The campaign “Donating a book is an Act of Peace”, led by the Mission to Support the Peace Process in Colombia (MAPP/OAS), which celebrates twenty years of presence in Colombia and the Colombian Book Chamber, reaches its fifth edition.
This initiative, which since 2019, has delivered more than 17,500 books in the territories most affected by the armed conflict, crime and inequality, and in different prison centers in the country, is designed mainly for girls, boys and adolescents to encourage reading. and its ability to transform social realities in favor of building peace in its municipalities and communities.
“This 2024, the MAPP/OAS celebrates 20 years of uninterrupted work in Colombia accompanying communities and institutions in the territories, and with its territorial deployment in more than 100 municipalities in 18 departments, through 14 permanent regional offices, it is available to the country to bring reading as a fact of peace to those places that need it most,” said Roberto Menéndez, Head of the MAPP/OAS.
So far this campaign has delivered copies to more than 80 local initiatives in all regions of the country, such as schools, social and leadership organizations, educators’ associations, community councils, youth groups, community centers and libraries in rural and urban areas of the departments. such as La Guajira, Antioquia, Arauca, Norte de Santander, Valle del Cauca, Caquetá, Cauca, Córdoba, Guaviare, Meta, Cesar, Putumayo and Nariño, among others.
They have also been present in prisons in Jamundí, Valle del Cauca; La Dorada, Caldas; Apartadó, Antioquia; and the Good Shepherd of Bogotá, as part of the “Culture for Freedom” program of the Ministries of Justice and Culture, which with the support of INPEC and the MAPP/OAS, promote a resocialization and integration initiative for people deprived of liberty , based on the promotion of reading, writing and education.
“As representatives of the Colombian publishing sector, it is essential to continue strengthening the links between books and their readers, as well as articulate the different initiatives that are being developed around the promotion of reading in the country. This campaign, which is now in its fifth edition, shows the genuine interest of citizens, so that the words reach every corner of the country,” says Adriana Ángel Forero, director of FILBo, a space in which the Interested parties may make donations of books.
“From the Mission we celebrate the participation of Brazil, a member country of the Organization of American States, as a guest of honor at the Fair this year. We also appreciate the support of the Colombian Book Chamber, Servientrega and the embassies of partner countries and friends of the MAPP/OAS such as Sweden, the Netherlands, Spain, the United Kingdom and India; from entities such as the National Center for Historical Memory; and thousands of Colombians who have wanted to join this initiative throughout its different editions; “added Menendez.
