Casa Búho was founded by Oscar and Valeria, a married couple who decided to turn reading into a form of community care.
We live in Machalilla and believe that books are not a luxury: they are a tool for growing with dignity, imagining futures, and feeling accompanied.
Casa Búho was born in 2016, after the earthquake, as a direct response to what we saw around us: childhoods with few cultural opportunities, families needing safe spaces, and a community that deserved more access to words, art, and beauty.
Since then, Oscar and Valeria have sustained this project with consistency and love: opening the door every week, seeking books, creating programs for different ages, organizing workshops, building community, and making Casa Búho exist even when resources are limited.
Today we're still here for the same reason: because we believe that a childhood accompanied by books, love, and community can change everything.
Valeria Sáenz
Director and reading mediator. She designs and leads the programs, supports families and young people, and ensures Casa Búho remains a safe, creative, and caring space.
Oscar Bernal
Co-founder and key support for the project. He supports the management, logistics, and processes that sustain the space so that the community always finds the door open.
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Want to learn more about Casa Búho?
Write to us to offer your support, visit the library, or propose collaborations.