Early Childhood Literacy & Nutrition in Guatemala

“The majority of mothers have 2 or 3 children between 1 to 4 years; they constantly meet to evaluate the progress of their children. Within these conversations arise comments on how productive the program has been and how it has helped them in the formation of some habits and especially to approach children to reading. And how workshops and sessions they have received supports them in their homes for good practices in the reading area and in improving the nutrition of their children. According to testimonies’ mothers, many of them have stopped practicing the bad habits they had with their family and improve the health of their family.

Reading Early Childhood Development promotes better nutrition habits and stimulating the children curiosity to induce the world around them. The objective is train to children caregivers (fathers and mothers) in diverse reading techniques and preparation of nutritive food.

Achieved Results:

• Children Caregivers approach Reading at home
• More hygienic, better and healthier food is prepared at home
• Children Caregivers have trained other caregivers (especially, other mothers) as a multiplier effect of Reading techniques with 20 children under 5 years.

The Riecken Guatemala Foundation empowers Caregivers, mothers and fathers, to approach books and reading to their kids and sharing knowledge to improve better nutrition habits at home.

All Riecken Community Libraries, as Ventanas abiertas al futuro library, offer early childhood development and nutrition programs, quality books and safe places to read and learn, support for skills taught by the schools, story circles and more, Riecken Community Libraries brings opportunity to underserved regions of Central America that need it most! 

This Reading program is being supported by all “Glogalgivinners” and BFB Foundation.

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

Links:

• Our website

The Riecken Foundation believes that reading to children from an early age (0-5 years), stimulates the mind, develops language, and builds a base to ensure the success of reading in the future. The parents are childrens’ first teachers; so they need to be provided with tools and activities they can do with their families to promote reading at an early age and develop a reading habit that will continue throughout life.

Riecken Community Libraries are betting that growth of young children is best achieved in a healthy environment, at home, in school and in the community, key areas where critical knowledge and values for life are acquired. The libraries offer best practices for infant feeding through reading programs in coordination with health center programs that are responsible for the height and weight measurement of children and mothers over time, key indicators in child development. The interaction between mothers and parents with the children, against a backdrop of community support is essential to the program success.

Strengthening Riecken Community Libraries in Guatemala to improve healthier communities

The library staff in Chiché seized this opportunity with these mothers and responded directly to the community’s need to address the local challenge of high infant and child malnutrition. The Chiché Community Library “Ventanas abiertas al futuro”, developed an early childhood literacy and nutrition class to teach new parents child care and nutrition, including hands-on preparation of nutritional, appropriate, affordable foods for babies and young children, and the importance of reading and interacting with infants and toddlers as a critical part of healthy child development. Using a training guide and other materials, they are training to improve the knowledge of parents and caregivers of children to improve behavioral changes and the modification of inappropriate habits in child maternal health and nutrition through the stimulation of reading and promotion of good practices in hygiene, food and nutrition.

While a library may initially not seem to be the best place to address issues of chronic childhood malnutrition, for the past five years many Riecken community libraries have been doing so. The success we witness today is the result of overall collaboration, sharing and mutual respect, among USAID/ASHA, the Riecken Foundation, and local governments, health and education authorities of each community.

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

Links:

• Our website