In 2019, the French nonprofit Baybayin Library set out to create a unique space for the residents of Siargao: a free community library where people of all ages can come to read, study, and learn, as well as socialize and have fun through a variety of activities and events.

Deeply attached to this little piece of paradise and its residents, and in light of the massive growth of tourism on the island, the library’s founders wanted to offer the local community of Siargao a project dedicated to them.

A place where awareness-raising initiatives could be organized around key themes such as education, health, and the environment; where young people could benefit from a comfortable environment for studying, equipped with computers, textbooks, and a workspace; and where children’s development and learning could be fostered through fun and creative activities.

A project that can evolve and adapt to the community’s needs and provide younger generations with the tools to help them thrive in a changing world. A project that can also guide children on a path toward a life where they are active participants—and perhaps even creators—of a more equitable and inclusive future.

Books are enduring tools that offer readers the opportunity to travel, learn, understand, imagine, and discover a multitude of fictional and real-life stories; to open themselves up to an almost infinite number of perspectives, cultures, and ideas. Books are allies that foster openness to oneself and to others, starting from a very young age.

A library is a welcoming space, accessible to everyone—a place that, by its very nature, brings together thousands of characters, life journeys, and stories set in different eras and across the four corners of the world.

And so, in February 2022, the three founders of the Baybayin Library—Tristan, Leah, and Madeline—brought their vision to life by opening the first library on the island of Siargao, in the heart of the municipality of General Luna.

Baybayin is the name of the alphabet used in the Philippines before the arrival of Europeans in the archipelago. It means “to spell” in Tagalog. Giving this name to the library therefore seemed obvious, respecting the founders’ desire to promote Philippine heritage as much as possible.