Gender Equality Honduras Project #15849

Empower Women & Girls in Guatemala with Technology

by The Frances and Henry Riecken Foundation, Inc.

Empower Women & Girls in Guatemala with Technology

Project Report | Jan 18, 2019
Savings to support Entrepreneurial Women

By Francisco Jose Alcaide | Regional Director

Woman farmer supported by library program

“I have been part of the project for 2 years and I feel very grateful for the opportunity to do new things, especially handicrafts with pine needles. This initiative of entrepreneurship helps us to generate our own economic income and even more, with new products that only we elaborate. My experience in the project is very successful because I have developed and discovered many capabilities that I had not developed before” says a women benefited by Women for success project of Gabriela Mistral Library, in San Juan Chamelco (Guatemala).

Women of San Juan Chamelco (Guatemala) have developed a Community Savings and Loan Fund, which will let to strength their entrepreneurial activities. With this initiative, women have saved $3,649 (18 women); only in December, each one saved $202. This Saving initiative are letting to improve two kinds of entrepreneurial activities of women:

1. Products made of pine needles

Women has the support of a Tourism Local Company Turismo Verapaz, for the promotion of Products made of pine needles. This alliance has improved new opportunities of commerce and increase women’s incomes.
Two local interinstitutional networks has been organized to strength women participation
An environmental project has been defined to use the pine needle and to support the sustainability of the women’s efforts
Women’s group achieved the financing of Weaving Academy ($6,757) which will develop the women’s capacities to income generation.

2. Crops and Orchards

In winter season, women grew vegetables and legumes for family consumption. The surplus of the harvest was sold in local markets.

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

The Riecken Guatemala Foundation empowers girls and women through its network of community libraries.

In Guatemala, 970 women have strengthened their social skills through programs in Riecken Community Libraries. With stronger social skills and willingness to be actively involved in the community, they have learned to organize fairs featuring handicrafts and other products, wherein the women take advantage of dialogue opportunities with visitors to raise awareness about gender discrimination and violence against women.

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

Handcrafts elaborated with pine needles

Links:

Our website

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Oct 23, 2018
Girl Readers empowered by Reading at Libraries

By Paco Alcaide Canata | Regional Director

Girl Readers in San Juan Chamelco

"I have been happy to be the coordinator of 14 girls because I like to share with them and know what they like. I am motivated to help young people to be innovative people of their own futures. For me, I feel satisfied to see how the girls who want to improve their personal lives through reading ", says Elvira, a reader and leader girl of Ventanas abiertas al futuro Library, in Chiché (Guatemala).

One of the greatest successes of Riecken Community Libraries is how girl readers develop their emotional skills to get ahead. They strengthen their leadership skills and social commitment as individuals. Teamwork and planning means that they themselves can visualize a future of success. Reading is not just a matter of fun; with reading, young people and girl readers promote their leadership skills and the appropriation of their rights to support community social cohesion in rural communities of Guatemala. The formative process of adolescents is based on the model focused on positive development and competence during adolescence (Benson, Scales, Hamilton and Sesman, 2006, Damon, 2004, Larson, 2000). Our approach methodology is focused on the following competences of youth emotional development: 1. Social, 2. Ethical, 3. Personal and healthy habits, 4. Cognitive and 5. Emotional Intelligence.

Young people participate in a guided reading process (Brilliant Minds) based on three steps (Read, Discover and Act) and focuses on the following aspects of Emotional development:

- Values (Honesty, Responsibility and Self-concept)

- I feel good in class (Education)

- Nobody understands me (Family - relationships / roles)

- I love myself, I take care of myself (Health)

Mentes Brillantes (Brilliam Minds) is a program improved by Communy libraries of Guatemala and has been designed for young people (patojos and patojas of Guatemala) to promote reading, writing, the exploration of values and qualities of leadership in each young person. It is an opportunity for young people to discover many things through reading and action. There are many options of books and texts that the young person can choose, everything will depend on the topic that is of interest, this could be about sports, courtship, science, environment, adventure, etc.

Each young person participates in the program individually in his free time and at the speed that suits him.

Learn more about the work of the Riecken Foundation and how libraries empowers girls and women in Guatemala.

A girl Reader accessing to Brilliant Mind's index

Elvira and the other Girl Leaders

Links:

Our website

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Aug 2, 2018
The power of knowledge

By Francisco Jose Alcaide | Regional Director

Faced with violence and gang activity, communities in Central America benefit from the access to information and programs offered by Riecken Community Libraries. As centers of community development and learning, they are considered neutral ground, providing some of the only safe choices and opportunities for the communities we serve. Please help us stem the tide of immigration through these stabilizing efforts.

Riecken Community Libraries help solve these problems, offering safe places where anyone can come to read, have access to information technology, and participate in dynamic programs relevant to the community. Our unique partnerships between local community, municipal government and the Riecken Foundation maximize all resources, including your contributions.

To help reduce severe educational deficiencies, Riecken Community Libraries’ influence goes beyond their own walls with mobile libraries. We provide resources, complementary programs and training to area schools and teachers to help improve the quality of local education. Trainings on the introduction of technology in the classroom and dynamic techniques for teaching reading have shown measurable results: Teachers are seeing the school performance of their students improve in math and Spanish.

An example how libraries change lives is Jesús from Xolsacmaljá, in Totonicapán. She said us: "I want to tell you that I participate in the group of laying hens in the library. Thank God we have learned a lot here because they help us learn many things; We already know how to make our profit and with the support they give us, we have found places where they give us more training so our animals do not die anymore.

I started with 23 hens as the project gave, but now I have 60 because I have saved as they have taught us. I also took out my loan, but I'm going to finish paying and may God bless you for the support you give us”

Links:

https://riecken.org/how-to-help/donate-now/

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