Support literacy and learning for 1,900 Maya youth

In September, we had the great opportunity to host Brandie and Elizabeth, two librarians from Librarians Without Borders who came to visit from Portland, Maine! We were so thrilled to learn from them, share ideas and experiences and show them our Saber Sín Límites Community Library!

Librarians Without Borders is another non-profit organization, with a mission to "build sustainable libraries and support their custodians and advocates—librarians." They have been long-time supporters of Limitless Horizons Ixil, and have sent visitors multiple times to support the work we’re implementing for our Chajulense library members.

Elizabeth and Brandie were immediately impressed by their first day at the library with our two librarians Marilú and David, and our two library interns Ana and Cecilia Jacinta. The visitors noted that it is a great space with a wide range of books, and that our librarians are doing a terrific job! "They don't even need our help, they are experts and great librarians!" even joked Brandie. But of course that isn’t true, and throughout the week, Brandie and Elizabeth met with the library staff to offer their wisdom, insights, and experience.

Everyone got together to discuss some of the challenges our library in Chajul faces, and Elizabeth and Brandie shared ideas for engaging activities and how to best support the library members and the development of literacy for Chajul’s youth. Our visitors also participated in activities with the library members including story hour, reading club, and art activities and saw first-hand how exciting and fun library activities are for our members!

We were so thrilled to have two professional librarians offer their guidance to our library in Chajul, and to have their support for the work already underway—which has only been possible thanks to your contributions. Our Saber Sin Límites Community Library would not be where it is today, with such successful programs and opportunities to host international visitors, without YOU. Our amazing library space, books and art materials, and strong library staff have been made possible by you and your fellow Limitless Horizons Ixil supporters. Thanks to your continued support, we will be able to even further develop our library with increased partnerships with organizations like Librarians Without Borders and additional resources to support literacy in Chajul!

“I started working in the Saber Sin Límites community library in March. Thanks to Limitless Horizons Ixil, I have the opportunity to work with the children and learn from the librarians. My experience has been so great so far! I learned about how to sort books—I did not know about that or how to do it before. For instance, each book has a different tag and they are classified in alphabetical order. I am very grateful to the librarians for teaching me so well and supporting me as I learn.

The library is great space for children and youth of Chajul. We have members from different ages and different schools, and they all come to the library for different reasons. The library is separated in three different areas—the children's area is dedicated to the members who are less than six years old, the research area is where older members can do research for their homework, and the study area is where students of all ages can study or read in a quiet space. I have learned that the library has specific rules and a way of functioning. The members greet the librarians when they come in, and they must be polite and respectful of other children and the books. The library members also wear color-coded tags to help them focus and respect the guidelines of the different library spaces and activities. They wear a green tag if they are going to the research area, a blue tag if they are going to read, and a red tag if they are going to draw—and this helps me and the others who work in the library to best support them in their chosen activity as well!

What I like the most about my internship at the library is that I have the opportunity to help children learn how to read and support them throughout their education. It is a great feeling to meet children who do not know how to read when they first come in the library and then to support and to see their reading skills progress thanks to our support and help.”

This is a first-hand account from one of the four Limitless Horizons Ixil high school graduates now participating in our pilot Internship and Training Initiative, translated by Léa Valenti, International Coordinator. Cecilia Jacinta is one of the two Saber Sin Límites library interns who are providing crucial support to the children and youth who rely on the library’s services, while she also gains professional mentorship and skill development for herself provided by Limitless Horizons Ixil staff. We are so proud to see how far Cecilia Jacinta has come since she first started as a middle school student with Limitless Horizons Ixil seven years ago, and to see how great a role model she is for the children and youth of Chajul!