As the year comes to a close we would like to extend our gratitude to all of you who have helped us accomplish what we have this year. We are hopeful that you and your friends will follow one of the links to the right and give whatever you can to maintain and grow the Riecken Foundation’s “spark of discovery” in Guatemala. Riecken’s community libraries are a big start towards improving life for Guatemalans. Please read on to learn about some of our 2010 accomplishments.
Xolsacmaljá Library initiates GPS Mapping Activities – Discover Abandoned Mayan Altar
The community library “K´AK´ NOJIB ´AL”, located in Xolsacmaljá, Totonicapán, is beginning to use GPS technology to identify natural resources and sacred places in their community in order to rescue and preserve them. In 2011, the library teams in both Xolsacmaljá and San Juan la Laguna will use this technology to create a variety of maps which will serve as tools for community development.
Recently, local youth volunteers, accompanied by Xolsacmaljá’s librarian, cultural promoter and library director spent a 15 hour day mapping cultural heritage and environmental resource points in their community. Their biggest find was an abandoned Mayan altar within their community boundaries, which the local authorities and library now intend to restore and protect.
These efforts form part of the Culture, Identity and Preserving the Environment program based in the libraries and supported by the Finnish Embassy of Central America and the MACHI (Maya Area Cultural Heritage Initiative) Project out of the University of North Carolina. Our thanks to these two organizations for making this “spark of discovery” possible.
Xolsacmaljá Library Gains Internet Access and Global Connectivity
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| Founder, Allen Andersson writes home from Xolsacmaljá |
In October one of the newest libraries in the Riecken network, inaugurated its internet connection, generously subsidized by the Woodside/Portola Valley Rotary Club from northern California. The community is responsible for covering a portion of the connection, and has already raised its part for the next two years. In addition to the research and communications value of having access to the web, the internet service will serve to maximize the use of GPS mapping technology as well! Having internet access also allows the library staff to communicate with other network libraries and within days the library staff from San Juan La Laguna had assisted the staff at Xolsacmaljá in creating their own Facebook page.
University of South Florida St. Petersburg (USFSP) Offers Tri-lingual Business Seminars at the San Juan la Laguna Library
A visiting team of USFSP professors, students and a Dean from the MBA program gave two lectures in the library during their visit to San Juan in November. The first lecture was directed toward teenagers who participate in their families’ businesses in the production and distribution of handcrafts and coffee. A second, more extensive lecture was aimed at a group of women from the “Women’s Association of Weavers Using Natural Ink”, whose cooperative they also visited. The team focused on the 4 P’s (Product, Price, Place and Promotion) and offered some strategies and advice to the weavers/businesswomen to differentiate themselves from competitors, for instance by promoting the quality of their work through more detailed personalized information. They also provided tools and ideas to establish a more effective pricing system. The women were very appreciative and asked focused questions during the seminar, requesting more communication in the future so that they can further promote their products locally and internationally. This could be the first step towards creating a business center in the library in the near future. The USF visitors all expressed that the women—even without formal business education—were very well organized and creative. They were hopeful that the sharing of these key theoretical concepts would help them grow their business. The lectures were tri-lingual, with ongoing translations between English, Spanish and Maya Tz’ujutil, the native language of the community.
Riecken Network of 11 Libraries and 8 Partner Institutions participate in FILGUA 2010
Guatemala’s annual international book fair (FILGUA) takes place every year in July, and has evolved into part of Riecken’s annual program planning, serving as the perfect venue to bring together community partners for training and book purchases. In addition to book sales, the fair includes artistic and literacy activities for people of all ages. All the community libraries in Riecken’s network raised significant amounts of funds to update and increase their book collections through the selling of food, raffles and asking for support from their communities. Directors and librarians maximized their time by interacting with publishers, searching and selecting subjects appropriate for their communities, negotiating and making purchases. In the end they all made a good selection of books and material, with an emphasis on children’s literature, with many of them achieving important discounts and donations for their libraries. We all are looking forward to FILGUA 2011!
Fruitful Partnerships with other Development Organizations
The PAVA (Aid Program for Highland Communities) project transformed a small school bus into a mobile library to visit rural communities in the department of Chimaltenango in order to bring programs and books to residents in small, very isolated communities. The Riecken Foundation hired new staff for PAVA and trained them in reading promotion and education project management. Part of the program is the creation of mini “stations” in communities along the route of the bus. Stations can occupy relatively little space, but are significant for a small community, equipped with books that motivate children and adults to increase their reading habits. On November 12th the first bus station was inaugurated in “El Tesoro” with high attendance from the community and many children who enjoyed the station’s first official story hour.
Familias de Esperanza (Common Hope)
The Riecken Foundation has partnered with Common Hope to transform and invigorate the traditional, seldom-used library housed inside Familias’ office complex into a dynamic space complete with reading and youth programs for their beneficiaries. Familias de Esperanza is a direct-services institution that provides health care and educational support for thousands of low-income families. A dynamic program promoter has been hired for the library and has been working closely with Riecken to develop a new vision for the library space. Common Hope celebrated the inauguration of their newly renovated library on Friday, November 5th, along with members of the Riecken team. http://www.commonhope.org/2010/11/18/dedication-of-our-new-library/ The new library offers story hours, book clubs and other reading activities that are engaging children and adults, including Familia’s staff.
Riecken Board of Directors Visit to Guatemala and Honduras
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| Board Meeting in El Quiché prison |
In October, three members from the Riecken Foundation’s Board of Directors visited Guatemala and Honduras from the US for the first time in over two years. In the words of Riecken Foundation founder, Allen Andersson “In every location we visited, the Xolsacmaljá library in Totonicapán, Chiché’s library in El Quiché, and at the Santa Cruz, El Quiché prison, we found more than a working institution: we found a great pride of ownership, mastery and belonging. At Chiché, we saw the library director Alba Estrada in tears of emotion as she and her staff described their commitment to a spirit of discovery. She told me later that she had arrived at her job believing that her principal duty was to preserve the books and to preserve a studious atmosphere, but soon was converted to a passion for the spirit of discovery. Now she measures her success by the number of books that are damaged from overuse and by the level of noisy excitement that fills every room.”
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| Jim Wilson and Allen Andersson in Xolsacmalja |
The Board visited the libraries of Xolsacmaljá and Chiché, and the municipal prison for the department of El Quiché, where the Chiché library staff has been implementing book clubs, art projects, and self-esteem and communications activities for nearly three years. The Board members also met with Riecken Guatemala’s Advisory Council, which was formed last year to help the organization sustain its library network during the worst days of the ecomonic crisis. Now the Board and Council are looking to the future to work together to ensure long term sustainaiblity for the library network. A reception was held in Antigua where Riecken’s local partners and supporters were invited to join Riecken staff in a celebration and expression of thanks on the part of the board members.