, a student librarian program, and an environmental education program in partnership with Jane Goodall's Roots & Shoots.
Where We Work
WIJABA Serves Children in Indonesia, Mexico, and the United States
Mexico
WIJABA has been building libraries in Mexico since 2012. To uphold our belief that libraries have the greatest longevity and the highest impact when built in hubs, we have chosen to build all 17 of our libraries in Chihuahua, Mexico. The libraries in Chihuahua are a safe haven for children who live in communities afflicted by major social and economic upheaval.
United States
California has the fifth largest economy in the world and yet Los Angeles school districts are still vastly underfunded and lacking in essential learning tools.
About 40 percent of Los Angeles Unified elementary schools still lack the staff to open libraries, leaving about 100,000 students without a way to borrow books on campus. The children affected most by these budgetary failures are often those living in low income neighborhoods where they have little to no access to books.
To promote greater access to books in Los Angeles, WIJABA has partnered with 3 schools so far to build libraries. Focus groups were conducted with students and teachers to ensure a diverse, engaging, and educational selection of books. These libraries continue to contribute to literacy development for thousands of children throughout Los Angeles.