welcome to the Malagasy people's library site

We've been featured in ALA Direct!!! (American Library Association)  Check it out at http://link.ixs1.net/s/ve?eli=k342541&si=u98437424&cfc=3html

Please check out our educational video posted to YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxW7R6mXGss or download a shortened version here or e-mail Cherie at cbronkar@muskingum.edu to have a DVD version mailed to you.

Jeanine Villano George's Longaberger Basket fund raiser provided funds to use towards shipping costs.  To hold your own contact Jeanine at Jmvgbskts@aol.com.

Over 4,000 children's books were sent to the Madagascar  see our Projects page.

Gumdrop Books- donates 50 titles-including bilingual titles.

"No man becomes rich unless he enriches others."

- Andrew Carnegie

Our mission is to ensure the children and adults of Madagascar have the opportunity to access materials that will increase literacy, promote democracy and lead to a better standard of living for all.

The Madagascar People's Library project is the vision and dream of two librarians from two very different worlds. Cherie Bronkar and Lanto Ranaivoson (See About Us )met while pursing their Masters in Library Science through Texas Woman's University and discovered that they had both dreamed of being able to change lives through the promotion of libraries.

 Madagascar is one of the poorest countries on earth with an average income of $1.00 a day. Madagascar's schools operate without reading materials of any kind. There are no public libraries and little chance that the people can bring themselves out of a world of poverty.

Our goals:

  1. Provide a free access public library for all citizens.
  2. Promote democracy through literature and access to information.
  3. Provide access to technology and information that will change the lives of the people of Madagascar..

Promoting democracy and opening the door to opportunity for a poverty stricken country.

Libraries were created to promote democracy and disseminate information to the people. In the United States we are very blessed to have a government that recognizes that democracy and libraries go hand in hand. In the newly democratic nation of Madagascar, the country is struggling to create an effective democracy. In order to ensure the success of the people of Madagascar in their pursuit of a democratic society, the Madagascar People's Library will provide information accessible to all citizens in the Malagasy, French and English language. 

Education for all.

In addition the library will offer the opportunity for all citizens to educate themselves regardless of economic status. In the spirit of Andrew Carnegie's vision for American libraries, the Madagascar People's Library also wishes to provide an opportunity for those that wish to lift themselves out of poverty. Access to information and education through libraries is not a handout. It encourages those with drive to excel.