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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