Build More Literate Communities in Rural Honduras

Lourdes, an El Pital resident, believes in literacy access for all individuals, despite their age or capacity. She has been a leading advocate for literacy development in her community for years. She participated in the very first library trainings given by the Reicken Foundation in 2009; she helped launch the first ever bibliobandido visit back in 2010; and she has served as president and vice president of the board of directors of the library project for multiple years. With dreams of a real library still far on the horizon, Lourdes wanted to make literacy programming regularly available in her community by opening a temporary library space, where individuals could receive literacy support and access resources during after-school hours. With the help of Un Mundo, Lourdes and other committed citizens have been volunteering their time since May 2014 to make this space available to the local community. In 2015, with support increasing for the library program, Lourdes has been hired as the first community librarian, and will be continuing to make literacy resources and tutoring available 5 days a week in the temporary library space. Additionally, Lourdes has three new literacy promoters who will be promoting literacy in 3 of the most remote schools in the region through our mobile library program bibliobandido during the 2015 academic year.

Lourdes said, “The library program is strengthening capacity and behavior in local children. I myself, as the librarian, have acquired knowledge and skills that I didn’t even know I had, which in itself has improved my own self-esteem.”

The Un Mundo Library/Literacy program helps children and families learn to read in Honduras by helping build a regional library and a mobile library that travels by burro to isolated, remote areas.

In 2014:

1. 72 different children visited the temporary library, and the library had a total of 870 visits.

2. 180 different children and 35 adults from four rural communities enjoyed a bibliobandido presentation and enjoyed meeting the burro which carries the Un Mundo mobile library.