It just shows you that when people apply themselves to a bit of lateral thinking - and an element of ingenuity - people can be helped. France 24 reports on a mobile library. A great and simple idea. To be supported, encouraged with support and spread far and wide.
"While wandering through the maze-like streets of Sao Paulo, you might come across Robson Mendonça and his red bicycle. But this is no ordinary bicycle. His ‘Bicycle Library’ is equipped with shelves holding more than 300 works that together weigh 150 kilograms.
The ‘Bicicloteca’ (the name is a fusion of the Portuguese words for ‘bicycle’ and ‘library’) lends books to people who don’t have access to libraries. This is the brainchild of 61-year old Mendonça, a former construction worker who spent a decade living homeless on the streets.
Robson Mendonça, the project's founder, riding the Bicycle Library.
"Green Mobility, a Brazilian non-profit organisation which campaigns for sustainable transport in Brazilian cities, helped Mendonça get started by giving him his bicycle. All the books were donated by individuals and organisations.
After just one year, Mendonça has become a familiar face in the streets of Sao Paulo and the Bicycle Library has made more than 107,000 loans from its collection of 30,000 books. There are even some books in Braille. There’s no paperwork involved in borrowing from the library; the service is based on trust and relies on the honesty of its users to return their books."
"While wandering through the maze-like streets of Sao Paulo, you might come across Robson Mendonça and his red bicycle. But this is no ordinary bicycle. His ‘Bicycle Library’ is equipped with shelves holding more than 300 works that together weigh 150 kilograms.
The ‘Bicicloteca’ (the name is a fusion of the Portuguese words for ‘bicycle’ and ‘library’) lends books to people who don’t have access to libraries. This is the brainchild of 61-year old Mendonça, a former construction worker who spent a decade living homeless on the streets.
"Green Mobility, a Brazilian non-profit organisation which campaigns for sustainable transport in Brazilian cities, helped Mendonça get started by giving him his bicycle. All the books were donated by individuals and organisations.
After just one year, Mendonça has become a familiar face in the streets of Sao Paulo and the Bicycle Library has made more than 107,000 loans from its collection of 30,000 books. There are even some books in Braille. There’s no paperwork involved in borrowing from the library; the service is based on trust and relies on the honesty of its users to return their books."
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