UK charity launches floating library to bring books to children in Philippines

A UK charity is helping to bring books to isolated islets in the Philippines with the help of a floating library.

Sailors’ Society is an international charity based in Southampton, and is behind the scheme.

The floating library will make books more readily available to children on Bantayan Island along with neighbouring islets that lack schools.

As many as 30 children at a time will be able to use the library’s facilities when the boat docks, with mats and tables made available as well as books.

Rogelyn Chavez, 15, is one of the children who will benefit from the boat.

“We don’t have a library, so I used to borrow books from my teachers which I also shared with my classmates, or we had to take a small boat to go to the school library on the mainland,” they said.

“Now that we have this boat library, I can access and borrow books for myself without sharing. I’m very thankful because we have many choices of books to select from.”