Guatemalan Literacy Program - Making a Huge Difference in the Lives of Guatemalan Children
Barb Young
Many of you will remember that a few years ago our club was the foreign sponsor of the Guatemalan Literacy program. We were able to leverage our 10,000USD contribution into a program that totalled over 1 Million Canadian dollars. The program continues every year with different sponsoring clubs and we continue to be involved through a contribution and participation on the Advisory Board.
As of this month, 63,176 students have been enrolled in the program. The "Spark" elementary reading program is so good that it received a Library of Congress prize for reading. 152 schools now have this program and teachers have been trained in those schools to ensure the best possible delivery. In addition, 57 schools have computer labs thanks to the program and associated teachers have also been trained.
The program has been visited by our last two Rotary Club Presidents and has been called the "gold standard" in Rotary. We can all be proud of what we have been doing to ensure that Guatemalan children grow up with an education that allows them to be independent and able to support their families (and often their parents).
There is more on this program in an article in the June '23 Rotary magazine.
Barb Young
Member of the Guatemalan Literacy Advisory Board and
Board Director of the Canadian Friends of Guatemalan Literacy