By Linda Smith | Founder and Director
I just received some good news from the community of Concepción. Our reading aloud to children is having an important effect that will help them stay in school.
In rural Mayan communities, half of the children fail the first grade and about 75% drop out altogether before completing the sixth grade. (That's not the good news.)
One contributing factor is that these Kaqchikel-speaking children often enter the school system speaking little or no Spanish.
Our reading promoters read aloud to children in Spanish and translate into Kaqchikel to develop vocabulary and aid the children's comprehension.
Here's the good news: Rosmery, one of our third-year promoters, just shared with me that the children who attend her reading activities have told her they no longer need the translating. They understand the Spanish.
This is just what we wanted to see! Children grounded in their native language with literacy in Spanish.
Together we are transforming children's lives…and it costs very little.
A donation of $20 pays for a child to attend story hour three times a week for a year and provides storybooks to read on his or her own.
Give the gift of literacy to one or more children today,
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