Improving people's reading environment in underdeveloped countries(Cultural ODA Project, "Thank You Small Library")
“Thank You Small Library” project
▪ This project provides small libraries in underdeveloped countries with inadequate cultural and educational infrastructure. Through education, it helps children and youths play the role of engineers in social development. By establishing the infrastructure to eradicate poverty in the ODA recipient countries, Korea develops friendly ties with said countries.
▪ The National Library of Korea (under the wing of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism), MBC (terrestrial TV station) and ST-EP Foundation of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) acceded to a memorandum of understanding to implement the small library project as part of the ODA project.
▪It establishes small libraries in underdeveloped countries with poor educational and cultural infrastructure. The ODA donor countries remodel small buildings in the recipient countries into small libraries with comfortable facilities. The operators of the project donate 2,000-3,000 books selected by experts, library equipment and computers. They also provide library educational programs and annual salary for one employee.
▪This project contributes to the fulfillment of the Millennium Development Goals of “halving extreme poverty rates and providing universal primary education.” As libraries are operated with lower costs and high efficiency, they can provide continued educational services to the alienated groups of underdeveloped countries, improving the educational environment in the process.
644,584 dollar (as of 2016)