The Design Process

Geneviéve and I have started thinking about a more developed model of the library. During our meeting with Paul today, he suggested that we make a few different models and compare the pros and cons of each design. For example, a larger porch means more outside reading room but less space in the actual library. Shelving below the windows means books that are easier to reach, but such placement runs the risk of damaging books in the event that someone forgets to close the windows during a storm. More windows means higher cost, but better natural lighting. You get the idea.

After some thought, we drew three different design options. After we get the pieces cut and the models built, we are planning to send photos of these models to Mantay to get their input. We are also hoping to have the mothers of Mantay generate a list of qualities they would like to have in a library. By involving Mantay in the library design as much as possible, we hope to get them invested in the project and promote the idea that the library is not ours, but theirs. We believe that the more active a role the members of Mantay take in the creation of the library, the more likely they will be to feel at home in the space and want to use it.
Eventually, after gathering input from Mantay and evaluating the positive and negative aspects of each model, we will begin drafting the final library design.

In addition to building our three preliminary models, our major goal for the next few weeks is to come up with an accurate budget. We believe that—although our project is ambitious—it is feasible with enough prior planning. Budgeting has proved to be a difficult task since I am the only one of us who has been to Peru, and when I lived there I didn't tend to buy things like masses of bricks or cement. Luckily, Raquel has been able to help us determine the cost of labor and construction in Cusco. She has a great deal of experience building in Peru, since Mantay was nothing more than a plot of land when she founded the home in 2000. Geneviéve and I have been using the information Raquel has sent us to begin making a detailed budget for the project.

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An Email from Mantay!

I woke up to a lovely surprise this morning—an email from Raquel, the truly remarkable woman who founded Mantay. She told me that one of the newest mothers, who arrived in ill health (as many of them do), has since gained 2 kilos. This is about 4 pounds. She also let me know that she is adapting to life at the home and that she gave birth last Thursday to a healthy baby boy who she named Kevin. One of my favorite things about Spanish is the phrase for giving birth." They say "Dar a luz," or in English, "to give light."

Raquel's email was also packed with information that will be extremely helpful when designing, and ultimately building, the library. She gave us the average price of common construction materials. As I guessed, these materials are brick and cement. This is actually wonderful because neither of these materials are expensive or hard to come by, and they are sturdy and provide a nice thermal mass. She also gave us some average prices for materials so that we can get started on drafting a more accurate budget for the project.

Finally, the library will be built as the second floor of a preexisting building and Raquel sent us a number of photos of this building. We now have a better concept of the space we have in which to build. Thanks Raquel!


The library will be built as a second floor above the green building. On the first first floor, the room on the left will be renovated and become a classroom. The room on the right is the laundry room. Luckily the building was built with the intention of eventually adding a second floor, so no major structural changes to the first floor will be necessary.

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La Casa de Acogida Mantay

La Casa de Acogida Mantay is home to approximately 15 Peruvian mothers between the ages of 11 and 18. Since its founding in 2000, Mantay has been home to over 145 minors (mothers and children). True to Peruvian statistics, most, if not all, of the mothers have been victims of rape and sexual violence. Although there are several shelters in the Cusco area serving women in need, Mantay is the only one of its kind. Instead of being merely a temporary shelter offering a roof and a hot meal, Mantay is a home.

At Mantay, women are given a new life. The mothers, many of whom have never learned to read, are given a proper education. Professors at Mantay tutor the mothers daily since, due to their circumstances, they are unable to attend traditional school. During school, the children of the mothers are cared for in the home's guardería (“nursery”). A psychologist visits the home regularly to work with both mothers and children. In addition, the mothers are taught leather-working in the home’s workshop, giving them a skill that can provide them with a means of income after leaving the home. Perhaps most importantly, Mantay operates under a strict “no violence” policy. The home is often the first place these women have ever been where they feel truly safe.

Mantay is taking the first steps towards decreasing the prevalence of rape in Peru: providing assistance to the victims while giving them the education and vocational training they need to escape poverty. While volunteering at Mantay in April of 2009, Victoria witnessed firsthand the remarkable influence the home has on the mothers who live there. Through our project, we hope to provide a much needed educational resource for the women and children of Mantay and help stop the cycle of sexual violence against women in Peru.

To learn more about Mantay, visit their website at http://mantay.org


Victoria and Alexandra, age 4 months. April, 2009

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