Re-launching of our Little Free Library

In May 2017, we launched the Little Free Library (LFL) at Jacques on Baybay Beach, the first LFL on the island of Panay. Locals enjoyed the books and magazines the LFL offered to both adults and children until the pandemic rolled in. People stayed at home and our library languished. Fast forward to 2025 when Mercedes Ortiz Ignacio decided to resurrect our free library and become its steward. The next step was to find a venue in a well trodden area. We were lucky to have found Mikhael Dayoub of Papa Mikhael's Restaurant who gladly volunteered to host the LFL. 

Michael Dayoub, our LFL hoat and Mercedes Ortiz Ignacio, our new steward.

On March 21, 2025, we re-launched our Little Free Library at Papa Michael's on Baybay Beach. It is one of 200,000 little free libraries in 128 countries. Our LFL is a charter member of this worldwide organization.

We're grateful to all the guests who joined us in celebrating this eventful re-launching of the LFL and who also gave books so we have a full house.

Our Little Free Library at the entrance to 

Papa Mikhael's

We hope you'll come to Papa Mikhael's on Baybay Beach to check out our library. The books are free to take. But if you give a book, you'll help sustain the library for years to come.

About the launching of LFL in 2017:

https://balaynicharie.blogspot.com/2017/05/little-free-library-launched-in-capiz.html?m=1

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New book donations

I’m happy to announce that BalayniCharie has recently received a bunch of books from friends and family in the USA for our library program in the province of Capiz. After two years of inactivity due to the pandemic, we’re working on forwarding these books to schools and a housing development program in Capiz. Thanks to our donors, Jazmin Gaite and Diane Acas for their generous contributions so we can continue fulfilling our commitments.

BalayniCharie has commitments to give books to various schools in Capiz. We also have a Little Free Library at Jacques on Baybay Beach in Roxas City and a mini library in the city jail in San Jose. Additionally, we have given school supplies to the Gawad Kalinga Reading program in Roxas City. Our commitments continue to expand in the province of Capiz, thanks to our sponsors.

These boxes of books, school supplies and clothes were sent to Capiz by Nieva Burdick for the BalayniCharie school supplies program and community projects. Thanks, Nieva, for your continuing support of BalayniCharie. 

BalayniCharie would also like to thank Kapalua Cove for the box of EQ Explorer books they gave to one of our contact schools in Panitan, Capiz. These books were received in late 2019. The kids loved reading all the different stories of Wally Whale’s Mighty Tail and Compare Bear’s Double Dare written by Kim Linette.

*This photo is from Jessiemar Diaz, School Principal

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Images by TravelswithCharie except for photo shown above of the children reading their EQ Explorer books.

Little Free Library Launched in Capiz

It was a beautiful day at the beach when we launched our Little Free Library at Jacque's Coffee and Chills. Friends and family came with books to add to the growing number of books we had collected for the library over a few months. 

Do you know of any library located by the sea? The Little Free Library in Roxas City is on Baybay Beach. So come by

take a book, 

find a shady nook

and read to your heart's content.

Guests queue up to give a book to the library.

Big thanks to Wee Lucas Conlu for giving the free library a viable venue. One with lots of foot traffic. We are excited to bring this project to Capiz. It is only the second one in the Visayas, after Talisay in Cebu. We are also grateful to Christian Francisco Acevedo for hosting the event and for committing resources to the project. We're off to a terrific start!

"A library is not a luxury but one of the necessities of life." Henry Ward Beecher 

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Images by travelswithcharie