Maria's Libraries

10/08/2019

Hello Family!

Please check out Carlos Aguilar's new composition video for the United Nations 10th Annual Sexual Violence In Conflict: Youth Speak Out Through The Arts. It showcases the artwork of youth who have been sexually abused and are speaking bravely through their art!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cmll2yTBSL0&feature=youtu.be



Throughout history, conflict-related sexual violence has been treated as an inevitable byproduct of war, the spoils of the victors, mere collateral damage, or a crime against morality and family honor. It has been the world’s least-condemned crime of war, shrouded in a conspiracy of silence that shields the perpetrators and isolates the victims from society, and even from each other.

Against this background, the past decade has seen a dramatic shift in paradigm and perspective, leading to the recognition of conflict-related sexual violence as a tactic of war and terror that demands dedicated attention, action and resources. Today, it is acknowledged that such violence is a grave breach of international humanitarian and human rights law, a threat to our collective security, and an impediment to sustainable peace. The legacy and impact of conflict-related sexual violence, as a tool used to terrorize people and destabilize societies, with enduring physical and psychological effects that can echo across generations, is also better understood and addressed.

A critical turning point in this regard was the establishment in 2009 of a dedicated mandate to combat sexual violence in conflict. Through the unanimous adoption of Security Council resolution 1888 (2009), the United Nations Security Council created the position of Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict, to give voice to a subject that had been called ‘history’s greatest silence’. In 2019, the ten-year anniversary of this landmark resolution provides an opportunity to take stock of progress, challenges and change, and to chart an ambitious way forward.

Music by Carlos Aguilar © 2019

Throughout history, conflict-related sexual violence has been treated as an inevitable byproduct of war, the spoils of the victors, mere collateral damage, o...

04/02/2014

It's International Children's Book Day, and the last day to support our Indiegogo Digital Story time campaign! Donate today, and help us promote literacy through multi-language children's story books in Kenya! http://bit.ly/MLindiegogo

Interactive, multi-language digital books will overcome language barriers, improve literacy, and promote a culture of reading in rural Kenya.

03/18/2014

..."much-written-about sense of self-love that comes from recognizing oneself in a text, from the understanding that your life and lives of people like you are worthy of being told, thought about, discussed and even celebrated. Academics and educators talk about self-esteem and self-worth when they think of books in this way, as mirrors that affirm readers’ own identities..." AND kids "see books less as mirrors and more as maps... an atlas of their world, of their relationships to others, of their possible destinations."

Too often today’s books are blind to the reality of thousands of children.

03/10/2014

Yes! homago. Libraries for finding AND creating.

With physical and virtual visits “off the charts,” libraries across the country are thinking up innovative ways to keep users happy.

02/22/2014

If this sounds good to you, learn more here! http://bit.ly/MLindiegogo

In celebration of International Mother Language Day, help us introduce local-language digital story books to rural communities in Kenya.

02/12/2014

When you think of a librarian, what image comes to mind? Photographer Kyle Cassidy ventured to the American Library Association’s Midwinter Meeting in Philadelphia in January to explore that question. In between networking, educational events, and panels, librarians from across the country stopped b...

08/09/2013

Check out the latest ML blog by Jascha Dikker, on Collective Impact and Libraries: http://mariaslibraries.org/2013/08/09/increasing-the-librarys-impact-together/

My name is Jascha Dikker and I’m an intern here at Maria’s Libraries in Brooklyn, New York. I’m working on a new framework for Maria’s Libraries and our partners in Busia to work together.

08/09/2013

Check out Maria's Libraries in the Carnegie Policy Innovations Magazine! http://www.policyinnovations.org/ideas/innovations/data/000246

Maria's Libraries is redefining what libraries can do for community development through a connected network of libraries across Kenya.

07/14/2013

Latest blog from ML intern Isabelle Canaan, law and libraries: http://mariaslibraries.org/2013/07/12/libraries-and-legal-advocacy/

My name is Isabelle Canaan and I am an intern at Maria’s Libraries in Brooklyn, New York! I’m working on a project to better understand how the library can support people’s legal and civic needs. In 2010, through focus group discussions, it became clear that access to legal information is something…

05/30/2013

Beautiful.

Yesterday afternoon NYC kids participated in a city-wide rally to help protect the libraries they love: http://ow.ly/lvajd

Sign a letter of support: www.nypl.org/speakout

03/29/2013

Busia Community Library in Makeshift Magazine: http://mkshft.org/2013/03/the-road-to-relevance/

A pile of children’s shoes marks the entrance to the Busia Community Library. The library walls don’t exactly shine white, and the ubiquitous Kenyan

03/27/2013

Check out Maria's Libraries in this month's American Library Association International Leads publication:http://www.ala.org/irrt/sites/ala.org.irrt/files/content/intlleads/leadsarchive/201303.pdf