By Joan Fuetsch | Project Leader
Fatima lives in San Juan La Laguna, Solola, Guatemala on the shores of beautiful Lake Atitlan. In her home she speaks the Mayan language Tzu'tzu'jil; in school she speaks Spanish. Fatima is in the second grade yet, thanks to the Girl Reader program in the village library she is reading well above grade level according to US standards. And a few questions will confirm that Fatima is also understanding what she reads. When asked why learning to read was so important one of the reasons given by a group of girls in the library was so that they could help their parents who were unable to read. They also cited the fact that, if they knew how to read, that they could learn anything that they wanted to. Learning to read and being encouraged to stay in school is just one step towards empowering young girls in Mayan communities. With your continued help we can strengthen this program and expand it to more of the libraries in our network. With your ongoing support we can develop books clubs exclusively for girls which will not only sharpen their reading skills but also self-confidence and creative thinking.
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