Our mission trip to Da Nang in 2017 brought about the birth of our first library plant at Street Children's Home #2. We are so incredibly proud to now have two new English libraries overseas, our first being at the River of Life School in Kiev, Ukraine.

 

English books are so expensive overseas. We were so fortunate to have access to books being retired from the shelves of the Mt. Pleasant Public Library. We were able to purchase over 100 books from them and supplement with teaching materials from the local Dollar Stores.  We choose primarily children's books to stock our libraries -- they are much easier to learn from because they have small words, simple sentences, and illustrations for context clues. 

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If you'd like to help us by donating gently used books, or money to buy either books or classroom materials, no contribution is too small. Really! In fact, I buy most of the books and teaching materials that I take with me from the Dollar Store. 

 

If you'd like to participate, there are a couple of ways you can help. One way click here to donate any amount (there's no minimum) through PayPal. Every contribution is appreciated. You can also mail donations to us at our mailing address listed on that same page. 100% of mailed donations will go to the project. If you go through PayPal to make your donation, they will take a small percentage of the proceeds as a processing fee. 

 

A more fun way to participate to take a small person with you (if you have the courage to brave the Dollar Store with a small person) and let them pick out the books for you. They're always a good judge of what makes an interesting book. 

 

Below, I've listed some guidelines to help you in picking out books:

 

1. The more interesting the book looks to you (shaped like a fire engine, for example), the less intimidating it will be for a young learner.

2. The fewer words per page, the better. Learning can be overwhelming in another language.

3. Avoid religious and American content. Our books must be approved by the Vietnamese government, so remember that when picking out your books.

4. Avoid one-time use books, like sticker books, coloring books, connect the dots, etc.

5. Lastly, word searches and crossword puzzles are out for obvious reasons. (Imagine trying to do a word search if you were trying to learn Vietnamese!)

 

One thing that has been my experience in the overseas classrooms is that they do not seem to have the teacher reward system that we do in America. When I brought out my bag of brightly colored stickers and pencils and erasers, in Kiev, the children were amazed and delighted. So, if any of you would like to contribute any of these items, they are welcome, as well.  Please just bear in mind:

 

1. I never get just 1 of anything -- as a mother of two, I know there may be a situation where the child who gets the prize may be the one who earned it, but there may be one with great big eyes at the back of the excited group, longingly looking at it, so I always have at least one in reserve. In other words, please buy at least 2 of whatever you purchase.

2. I have to pack for 2 weeks -- books, curriculum materials, items I am taking to our Street Children's Home where we served last year (oh, yeah, and a pair of jeans for me to wear!) -- so everything must be SMALL! And must get through airport security.

3. It just makes sense -- nothing that uses batteries (even the tiny button kind) & nothing they can hurt themselves with. 

 

I have been known to spend hours in various Dollar Stores filling up an entire buggy with books and school stuff. 

 

Finally, if you would like to volunteer to teach with me on this great adventure, please contact me! Our final date is still pending but it will be during 1 week of March 2016. You must be at least 21, have a passport with at least 6 months before expiration, and be able to speak English fluently. Final approval to volunteer will lie with LWGI's Board of Directors. LWGI may fundraise with volunteers to help with their mission trip costs. 

 

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