The Birth of Biblioburro

Luis Soriano grew up with limited access to education in rural Colombia. This experience shaped his future, leading him to become a teacher with the goal of giving children what he never had. But early in his teaching career, he faced a challenge - his students weren't completing their homework or making good progress.

At first, Luis blamed himself. He thought he had made a mistake about his life's purpose. Then he realized something important: his students lived on isolated farms with no books at home and no way to get to a library. The problem wasn't that he was a bad teacher or that his students were lazy. They simply lacked resources.

A Creative Solution

Instead of giving up, Luis found a creative answer to this problem. He loaded his donkey with 70 books from his personal collection and began traveling miles of tough terrain to visit each student at home. During these visits, he would read with them and leave books for them to enjoy.

The results were amazing. As Luis made these trips regularly, his students' reading skills improved dramatically. Their excitement for learning grew with each visit from what became known as the "Biblioburro" or donkey library.

Growing the Mobile Library

Seeing the positive impact, Luis soon expanded his route beyond just his own students. He added a second donkey to carry more books - naming the pair Alpha and Beto (a play on "alfabeto" or alphabet). With two donkeys, he could now carry up to 120 books at once.

That was back in 1997. Today, nearly three decades later, Luis still spends every weekend bringing stories to children who have never seen a library. His book collection has grown enormously - from those initial 70 books to an impressive 48,100 volumes, which he rotates on each trip.

Overcoming Obstacles

Running the Biblioburro hasn't been without challenges. In a serious accident, Luis fell off Beto and lost his leg. Many people might have quit after such a setback, but not Luis.

He realized he had never misjudged his purpose after all. His calling wasn't just to be a teacher in a classroom - it was to bring books and the joy of reading to those who needed it most. Despite his injury and the difficult terrain, Luis continues his important work, refusing to let anything stand in his way.

Today, the Biblioburro remains a vital connection to the world of books for many rural Colombian children, all thanks to one teacher who saw a problem and found a unique way to solve it.