Carlos Mario Montoya

Colombian social entrepreneur transforming education access through mobile libraries

Carlos Mario Montoya (b. 1975) founded Biblioburro in 1998, a unique initiative using donkeys to carry books to remote Colombian villages. Starting with 70 books in his hometown of La Gloria, he expanded to serve 20,000+ children across 12 municipalities by 2005. His mobile libraries operated in areas affected by armed conflict, providing not only books but also literacy workshops and cultural activities.

Montoya's model inspired global imitators like Peru's Bibliomula. He developed a training program for educators in conflict zones, creating a replicable system for community-driven education. His 2003 TED Talk "The Books That Bridged a Divided Country" highlighted how literature fosters reconciliation. Despite death threats from paramilitary groups, he continued his work, establishing a permanent library in 2008 that now houses 15,000 volumes. His story is chronicled in the documentary "Biblioburro: The Donkey Library" (2011).