Transforming Community Libraries
In rural Guatemala, children grow up with little or no access to books. Families lack money to purchase them, schools are underfunded, and libraries are rare. The few libraries that do exist are often no more than cramped, unstaffed storage rooms with a handful of outdated books that are of little use to children.
Working with committed local partners, Child Aid has helped establish 35 community libraries in small towns and rural villages throughout the Guatemalan Highlands. We now work in these and other libraries to help ensure they are well-stocked, fully accessible and deeply involved in literacy work within their communities.
Librarians: Catalysts for Literacy
With training and support from Child Aid, our librarian partners conduct reading programs for hundreds of children who lack basic reading skills. These programs take place throughout the year, both in libraries and in local schools. We help librarians conduct literacy outreach in their communities and establish book-lending programs that allow children to take books home, often for the first time in their lives. The result? More children have access to books, and more children are reading.
