Program Reviews

The trip was well organized and groundbreaking for the community. It’s influence is spreading every day as more and more young and old, women and men come to use the library, learn on the computers and learn computer skills and forms stronger community bonds. The trip days were awesome visiting temples, hiking near the Himalayas and river rafting. Working with local families about the importance of encouraging a reading culture was warmly appreciated. The people of Nepal were lovely and our host families were welcome and excited to have this new library in their community. The trip was well organized and we were well taken care of in every way by our group leaders. Each day was organized for maximum impact to best utilize our talents and time there.

Our group connected so quickly, enough that it felt more like family. We still talk even years after the trip. This was such an amazing cultural experience, Village Book has really good relationships with the local leaders and the chief Nana Baofo loved us and went out of his way to show us the cocoa fields and to explain their local traditions to us. When he arrived at the celebration that was a sight to behold, as he came in with his giant train. My favorite part was just reading to the kids! Every time I would pull out a book I would have 30 kids instantly gathered around me. The kids are so eager to learn and grow, they have so many dreams and it felt amazing to provide the tools they need to get there. These kids will be the future leaders of Africa!!

Mexico with Village Book Builders was a once in a lifetime experience!! The people were so happy we were there, and truly appreciated the library we were building! I loved going out everyday and visiting the homes of the kids with the kids leading us along the mountain paths. When we would arrive at a home without fail they would invite us inside and begin to feed us and feed us, it was hard to fit it all in! Sitting there talking with the parents through our interpreter I loved hearing about their lives and their hopes for their children, they have the same hopes and dreams that we have. They were so excited that their children were getting something they or their parents have never had before, a library. I would go back with village book in a heart beat!!

It was a life long dream to travel to Africa, and it did not disappoint. When we first arrived the village was waiting there for us with a giant party and celebration! These people value education more than anyone I have ever seen. Even though the landscape was breathtaking it was the people who were truly beautiful! With Village Book we were able to truly connect with the village and feel part of the tribe. Our coordinators did such an amazing job guiding us through the week and helping us understand the culture and customs of the people, I don't know how we could of done it without them.
I loved the entire experience and would recommend Village Book expeditions to anyone, I felt completely safe the entire time, and am planning to go back with them the first chance i get.

Upon leaving for Peru, I had no idea what to expect. I was a little nervous because I know zero Spanish and knew there would be a pretty large language barrier. In addition, I’d never been on a humanitarian trip, so I wasn’t sure how to prepare myself. However, upon arriving, with the help of the Village Book leaders and other members, I felt immediately comfortable. I always felt safe and comfortable. Everything ran smoothly and the leaders did an amazing job. I am so lucky to have met all the amazing people I did on the trip and I had a blast. Words cannot describe how blessed I feel to have been able to be apart of this trip. My favorite part was going on home visits. During these visits, we were able to speak with families about the importance of reading. It was an amazing thing, to be able to get to know these families and see how excited they were for the chance to learn.

Traveling with Village Book Builders to Mexico was a life changing experience! Being able to actually be brought into a community and form relationships with people from other cultures is something that you do not often get the opportunity to do. I was able learn so much from the people in the communities as well as the people I was serving with. I also had the opportunity to teach different classes (dance and English) to the children in the communities and it was so incredible to see how excited they were to learn. Seeing the joy of reading brought to a child who does not often get to read books for fun is incredible! The two trips I had the privilege of going on, helped to strengthen my love of traveling and of other cultures. I highly recommend traveling through village book builders!

I had the opportunity to travel 2 times with Village Book Builders in Mexico and it has been 2 wonderful experiences, the first was in a small place on a mountain called EL OLVIDO, in Veracruz, Mexico. The welcoming of children in the community was incredible, it was a great adventure accompanied by so many fun things, work, smiles and being able to see many dreams and illusions in the excited faces of the children, who had a great desire to learn new things In his new library, every day was a new adventure and a pleasure to work with all the volunteers in an atmosphere of wonderful harmony. The second trip was another wonderful experience in a MAYA town in Yucatan, Mexico. to be able to live during those days with the inhabitants of the communities
In their homes, it was a very pleasant experience that I would repeat again and again without hesitation.

It was a very unique experience. We were able to learn some Mayan before going and truly put our hearts into every moment even with a language barrier. The people were so overjoyed to receive a library, we couldn’t help but smile throughout and upon completion. There were children there who we know will always take advantage with what we gave them. Not only that, they will remember the time they had with us because there were many of us and we all had the same purpose... to be there... for THEM. It was great to eat in the community and sleep there as well. We truly enjoyed ourselves immersing ourselves in their culture. Although there were some bumps in the road because nothing is perfect, communication could have been a bit better. There’s so many good things to say about this experience. Highly recommend.

Being down in Mexico with Village Book Builders was life changing! We were able to go to the REAL Mexico and experience the real culture of Mexico in the mountain top village we were serving. The people had been looking forward to this library for the last year and when we had the fiesta to celebrate the opening the entire village was there, even an old man we had met early in the week who had to be carried by his children over a number of large hills to be there. It was magical in every way. I love knowing that I had made a true impact in the village and I still am able to get updates on the difference I made. Oh and the other thing that was amazing was just reading with the kids and seeing how much they wanted to read and have books of their own!!

I always wanted to give back internationally and loved books so I jumped at the opportunity to go down to Mexico to build a library. Village Book was amazing at training us on how to make a long term impact on the village of El Olvido, we prepared for months before we went and we planned out our day every night like a championship team getting ready to hit the field. The excursions were fun but the real highlight was the time we spent with the people in their homes talking to them about their lives and sharing with them about how books have helped us and how they can help their kids. It has been amazing to see even after we returned that the library is still changing lives and going strong!! Such a life-changing experience to see how much joy I felt through serving others! Would go again and plan to!