Patricio Stenstrom Municipal Library

Years ago, an Argentinean child was adopted by a Swiss family. Growing up, his dream was to plant libraries in the most impoverished communities in the world. Patricio Stensrom wasn’t able to see his vision come true due to an illness that struck him at the age of 12; he lost his battle against the illness and died. His family, wanting to honor his memory and dreams, traveled to San Ramon and funded the library that carries his name.

San Ramon is a small community 30 minutes away from Matagalpa, in the north central region of Nicaragua. The hard workers that live here are mostly farmers and seasonal workers. Like many farm communities in the country, San Ramon is suffering from a harsh drought that has forced many workers to travel to Costa Rica. However, even in the midst of the problems they face, their friendliness and joy shows during their “Feria Campesina” (Farmers Fair) when all the land workers in the area come to town to sell their best; this is one of their main festivities in the year.

The Patricio Stenstrom Municipal Library holds movie nights once a month, gathering as many adults as they do children. They also involve kids in different activities such as the dancing and learning local instruments like the marimba. Last March, the World Bank along with the Durham brotherhood donated several computers with internet service. More than 250 students visit the library each day to complete their homework assignments or read a good book.

Camilo Hernandez is a 13 year old kid that every day goes straight to the library from school. The librarian says, “I never have to tell him to study, keep quiet, or sit down like I have to tell all the other kids.” Camilo was also one of the first kids to learn how to use a computer. This simple fact opens up a world of possibilities for him. Your partnership with this library can open up many more possibilities for the humble people of San Ramon. These are some of the library needs:

Books

Video Equipment

Furniture

Internet Costs