Support literacy and learning for 1,900 Maya youth

Deysi, age 12, became a library member in 2014 when she was only four years old. Back then, her mom, Margarita, ensured she got a library membership, as it was the only place in Chajul where Deysi could get the materials she needed to do her homework and receive academic support as she progressed in school. Deysi always had a fondness for math but felt frustrated that she wasn't learning enough at the local school she attended up until the sixth grade. It was at our Saber sin Límites (Limitless Knowledge) Community Library, where our Adventures in Math and Science STEM classes have been a focus in recent years, that Deysi found the space and opportunity to develop her love for these subjects, which historically have been one of the most challenging areas for students in Chajul.

In 2022, Librarians David and Cecilia conducted math and science classes once a week in both the morning and the afternoon for library members. It was wonderful to see library attendance returning to pre-pandemic numbers, welcoming 30-40 members daily with librarians facilitating learning. 

In mid-November 2022, Deysi joined 34 other students as they started their month-long Broadening Horizons preparation classes at Limitless Horizons Ixil’s new middle school Colegio Horizontes. These classes are designed to narrow the skill gaps of incoming students and help them successfully transition into middle school. While Deysi’s family struggles with poverty and she is still working to improve her Spanish (she grew up speaking Maya Ixil at home), she worked very hard and impressed her teachers, taking advantage of her time to absorb as much as she could from a math course that was much more captivating than what she was used to learning in school. Her hard work paid off: she has been officially accepted to be part of our second class of 7th graders in Colegio Horizontes for the 2023 school year, starting very soon in mid-January. 

Deysi dreams of becoming a Math teacher one day, but for now, she enjoys taking account of the many ways it is used around town. Both she and her mother credit Saber Sin Límites Community Library as the reason Deysi has continued to dream big and set goals for the future. It has also been the door for Deysi to now have access to a quality, empowering, and holistic education, something that Margarita, unfortunately, did not have. 

Deysi has a great awareness of what education represents for her, her family, and her future. We have loved seeing her optimism and determination to succeed and are humbled and honored to be part of her story, which with her soon incorporation into Colegio Horizontes, is really just beginning.