Village Book Builders

This was such a great experience! You get to see the people in the country you go to in a way that you never do through other travels. You can not only connect with locals but also see their appreciation for the help you are providing and the opportunities they are being given. The people love the chance they are given to empower themselves as a result of the service that you do and you get amazing travel experiences along the way. Everyone is kind and respectful and wants to help the volunteers and locals have the best experiences possible.

The Village Book Builder Experience in Belize was amazing. It was a great feeling to serve the children in a school that had minimal library and computer resources and see the impact we can make for their future. The coordinators were great, the contacts in country were great, and accommodations were great outside of the normal tourist areas. We also got to go on a couple excursions to see Mayan ruins and go cave tubing. This helped us gain an appreciation of the country itself along with the great relationships we met through the school. My 13 year old daughter also came with me and had a great experience. I would recommend it to anyone.

Village Book Builders is an incredible organization that brings hope and excitement about learning to communities through books. The travel experience is enhanced with the sense of purpose that develops when the group works together. Opening a library and working with the children provides travelers with the opportunity to immerse themselves into the culture of those with whom one may never have interacted if traveling as a sightseer. I can’t day enough about the wonderful experience I had opening a library in Malawi this past summer. The most incredible pet of the journey for me was teaching the librarian and teachers how to access resources using the RACHEL server. I am forever changed. I look forward to learning even more on the Kenya trip in July 2020!

Going to Nepal has always been one of my dreams, and I am so glad I had the chance to not only go but make a difference while I was there! I love books and it is so much fun to share my favorite books! This is my second expedition with Village Book and I will keep going on these trips as they are addicting!! Service is one of the things that brings me the greatest joy in life and learning about new cultures and people is a definite plus! This is a rural experience so not anything like a 5-star hotel but it is a 5-star connection with the people and doing something that really matters not just painting a wall but really making a life long difference in the lives of the people there! I would go again in a heartbeat and am so grateful for the experiences I have had!

The opportunity to work so closely with a rural village was amazing! We really were able to become part of the village and they let us become part of their community! I learned so much about their cultures and traditions and am better because of it! I was able to play a crucial part in planning the expedition and working with the leaders of the community even before we arrived. The leaders there are so passionate about helping the next generation succeed especially the young girls who have been held back by generations of sexism, but they want to change all that. Many of them are now my closest friends and will wish me happy birthday and reach out to me on facebook to see how I am doing. This really has been a life-changing experience and I am excited to continue to work with them.