Two literacy and empowerment projects - an open letter

Dear Friends,

My name is Molly Douglas, and I am a Peace Corps volunteer teaching English as a foreign language in Leskovik, Albania. Leskovik is a remote mountain town in the southeast, nine kilometers from the Greek border, with a population of roughly 1,800 people. With the collapse of Communism in the early 1990s and the advent of poorly-regulated capitalism, Leskovik finds itself in a state of socioeconomic transition and development. Many people have abandoned the town and moved to Greece and Albanian cities in search of work. Leskovik’s remaining citizens, however, remain fiercely proud of their rich cultural heritage and have high hopes for reviving their town.

I am writing to you with the hope that you might consider donating used or new books to Jani Vreto, the local grade school in Leskovik.

I am the first Peace Corps volunteer to serve in Leskovik and count myself very fortunate to be welcomed by a warm community with great ambitions for its students. I am employed in Leskovik as a high school and middle school English teacher and work with an Albanian counterpart, Ervisa Muca. Our school, Jani Vreto, serves grades 1 through 12 and has a student body of about 650 pupils. English language education is a relatively new addition to the school's curriculum. Most of our students are currently at beginner to low-intermediate levels. We hope to eventually graduate students who will go on to major in English studies in college.

The desire for English language education here is incredible – everyone wants to learn! To make the most of the community’s energy and enthusiasm, I also give free courses outside of school to motivated students and adult learners. In this spirit, I currently am working on two extracurricular projects that promote literacy, as well as English-language acquisition, within and beyond the classroom. I am seeking donations for these projects.

First, we are accumulating English-language literature for our struggling school library. We do not have any English-language literature in our collection. Mostly outdated, it is housed in a former storage room outfitted with collapsing book cases and repurposed laboratory cabinets. Roughly 50% of the student body regularly checks out books to read for school projects and, occasionally, for pleasure. This rate of borrowing is enormously encouraging, as interest in reading has declined greatly in most of Albania. Our goal is to provide our students with the opportunity to delve into the world of American and British literature and to incorporate English-language literature into our foreign language curriculum.

Using donated literature, we plan to introduce story-time circles to our youngest students. With our junior high school and high school students, we would like to introduce book report projects, reflective writing, and critical discussions. In this way, students can apply and improve their English language skills outside the realm of grammar-driven textbooks and can enrich their understanding of American and British culture through literature. We would love to see eventual vocabulary expansion and greater acquisition of expressions through an increased rate in book borrowing. We also seek to renew interest in reading for fun and to encourage more creative writing, inspired by the great fiction writers.

Our library is in great need, and would greatly appreciate donations, of the following items:
(a) large story books with illustrations for children in the primary grades;
(b) beginner-level chapter books for middle school and junior high school students (anywhere from the Henry and Mudge series to the Goosebump books);
(c) any literature for high school students with high interest and knowledge levels, but low grasps of the English language (Orca Books, a Canadian publishing house, is an excellent reference point http://us.orcabook.com/index.cfm?countryID=USA);
(d) reference materials, such as encyclopedias, dictionaries, and thesauruses; and
(e) poetry collections of the Shel Silverstein type.
(f) Magazines, ranging from lifestyle and fashion to National Geographic, and comics would be wonderful assets to encourage otherwise discouraged or apathetic readers.
(g) Classics are also always welcome, even if they might be above level! We do have four or five students who have high-intermediate English skills and could attempt some more sophisticated literature.

To further develop local teachers’ capacity, I have also founded a women's book club with three teachers who all have an advanced command of the English language. Two learned English while working in Greece for several years. The third acquired her English through a joint university program with a Turkish institution. The three women understand spoken and written English fairly well and have a strong grasp of grammar, but very much need to expand their vocabulary and to practice speaking.

My fellow teachers have the potential to return to school to acquire Master's degrees in English language studies, greatly boosting their employability and earning potential. Public school teachers in Albania are paid a pittance. Most supplement their earnings with second or third jobs. Potentially working as a translator for an international NGO, a private business, or a municipal office would greatly improve their families' standard of living in a struggling economy.

More nuanced English skills would also give these women more control over the trajectory of their lives and those of their children in a traditionally male-dominated society. Women are mostly tied to their homes and have very little freedom of choice in Albania. They are bound by highly defined gender roles, by the scrutiny of their neighbors, and by family obligation. My goal is to arm these three teachers with a high-demand skill set that would allow them to make their own decisions in a global economy.

I plan to facilitate weekly meetings with the book club members to discuss how emergent themes and plot issues relate to these women's lives and to engage in spirited and constructive debate. We will also address new expressions/vocabulary and complex grammar structures embedded in the text. I would greatly welcome, in multiple copies (five or more per set would be ideal), any (a) contemporary novels stylized for female readers in their late twenties through their mid-thirties and any (b) biographies of women leaders you might have to offer.

Please consider donating to Leskovik and Jani Vreto! Any contribution, big or small, is welcome! To reiterate, we are seeking fiction and non-fiction chapter books, large story books, magazines, comics, and reference materials for grades 1 through 12. We would also greatly appreciate novels and biographies, in sets of five copies or more, for a women’s book club.

The introduction of English-language reading materials to our school and community will have an enduring and meaningful impact on many lives. I cannot fully express what kind of hope you could inspire in this town by just demonstrating your interest, your concern, and your willingness to contribute to a small Albanian community. My students, their parents, the teachers, and I would all be very grateful.

I am very happy to answer via email any questions regarding our situation, project plans/goals, how to donate, and specific needs. I am also able to set up appointments on Skype, if you first contact me with an email. Additionally, I am always interested in referrals to other potential donors.

If you are already planning to donate, I would like to say thank you! You can mail your contribution directly to our local post office. For the best shipping security and rates, I would recommend purchasing flat rate boxes from the United States Postal Service. Stamping or writing “Used Books – No Value” on the exterior of the box will circumvent the possibility of duty fees. Please consider placing in your box a list of its contents so I can verify that the contribution arrives intact at our post office! I would also very much appreciate an email (write to m.b.a.douglas@gmail.com) advising me of a shipment so I may monitor its progress and plan for its arrival. Most boxes take two weeks to travel from the United States to Leskovik.

My mailing address is:
Molly Douglas
Bulevardi Fan S. Noli
Godina X
Leskovik, ALBANIA

Also, I would be more than happy to send an email confirming your donation’s arrival in Leskovik and to update you periodically with news and photos documenting our library’s evolution. Just include a request for information in your shipment notification email!

Thank you so much for your kind consideration! I deeply appreciate it.

Warmest regards,

Molly Douglas
Peace Corps TEFL Volunteer
Leskovik, Albania
m.b.a.douglas@gmail.com