In a quiet town in Negros Oriental, a mini tricycle van rumbles along dusty barangay roads, not to deliver goods, but to deliver stories. Inside, instead of packages, it carries picture books. Instead of couriers, it is driven and led by retired teachers and grandparents. This is Books-on-Wheels – Mobile Library Valencia, a project that brings reading, warmth, and connection to the hearts of young children and the elders who read to them.
A Library That Moves
Books-on-Wheels is a community-led mobile library initiative based in Valencia, Negros Oriental. Launched in 2025 by literacy advocate Virginia Maja Stack, the project aims to promote early literacy among children in underserved barangays by bringing age-appropriate storybooks in Visayan and English straight to their communities.
Designed primarily for children from kindergarten to Grade 3, the project recognizes a troubling national reality: according to the World Bank, nine out of ten Filipino 10-year-olds struggle to read and understand simple texts. Books-on-Wheels offers a grassroots solution to this problem, bringing the books to where the children are, and reading with them in their native tongue.
Driven by Love, Read with Heart
What sets this initiative apart is not just the delivery system, but the people behind it. The project is powered by Valencia’s own senior citizens, retired teachers, grandparents, and community elders, who volunteer their time to read aloud and tell stories to children. For them, it is more than an outreach; it is a passing of wisdom from one generation to the next.
They don’t just hand out books. They sit down with the children, tell stories in Visayan, translate unfamiliar words, and gently rekindle a love for learning that many children may not have discovered at home or in school.
Big Impact, Small Operation
Books-on-Wheels may be modest in structure, a mini tricycle van, a box of books, a few chairs under a tree, but its impact resonates deeply. Children gain access to books they may never otherwise touch. Reading becomes something associated with care and connection, not just schoolwork. Stories are told in a language they understand and relate to. And in the process, they feel seen, heard, and valued.
The project also restores purpose and connection for older volunteers. Many of them, no longer active in the workforce, now find joy and meaning in interacting with the younger generation. In a time when age often leads to invisibility, they are once again mentors and memory-keepers.
When Books Travel, So Do Ideas
The Books-on-Wheels project reminds us that literacy is not just a classroom issue, it’s a community one. It shows that even without grand infrastructure or tech-driven programs, a deep love for reading and a well-organized grassroots effort can reach far and wide.
With donated books, willing volunteers, and a van that keeps moving, the stories keep rolling across villages, across generations, across the future of Filipino children.
Final Thoughts
In a world full of fast content and fleeting screens, Books-on-Wheels brings children back to the basics: listening, imagining, connecting. It’s a quiet revolution that doesn’t ask for applause, only for open hearts and listening ears.
Because sometimes, the farthest-reaching stories are the ones that come on wheels.
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