More books needed for students in Belize

Books donated by students, staff and faculty at Malaspina University-College and community members are making a “huge difference” in the lives of students in Belize.

Dr. Larry Wolfe, a faculty member in Malaspina’s Geography and Global Studies departments, spearheaded a campaign to collect and ship several boxes of books to the University of Belize last August, and in 2005.

“Books we've shipped so far have caused great excitement at the University of Belize,” said Wolfe. “According to Chief Librarian, Erwin Woodye, the minute the books arrived on the shelves, they were signed out. Students swarmed the library. The Chief Librarian has asked me to thank everyone who has donated books.”

Wolfe started the “Books for Belize” campaign in 2003 after spending a year teaching at the University of Belize. He noticed the Library had limited resources and students had difficulty accessing information they needed to conduct research. Back in Canada, Wolfe began collecting books written in English from family and friends. Word spread quickly about the “Books for Belize” project when he began teaching at Malaspina.

Wolfe wants to ship more books to Belize in January, but he needs more donations. His goal is to send 20 two-cubic foot boxes of books. "So far, I have enough to fill four boxes," he said.

The University of Belize needs books in all academic areas, such as business, marketing, criminology, history, philosophy, medicine, ecology, psychology, and information technology. Late edition books are needed in all fields, said Wolfe. “We’re hoping for a broad variety, but duplicates are okay too.”

Classic books are also required, along with all categories of fiction, children’s books, and recent journals. Books must be in good condition, and as current as possible.  

Wolfe said the University of Belize will share books with the National Library of Belize or with schools in the area. “Some schools in Belize have no books at all, so donations are greatly appreciated,” he said. “The goal of the country and university is to raise the level of knowledge and reading ability in children of all ages.”

Wolfe’s Books for Belize project has received cross-Canada publicity from the Canadian Lutheran World Relief (CLWR) organization, which has offered to receive cash donations for the project, issue tax receipts, and handle the paperwork for the shipment of books to Belize as a free service.

“Thanks to CLWR, we’ve received donated books from as far away as Saskatchewan, and more interest is coming from other provinces and from states as far away as Florida,” Wolfe said. 

Donated books will be screened for usefulness and relevance for Belize, Wolfe added. “This is necessary because shipping is very expensive - $1 to $2 per book. Any books that we don’t ship to Belize will be sent to Literacy Nanaimo or other non-profit organizations.”

So far, over $700 has been raised to help cover costs of the January shipment, but another $1,000 is needed.  Donations can be sent directly to the Canadian Lutheran World Relief (CLWR) online at www.clwr.org, by phone at 1-800-661-2597 (CLWR), or by cheque or money order to: Canadian Lutheran World Relief, 1080 Kingsbury Avenue, Winnipeg, MB R2P 1W5. Please mark donations clearly as “Books for Belize.” Wolfe said 100 percent of all donations will go directly to the project.

If you have books to donate, contact Wolfe at 250-754-9181 or email him at LDSWolfe@telus.net. Volunteers are also needed to help with book pick-up, cataloguing and storage.

So why is Wolfe devoting so much time and energy to the Books for Belize project? "It feels great to know a little effort on our part can make such a big difference," he said.