Reading Village
“Reading is the ultimate weapon, destroying ignorance, poverty, and despair before they can destroy us. A nation that doesn’t read much doesn’t know much. A nation that doesn’t know much is more likely to make poor choices in the home, the marketplace, the jury box and the voting booth. And those decisions ultimately affect an entire nation – …Continue Reading
There are women in the world stronger and more courageous than you or I could ever dream of being. There are women who haul crates off the backs of buses. They hang off the sides of vans to hitch a ride down the road. They balance a baby on their back and a bucket of …Continue Reading
The days go quickly here. So do the weeks. For five days our travelers dive full-tilt, whole-heart into our literacy work. With eyes wide open they ride buses, share meals, read stories, meet scholars, greet families, and express gratitude. For five days we ask them to think, feel, act, create, inspire, and be inspired, only …Continue Reading
It’s not every day that 60 Guatemalan kids come out of the fields and step away from their schools to watch ten gringos make complete fools of themselves. I saw it with my own eyes, it happened – both the kids and the comedy. This morning, our travelers were troopers of the most intrepid variety …Continue Reading
The third day of this adventure was a long one. Full to the brim with all the waiting and patience that is typical of life in Guatemala. From here to there and then wait a while. To this rhythm we passed a day in Concepcion, Reading Village’s first community and a huge source of pride. …Continue Reading
Down a dirt road, across from the soccer field, and just beyond the riverbed, ten gringos were dropped in rural Guatemala. That’s how the day started. Today was the second day of the Learning Journey and it was packed full with cultural experiences and heart warming exchanges. You know that feeling you have when you’re …Continue Reading
It’s dusk in Guatemala and I’m writing now from beneath a palm-thatch bungalow that creeks and blows in the wind. The air no longer smells like sweet onions and humidity blows in off the lake. We came down off the mountain today to the edge of the lake to greet the 10 or so brave …Continue Reading
On Monday we got to Guatemala. We jumped aboard these magic flying machines and flung ourselves through the clouds until we landed a world away; alas technology never ceases to amaze. The fact that our world has so much capacity and yet so many have so little never ceases to boggle my mind. But so it …Continue Reading
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: There are places on this planet that break our hearts open to the beauty and possibility of life. Guatemala is one of those places. It’s no wonder I’m so incredibly excited to be heading back down there. That’s right, in just a few days I’ll be …Continue Reading
The international development community is very focused on girls these days. This is a good thing. Around the world, girls have been neglected and discriminated against, abused and worse for far too long. Where boys go to school, girls stay home. Men’s paychecks are larger than women’s; though the burden they bear in society is …Continue Reading