Early Childhood Literacy & Nutrition in Guatemala

Partnerships and community engagement in the new libraries

Guatemala society can be characterized as having a patriarchal and “machista” structure that often excludes women and other marginalized groups. This manifests as gender gaps across a variety of sectors and public services. Women tend to run fewer businesses, own less property, have greater difficulty entering the formal labor market, and have less access to credit and financing than men. Statistically, only 37 percent of women participate in s the formal labor market (as opposed to 85 percent of men), 27 percent own their own business, and 28 percent have access to financial markets (as opposed to 66 percent of men).

USAID fosters greater social inclusion in political processes in Guatemala by strengthening the civic and political participation of women so that they have a more prominent voice in decision-making, improved access to public services, and equal access to economic opportunities.

 The Riecken Foundation, thorugth their Community Library Network, shares that desire and goal of development in Guatemala. The Riecken foundation is working to advance women’s participation in community and municipal committees, strengthening their leadership role in the new libraries to be bulid with the USAID/ASHA support. Riecken Foundation helps build the technical and advocacy capacity of local board of community libraries, strengthening their leadership and negotiation skills, engagement strategies, and messaging on key gender issues.

For the Riecken Foundation, it is essential that there is a group of citizens committed to the library's mission and the efforts involved in promoting it, based on community volunteering. And the active participation of women is essential in our community library model.Once they express their interest in a library to the Riecken Foundation, the focus, mission and values of a community library of the model promoted by the Foundation are shared with them. Transparency, volunteering, inclusion, responsibility and respect are some of the values that we wish to transmit.

The Riecken Foundation believes that when girls in rural communities strengthen their leadership skills and abilities, and are provided participation to promote the women and children rights at the community level, there will be an increase in positive community development and improvement of quality of life in the communities. When girls learn to self-organize and work in a coordinated manner, they increase their community standing. Right’s Promotion activities that they generate will likely be more sustainable and have greater impact; and Reading and Technology will be our toolkits to do that.

 The library construction project represents for me a reason for commitment to my community. I have put my dedication to being a volunteer within the construction committee. This involvement has been positive because through my participation I have been an example for other women to demonstrate that we have the same opportunities in leadership positions in other projects in the municipality.

Riecken libraries have a broader goal of promoting free expression, individual empowerment, community service and volunteerism, as well as access to computer technology and the internet. All of the libraries work to create a love of reading in children and youth; offer a place for parents, particularly young mothers, to meet and learn best practices in early childhood development and nutrition; provide at-risk youth – whether in school or out of school -- with a place to safely meet, engage in productive activities, and develop critical thinking skills.  The libraries also serve as places for women to become empowered with literacy, numeracy, leadership, and business skills.

And before they are built, libraries are a space for participation, opinion and decision for women. Like the case of Tatiana from the Catarina community. She is part of the construction committee and has been involved from the outset in all the training sessions organized. And she represents a role model for other women in her community.

 With support from USAID/ASHA (American Schools and Hospitals Abroad) and individual donors as Globalgivers to upgrade books, technology and furniture, and building construction, Riecken community libraries will continue to help transform a single building block -- a community library with free computers, internet, print resources and programs -- into a springboard for democracy building, local leadership development, women’s empowerment, civic engagement and social justice in Honduras and Guatemala.

Riecken community Libraries are a demonstration and promotion American principles of inclusiveness and equality, civic engagement, free expression and independent inquiry. Together with the USAID / ASHA program, we will give a concrete response to promote community cohesion, so damaged by the current situation. We are proud to see the flexibility of the Riecken Community Library sustainability model in action, allowing for relevant local response to this worldwide calamity.  

Riecken Community Libraries are a social platform and an essential space for the social cohesion present in 65 communities in Honduras and Guatemala, with the three new libraries being built with the ASHA/USAID support and local partners.

Learn more about the work of the Riecken Foundation and its network of community libraries in Guatemala.

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Partnerships and community engagement in Palestina de los Altos

Riecken community Libraries is to advance Guatemala’s self-reliance by connecting indigenous peoples, women, and youth to opportunities that enable them to achieve prosperous, secure, and dignified lives at home in Guatemala the way to economic progress in poor communities. 

A self-reliant Guatemala will be led by a capable government able to deliver quality basic services to all of its citizens, be governed by rule of law that applies equally to all Guatemalans, and have an economy driven by a formal private sector robust and sufficiently diversified to absorb qualified job- seekers. 

For services such as health and education, authority will be decentralized to local decision- makers to ensure the services provided respond to community needs and expectations. In rural parts of the country, basic services will be provided at a location accessible to the community.

The Community Library Model for the Self-reliant communities in Guatemala

Many rural libraries in developing countries perish early from neglect, and lack of on-going management, relevant programs, or sustained community involvement. The key to the sustainable success of the Riecken Community Library network is the on-going cooperation between:

• An organized group of volunteer citizens who manage and lead the construction, maintenance and staffing of the library, and are responsible for the ongoing success of activities and programming,
• The municipal governmentthat provides land and funding, and supports the library’s work as a recognized part of the community infrastructure, and,
• The Riecken Foundation, with its contribution, guides the overall establishment of the library, providing direction, financial resources, ongoing training and programming.

For the Riecken Foundation, it is essential that there is a group of citizens committed to the library's mission and the efforts involved in promoting it, based on community volunteering. Once they express their interest in a library to the Riecken Foundation, the focus, mission and values of a community library of the model promoted by the Foundation are shared with them. Transparency, volunteering, inclusion, responsibility and respect are some of the values that we wish to transmit.

Riecken Foundation also informs them of the necessary requirements (a piece of land exclusively for the library, payment of public services, internet and the librarian's salary). This is the moment when citizens contact their local government to involve them as the third partner.

Once these requirements have been obtained, a series of working groups are started to work on the library proposal. This proposal is made up of a community diagnosis, detailed information on the socio-economic, environmental, educational, safety and health conditions of the community and the list of community leaders who wish to join the project; a minimum of seven volunteers is considered to be an adequate number. These must represent the different community sectors and have an equitable involvement of women and the indigenous population. After receiving this proposal, the Riecken team travels to the community to analyze the land and talk with representatives of other civil organizations, local authorities and sectors such as education and health. In the meetings that are held, the Riecken team presents the library model. On some occasions, they return to the community to participate in the cabildos(community meetings) so that the greatest number of people know the details of the model. Ensuring community participation is essential to the success of the library.

After the visit, the proposal presented by the community is evaluated and some recommendations are offered, including achieving official certification of the necessary requirements by the municipal corporation. An internal evaluation committee, made up of representatives from management, the program team, and finance, makes a decision on the submitted proposal. If approved, the community is notified of the approval of the project and the first steps in planning and initial training begin. From this step until the inauguration of the building, it will be approximately five months of work sessions and intense training. In 2023, three new community libraries will be born with ASHA/USAID supports.

Riecken Community Libraries are proving that libraries are essential for a democratic society. The libraries are institutions where citizens are encouraged to make informed decisions and achieve their full potential. They deliver knowledge, promote critical thinking and stimulate self-education and lifelong learning. In poor communities, libraries also fulfill the role of providing a sustainable framework, with the library’s operations run by volunteers in the community. Through community leadership, important principles of development and self-government are formed.

Highly valued by the community it serves, each Riecken library goes well beyond traditional library activities, providing space where local issues are analyzed and discussed, and people read and research to identify local solutions together as a community. Today, in Guatemala where political strife, violence and desperate economic conditions prevail, this can be critical to their very chances for survival. 

Introducing the modern American library to Central America has brought positive change to the lives of individuals, their families and their communities. Riecken Community Libraries celebrates a culture and tradition of innovation each time one of its libraries opens its doors.  In this process Riecken is proud to advocate for its partners and the US values Riecken brings to the region.

Libraries are community partners and respond to community needs. Today’s libraries provide resources and expert guidance to help parents and caregivers advance children’s literacy and boost early learning, which have extensive academic and economic impacts. Inclusion. In many areas, the library is the only place that is truly accessible and inclusive for all.

Riecken Community Libraries are a social platform and an essential space for the social cohesion present in 65 communities in Honduras and Guatemala, with the three new libraries being built with the ASHA/USAID support and local partners.

Learn more about the work of the Riecken Foundation and its network of community libraries in Guatemala.