This June, Valencia’s easy-going barangays are about to get a jolt of literary magic—and it’s arriving on wheels.
The “Books on Wheels” Mobile Library, spearheaded by the Valencia Senior Citizen Literacy Advocates, isn’t just delivering books. It’s delivering joy, curiosity, and a heartwarming dose of intergenerational connection.
The concept? A traveling library stocked with colorful storybooks will visit communities, giving young children—grades 1 to 3—the chance to experience the enchantment of reading.
But here’s the twist: it won’t be just anyone reading those books. Retired senior citizen teachers will take the helm as storytellers, mentors, and heroes with a heart.
The same teachers who once manned chalkboards and gave out report cards are now bringing fairytales, folk stories, and picture books to life.
In Visayan and English, they’ll spin yarns, guide little fingers through pages, and perhaps remind us all that learning is as much about love, as it is about letters.
This mobile library isn’t just a project—it’s a poetic response to a national crisis.
According to the World Bank in 2022, 90 percent of Filipino children aged 10 struggle with basic reading comprehension.
Eighteen million high schoolers (from 2019 to 2024) are now labeled “functionally- illiterate” by the Philippine Statistics Authority.
But instead of pointing fingers, Valencia’s senior advocates chose to turn the page—literally.
While social media and smartphones continue to dominate young attention spans, the Books on Wheels team offers something quieter but more lasting: face-to-face storytelling, eye contact, warm smiles, and the rustle of real pages in a safe space.
The initiative has clear objectives: build reading habits, boost literacy skills, and—most importantly—kindle a love for books.
Storytelling sessions will be peppered with role-playing, games, and art. Children can borrow books to read at home, and perhaps most charmingly, they’ll hear folk tales from seniors who have lived them.
This isn’t just about helping kids experience the joy of reading. It’s about helping generations rediscover each other. Children learn to listen and speak with kindness; elders gain renewed purpose and joy. It’s literacy, yes—but it’s also legacy.
And while this pilot is local, the dream is national.
Imagine communities across the Philippines replicating this effort, bringing books—and grandparents—into children’s lives. It’s not just doable. It’s necessary.
If you are interested to volunteer as readers working in tandem with our retired teachers, please send us a message on our Facebook account: Books on Wheels -Mobile Library Valencia.
Or you can contact me at 0917-822-3744.
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Author’s email: vcstack@yahoo.com
