Our History

In 1998, two expats living in Oaxaca – Tom Dunham and Jim Breedlove – were inspired to share their passion for reading with children for whom books were out of reach. They built some bookshelves and gave small collections of books to a few pre-schools. The children were thrilled, and Jim and Tom began to think bigger. In collaboration with the Oaxaca Lending Library, they founded Libros Para Pueblos (LPP) with the mission of providing collections of top-quality children’s books to schools, public libraries, and community organizations.

 This simple act of generosity was the spark for what has now become a network of more than 60 libraries in regions throughout Oaxaca state. The organization has a “lean” administration, with three fulltime staff members. A team of volunteer Regional Coordinators visit libraries to provide on-site training on topics such as library administration and reading promotion activities. Each year, LPP purchases from 6,000 to 7,000 children’s books from Mexican publishers to provide an annual supplement of approximately 100 books to each of the libraries in its network.

Jim’s and Tom’s initial step of sharing a passion for reading among disadvantaged children has inspired hundreds of library sponsors, donors, and supporters to make a difference in the lives of thousands of Oaxacan children and families.

In 2011 LPP became an official Asociación Civil (Mexican non-profit) and in 2013, it hired its first Executive Director. Today it serves close to 60 Oaxacan communities by assembling and sustaining a network of sponsors whose generous annual donations ensure that each library´s collection will continue to grow. All donations by US citizens to Friends of Libros Para Pueblos and by Canadian citizens to CANFRO are tax-deductible.

 Today LPP has a strong organizational structure of three staff members and five members of the Board of Directors, all working together to ensure the continuation of the mission of Libros Para Pueblos.