Project Report
| May 29, 2012
Reno Rotary Club Visits Pilot Project
By Joan Fuetsch | Project Leader
![Reno (NV) Rotarians with Alba Estrada]()
Reno (NV) Rotarians with Alba Estrada
During the month of April several Rotarians from the Reno Rotary Club visited our pilot early childhood development project in Quiche, Guatemala. They also delivered a number of supplies for the program. The small library was crammed with mothers and children. Personnel from the local health center came to do a presentation on vegetables to the mothers while Alba Estrada, the director, read a story to the children involving vegetables. Several children dressed as vegetables did a presentation for all present. Alba asked the mothers to discuss what the program meant to them and one mother spoke very passionately about the difference in her daughter since they have been attending the early childhood development program. She indicated that her daughter talked more and asked more questions and that she felt that she was a much better mother because of the things she had learned.
While we have recently received a grant (see link below) from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to strengthen our network of libraries we need your help to continue and expand this program to our other libraries. No donation is too small to be appreciated. A few dollars is very useful in Central America. Muchas gracias.
![Learning about vegetables from a story book]()
Learning about vegetables from a story book
![Presenting vegetable benefits to the moms]()
Presenting vegetable benefits to the moms
![Practicing new skills]()
Practicing new skills
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Feb 28, 2012
Rotary Club joins Project
By Joan Fuetsch | Project Leader
![Each child is weighed and measured each week.]()
Each child is weighed and measured each week.
Did you know that universal primary education is one of the Millienium Development Goals? The goal is for every child to have at least a primary education. Early childhood development including teaching sounds, vowels, shapes, numbers and creating a love for reading with story hours, all of which prepares children for success in school. In addition, in our program the parents also learn valuable nutritional information. Try to imagine what ignorance feels like. What if you could not read? How would you learn what was best for your children? Many of the mums in our program are in that situation. They simply do not know that their children need a balanced diet including protein to reach their potential.
We have just launched a second year of our pilot program in the Chiche, Guatemala Riecken library. Thanks go to the Reno Rotary Club (Nevada, USA) which has provided funding for a second year and because of their generosity we are able to double the number of sessions to meet the demand. As mentioned in previous reports other organizations are getting involved. The children are being weighed and measured and the parents are given a card to keep track of their child's progress. While the families were initially reluctant now there is great demand for giving children the best possible start. When this program is fully funded we plan to expand to other libraries. You can help us to accomplish that goal. We thank you in advance for your help.
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Nov 28, 2011
Watch Alba Talk about Her Work
By Joan Fuetsch | Project Manager
![Family Learning]()
Family Learning
Alba Estrada is the library director in Chiche, Guatemala. It is Alba who each week is running the pilot program for early childhood development and nutrition. With your help we can extend this program to many more of our 64 libraries in Central America. Please click on this link to watch Alba talk about her work with mothers and children in her community. Mothers who are unable to read are learning along with their children. They are learning that children need to have proper nutrition in order to learn. The word is spreading and each week more mothers (and even one father) are showing up to learn with their children. A nearby university student is coming to weigh the children. Each parent is given a card with which to chart their childrens' progress.
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