I would like to present my project, “Inclusive Caravan to promote reading: We all have a right to read”. This is a mobile mini library for children that brings tactile and braille books to visually disabled (low vision, blind and deaf-blind) children in order to promote early sensory and reading development, and instill a reading habit.
According to the 2017 census, only in the metro Lima area, we have 4,155 children (0-5 years) & 35,309 (6-12 years) with some degree of visual impairment. And we have a shocking lack of educational materials which could allow them equal access to reading and education compared to their non-visually impaired peers.

We have developed and made two book collections, “Fantastic Peruvian Mythology” and “My Peru”. Each collection consists of 6 books (we have a total of 12 books in our caravan). We take our mobile library to different parks so that the children can have access to these reading materials that have high relief and texture as well as braille.

We hold these 3 to 4-hour events, once a week on Saturdays, every other month. And we hope to increase the number of books we have so that we can hold more events at multiple locations at a time.

In many cases, these caravans are their only opportunity to accessible and inclusive reading materials, and this also often the first time their parents/caretakers and the community at large, become aware that these accessible materials even exist.

What our grantee is saying: "This grant will allow me to take the tactile books to low vision, blind and deafblind children through the Inclusive Caravan to promote reading: “EVERYONE HAS A RIGHT TO READ!” It will also allow me to make more books to add to our traveling library, promoting reading spaces so that children with and without disabilities can enjoy reading and getting to know Peruvian characters of age-old oral traditions of my country."