Japanese Government to Fund Four More Libraries in Colombia

At a cost of nearly half a million dollars (1.4 billion pesos), the Japanese government is funding four more libraries in Colombia as part of an ongoing assistance program.

These libraries will bring the total number built in Colombia through Japanese donations to 47, with the new reading centers being spread out across the country in the municipalities of Aldana in Nariño, Cisneros in Antioquia, San Luis de Gaceno in Boyacá, and Inzá in Cauca.

This pushes the total sum donated by Japan for this program to roughly 10.6 trillion pesos since 2010, which is likely north of $4 billion USD given the exchange rate at different times during the history of the “Reading Is My Story” (Leer Es Mi Cuento) library initiative. In all, Japan has been helping fund libraries in the country since at least 2003.

“Japan has supported education in Colombia because, from our experience, we know that education is fundamental for development,” said Keiichiro Morishita, the Japanese ambassador in Colombia. “We hope that these cultural spaces are valued by the communities so that they become an engine of development.”