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Follow up work in San Antonio Aguascalientes

Our volunteers opened this library in 2022. We were back in San Antonio Aguascalientes with our partner Creating Opportunities for Guatemalans to add more books to the collection and to conduct library programs for the students. Volunteers read picture books and guided the students through activities connected to the stories they had read. Older students learned how to make origami cranes after learning about Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes by Eleanor Coerr. Younger students painted with watercolors after reading This is Not My Hat by Jon Klassen. And middle grade students created earthquake-proof structures with connecting straws after reading Mi Ciudad Sings by Cynthia Harmony.

Students COULDN’T WAIT to get their hands on the new books! They especially love the Dog Man books by Dav Pilkey. The librarian Jessica has created a fun environment around reading and learning, and the students obviously love books. One of the older students took home a copy of the Sadako book after the origami activity and read it in one night!

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Guatemala – new books for Asturias

A second goal of our work at Asturias is to add new books to the school library collection. Our team works year-round to secure donations of books for our library programs around the world. Many publishers donated new children’s books in Spanish over the past year. Supporters purchased books from our Amazon wish list, and the Friends of the Library group in Tucson, Arizona donated children’s books as well. These books were shipped to Quetzaltenango and were ready for our group when we arrived.

Our cataloging team – Hector, Mandi, Cara, and Debbie – sorted through the many donated books, processed them by adding the appropriate labels, and cataloged them into the spreadsheet used by the school. Two hundred eighty-one books were added to the school’s collection! The school has many books in their collection already, but like any library, some books get lost or damaged over time. Students and teachers love to see new books arrive! After our team leaves, the librarian, Señora Dorita, will lay out all of the books on long tables in the library and will schedule classes to visit the library so that they can preview the new books.

In addition to adding new books, Hector went above and beyond by translating nearly 20 books into Spanish! These books were perfect for story time but were written in English, which the librarian does not speak. Hector, who has worked professionally as a translator, selflessly spent free time during the week translating the books into Spanish so that they can be read to younger students.

Our organization will visit the school every two years to continue to add new books to the library’s collection.

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Library Days at Asturias!

Our group of volunteers arrived in Guatemala for a service trip in Quetzaltenango (Xela) at the Colegio Miguel Angel Asturias. One of the goals of the trip is to conduct library programs for the students, not just to make the library fun but also to model for the teachers how to create fun extension activities related to books.

Students were treated to fun library programs conducted by our programming team – Irania, Norma, Karen, and Jessica. Irania brought her cuatro (Venezuelan instrument) for sing-alongs and riddles, which warmed up the students and made them feel welcome. The focus was on emotional well-being, with children writing encouraging messages for themselves and engaging in various activities.

One of the books read to the students was “Yo soy Paz” (I am Peace) by Susan Verde, a book that focuses on mindfulness and strategies to keep oneself calm. Students talked about things that make them feel peace and created origami related to images from the book.

For these special Library Days, every class in the school visits the library for a 50-minute program. During regular weeks, classes visit the library at least once per week, and some students hang out in the library during breaks, such as recess. The library is the only carpeted room in the school, so staff and students take their shoes off and sometimes wear slippers so that they can keep the carpet clean. The school is still requiring masks since Covid is still circulating.

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Guatemala excursions

When we take groups on service trips, we like to include excursions that will teach volunteers about the culture of the country where we’re working. For this trip, we worked from morning ’til evening, so there was little time for excursions, but we did squeeze in some time for a few activities.

Our partner, Creating Opportunities for Guatemalans, has started a women’s sewing workshop, where a volunteer teaches women basic sewing skills so that they can earn extra income for their families. The women sew upcycled items using leftover traditional woven textiles and fabrics. They have formed a co-op called Manos de Maya and sell the items from their workshop, online through Facebook, and at various locations in Antigua.

We also visited a textile co-op where we were shown how traditional weaving is done in the village of San Antonio Aguascalientes, where the finished weave is reversible. Our group learned about indigenous wedding traditions of the area and was given the opportunity to dress in traditional wedding attire.

We rode a chicken bus to the village every day; ran across several processions, one of which was for Santa Cecilia, the patron saint of music and musicians; visited the town of Santa Maria; walked all over Antigua; and ate delicious food!

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Guatemala – San Antonio Aguascalientes

Our team arrived in San Antonio Aguascalientes to work on the soon-to-be community library. Over the years, many volunteers from the U.S. and Canada had donated books to the center, most of which were written in English. In a rush to clear some space for a new computer lab, the books had been tossed into the library space and needed to be sorted and evaluated for condition.

Our crew weeded out older, outdated books; processed, cataloged, and added new children’s books in Spanish; and sorted and organized the English books. Our team modified a spreadsheet used by another school in Guatemala for cataloging the books and creating a checkout program.

Because there were so many books, our team focused on the Spanish books. Jessica, the new librarian, will continue processing and cataloging the English books, which are used by the tutors at the center for teaching English.

Our organization secured a laptop for the library, thanks to a generous donation from a supporter. We will continue to support Jessica by remaining in communication via online meetups and providing mini-training sessions online. Our organization will visit the library with a group of volunteers every two years to add more books to the collection and to conduct library programs for the students. Once the English books have been cataloged and processed and the furniture is in place, the center will open the library for the community!

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Guatemala fundraiser

Help us raise funds for our Guatemala library project by donating $30 or more and receive either a mask or a coin purse!

These items were sewn by Lesly and her brother Jhonny in Guatemala using traditional woven fabrics. Lesly is a teacher in Guatemala. During the pandemic, many teachers have not received regular paychecks. The sale of these items is helping Lesly and Jhonny earn a living during a difficult time.

Donate at Paypal.me/LibrariesForTheWorld and leave a note telling us whether you’d like a mask or a coin purse.

Or send a check to:

Libraries for the World, PO Box 1331, Round Rock, TX 78680

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Guatemala shipment arrives

Our box of books arrived in Guatemala, along with our gifts from Africa for school director Jorge and his wife. The shipment included several tablets for the teachers, just in time for school to start again in January. If school continues to be virtual, the tablets will help teachers with online instruction. Our hope is to fulfill some work in Guatemala in the summer of 2021, if the pandemic situation improves.

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Guatemala update

Check out our video to see what we’re up to in Guatemala!

We recently shipped a large box of books, tablets, and educational materials to one of our partners at a school in Quetzaltenango (known locally as Xela). Schools are currently closed, but teachers continue to teach online. The school year will end soon, but the school director, Jorge, has already expressed his gratitude for the tablets. He anticipates having to continue with online schooling for the unforeseeable future.

We continue to collect books in Spanish for the homework help center in San Antonio Aguas Calientes, which we are helping to organize into a community library. Check out our Amazon wishlist for Guatemala and donate a book today. 

The pandemic has not stopped the work; we continue to plan for our programs. Donate at paypal.me/LibrariesForTheWorld to help us build a brighter future for children around the world.

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Guatemala partnership

We’ve entered into a partnership with Creating Opportunities for Guatemalans and are seeking hardcover books in Spanish to expand a homework help center in San Antonio Aguas Calientes. The town has a large indigenous Maya population, but many of the people speak Spanish. Most of the books that have been donated to the center are written in English, which many of the students are learning, but the goal is to turn the center into a community library for all people in the town. Books should be in hardcover for all ages, but books for children and teens are especially welcome. Visit our Amazon wishlist for Guatemala for ideas and donate a book today!