Associação Vaga Lume (Brazil)
Vaga Lume is an NGO created to empower children within rural communities of the Amazon by fostering literacy and operating community libraries. Vaga Lume operates in 86 rural communities within 22 territories in the Brazilian Amazon. After many years promoting access to books and reading in the Amazon, it was recognised as the best NGO in education in Brazil in 2018 and has since received international awards, such as the Intercultural Innovation Award, conferred by United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) and the European Union Human Rights Award (2019).
In 2021/2022, as a result of the Eurofins Foundation’ support, Vaga Lume could expand its community libraries project to 3 new rural communities in the state of Pará, a vulnerable region within the Amazon.
The project added value for families, children and schools by:
- Fostering literacy by donating high quality books, shelves and mats to the libraries;
- Training parents, educators and caregivers as reading mediators, establishing a link between books and children;
- Supporting community management by identifying community leaders and mobilizing volunteers, creating a sense of ownership over the project.
Through reading and reading aloud mediation activities, the libraries foster innovation, creativity and imagination at a young age, when brain development is at its peak. The project was also part of a movement to expand the concept of education towards improving learning outcomes and providing intrinsic incentives for socio-emotional and cognitive skills development.
This project contributes to the following United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals
