Romanian entrepreneur Stefan Mandachi, who became internationally famous after building 1 meter of highway to protest the lack of highways in Romania’s north-eastern region, is now trying to expand an educational program aimed at promoting reading through a network of container libraries. The motto of the project is "Read to succeed".

The first container cultural hub the entrepreneur installed in Cumparatura village near Suceava, next to his famous 1-meter highway, has drawn over 5,000 visitors in one month after launch. The visitors have donated 3,200 books to the library and some of them also borrowed books. The general rule of the project is that all visitors who come to this library can take any book they want to read but should also leave one book in return.

“The people of Suceva received this container better than I expected, and this can be seen in the large number of visitors, but also in the number of donated books. I saw people of all ages, families who came with parents, children, grandparents, browsed the works in the library and chose what they liked or took turns to play the musical instruments,” Mandachi said.

“My objective is clear - I want, together with other partners, to expand the project throughout Romania, especially in the disadvantaged areas of the country. The simple existence of a huge sign, on the main street, which says "READ" is a big win. No one in the country offers advertising spaces for reading. I want to litter Romania with such container libraries and to carry our message, "Education saves the nation", as far as possible,” the entrepreneur added.

People from all over the country who have heard about Mandachi’s initiative have sent over 5,000 books to his hotel in Suceava for the next container libraries he plans to open.

Stefan Mandachi has also launched a challenge to draw partners for this project. He said he would give away his 500HP Dodge Challenger worth EUR 45,000 to anyone who finances directly or convinces other people to finance seven new educational containers. The investment in one such container, which is equipped with library shelves, desks, inspirational decorations, chairs, a telescope, binoculars, a piano, guitar, violin, and others is EUR 12,500, according to Mandachi.

So far, three entrepreneurs have agreed to finance new container libraries in rural areas around Craiova, Valcea, and Botosani.

Stefan Mandachi also plans to invest in restoring a traditional house in a village in Botosani county, in the yard of which he will place a container, and build a small amusement park and an outdoor fitness room for the residents.

“People in the village, especially children, do not have access to all the tools for personal development, as those from the big cities. That's why I want to take as many containers as possible to rural areas. I will restore a traditional house, turn it into a museum, and in the yard I will build a small park, and an outdoor fitness area and place a container. I will probably be ready with the arrangement by June 1, I also depend on the support of the local authorities,” Mandachi said.

The entrepreneur, who recently sold his restaurant business Spartan – the biggest Romanian-owned fast-food franchise – has announced several projects in the education and philanthropy areas. He plans to develop an educational app for young entrepreneurs – MentorMag – with an investment of EUR 1.3 mln. He is also involved in building water wells for children in Africa.

“Since I sold my HoReCa businesses, I have more time to focus on social campaigns and philanthropic actions, which give me meaning. I hope that more and more entrepreneurs or people with material possibilities will be motivated by my example and invest in education. The results will be amazing and will transform Romania in the coming years. This approach is apolitical and non-profit,” concluded Stefan Mandachi.

editor@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Stefan Mandachi)