Education Guatemala Project #2617

Reading Village

by Reading Village

Project Report | Apr 7, 2016
Join Us in Celebrating Our 10th Anniversary

By Linda Smith | Founder and Executive Director

Celebrating 10 Years of Breaking the Cycle of Intergenerational Poverty.

Bring out the piñatas, Reading Village is celebrating it’s 10th year! And we have much to celebrate. Your investment in literacy, education and youth leadership is breaking the cycle of intergenerational poverty. And the building blocks that make this possible are not bricks and mortar, but rather the critical ingredients of developing human capacity.

Let’s take a closer look at the first of ten critical ingredients in our unique approach to develop human capital in Guatemala.

In order to be efficient and effective a team needs to be well-resourced. In any of our partner communities you can easily spot our youth leaders. They each proudly carry their Reading Village book bag filled with the resources they use in their literacy promotion activities with children. Three-ring binders, lesson planning sheets and calendars, pens, storybooks, puppets, construction paper, crayons and more equip these youth every day as they lift the generation behind them with the skill and love of reading. Eric creatively used his materials to make giant dice, one with letters and one with numbers. The children in his reading activities take turns rolling the dice and sharing a word with the number of letters indicated by the one die and starting with the letter indicated by the other.

Program Resources is Human Capital Building Block #10. We’ll be counting down each month with a from-the-field, human example of how your contributions support the development of human capital in our partner communities and create a cycle of opportunity for children full of potential just waiting to be realized.

Head over to our blog to enjoy the latest video summarizing our innovative model of community development, the impact we've made together thus far, and our vision for the future. This year we are celebrating ten years of impact, but we’ve only just begun. Reading Village will not stop until every child has the opportunity to fulfill his or her potential.

Thank you for your partnership in this important work,

Linda Smith
Founder & Executive Director, Reading Village

PS: We'll be in Guatemala April 7-14 and we'd love for you to follow along on Facebook and our blog to catch all the fun and inspiration!

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Feb 15, 2016
A Note of Love and Light

By Marcella Varley | Development Manager

Smiley Lydia

Having just returned from my first trip to Guatemala to meet some of the participants of our Leaders & Readers Program and join them for this year's opening ceremonies, I find myself with a heart full of joy. What an inspirational group of youth! Outspoken and curious Lydia in Chuiquel is entering her second year in the program. She grins with excitement as she talks about working with the younger children again this year by providing literacy activities. Lydia, like so many other youth leaders, knows that this is important and special work and feels genuinely honored to do it. Transforming lives through literacy isn’t something anyone in this group of dedicated teens takes lightly.

At the start of each new year, Reading Village youth leaders gather in their communities for a special opening ceremony called the Ceremony of Light. From the flowers, to the candles, to the traditional cloth beneath it all, there is meaning behind every part of the ceremony. The ceremony begins with the groups talking of unity, about how we are all human beings; and, therefore, while we are each unique, we are all connected. And then each person in the circle individually steps into the middle to light their candles, to share how that symbolic “light of literacy” inspires them, and to make a commitment to bring their unique abilities to the group for the year. Some words that echoed often in these commitments were love, respect, trust, support, patience, and peace.

Witnessing Lydia and her fellow youth leaders make their commitments was truly an honor. Love, community and passion filled the circle. These teens are strong, hardworking and determined. And, perhaps most importantly, they are dedicated not only to their own futures, but also to the futures of their communities.

I hope these photos from my trip bring some joy to your heart.

Thank you for the love you bring into the world,

Marcella

PS: It's not too late to get registered for this April's Learning Journey trip (April 7-14). Join us for this unique deep dive into Mayan culture and for the special opportunity to meet the youth leaders who are working hard to eradicate illiteracy and move their communities out of poverty. Contact me at marcella@readingvillage.org if you'd like any additional details.

Ceremony of Light Circle

Lighting a candle and making a promise

Light shining in on the ceremony

Lydia, Marcella and Sandra

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Nov 20, 2015
You Can Help Us Grow in 2016

By Linda Smith | Founder & Executive Director

Youth Leader Leading Literacy Activities

Dear World Changer,

This past year has been an exciting time of growth for Reading Village. We’ve worked with more than 50 youth leaders across several rural communities in Guatemala and together they’ve reached thousands of young children with innovative literacy programs. As the Guatemalan school year gets underway in January, we’re eager to reach even more youth. Here’s how you can help:

Join Our Two Million Two Many Campaign this December

Across Guatemala there are two million youth who can’t afford to be in school. That’s two million youth without basic skills to compete in the workforce; two million youth limited to a lifetime of hard physical labor; two million youth stuck in a cycle of perpetual poverty. We believe that is two million too many.

This holiday season give the gift of literacy and education. Join our Two Million Too Many matching campaign to ensure that 68 indigenous teenagers and the 3,400 children they read to have the skills they need to succeed in school and in life. Thanks to the generosity and support of Susan and Richard Anderson, 100% of all contributions this December will be matched dollar for dollar (up to a total of $25,000). Every single donation will prepare youth to defy these odds.

Mark your calendars to give between December 1-31, 2015 to qualify for a 100% match.

Join Us on a Learning Journey to Guatemala next April

For eight days you can join a small group of mindful travelers to visit the communities where we work, meet our youth leaders and their families, and witness the transformation in rural Guatemalan towns.

Next Trip: April 7-14, 2016
Full Price: $1,950 per person (email us about discounts)
Group Size: Limited to 10 people
No Spanish Required
More Information: www.readingvillage.org/take-action/learning-journey

We cannot thank you enough for your commitment to this work. You stand among a thoughtful group of individuals from around the world who are passionate about ending poverty through literacy and education. We’re so glad to have you join us on this journey.

Sincerely,

Linda Smith, Founder & Executive Director

Learning Journey Participant in Guatemalan

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