Limitless Horizons Ixil is founding the first public library in the impoverished and undereducated Maya Ixil community of Chajul, a county of 50,000 particularly hard-hit by the Guatemalan Civil War.
Most children in Chajul have never had their own book to read. A recent study revealed that a library is one of the community’s greatest needs. Teachers report that they have trouble teaching because critical reading and research skills are difficult to develop in their students, as there are no books or resources available outside of school. Students desperately need a place to complete their homework, as homes are dim, smoky, and overcrowded. This simple need has always seemed out of reach.
Chajul’s first public library provides the community with an inviting, well-equipped space supported by a full-time librarian, where students and teachers can read, research, do homework, and plan lessons using the library’s books and resources.
The library provides previously unavailable educational resources and opportunities to the 50,000-person county of Chajul, which if sustained, will lead to long-term improvements in educational quality and thus further opportunities for advancement.
This project has provided additional documentation in a PDF file (projdoc.pdf).
