Delivering School Books to Guatemala
Posted by Patricia Paul
A project of the Rotary Club of La Conner. Pearson Publishers donated 53,000 Spanish language children's books. The gift did not include shipping. The club applied for and received a grant for the shipping of the books. Two trips are planned to assist in the cataloging and distribution of the books. One trip in October 2010 and the second in January 2011. Working with Child-Aid we will distribute books to 28 rural locations. The photo is of La Conner Rotarian Barney Bourns working on literacy on a trip in January 2010 to Guatemala.
Guatemala has the lowest literacy rate in Latin America. Indigenous communities have the lowest literacy rate in Guatemala. The communities receiving the books are indigenous. One factor of limited educational opportunities is a lack of books. There are few adequate libraries in towns, villages and schools. The community benefit is that 8,000 children in remote villages have first-time access to quality books. The distribution will be to over 300 classrooms with limited resources.