Chapter 11: The Guatemalan Literacy Project: Collaboration Among Literacy Educators

The literacy project presented in this chapter is the result of the collaboration between volunteers from Guatemala and the United States. This ongoing educational initiative seeks to enrich a society that has remained economically and educationally static throughout its history (Richards & Richards, 1996; 1997). The goals of this initiative are to improve instructional delivery in Guatemalan schools from kindergarten through high school. The project is not funded by any governmental agency in Guatemala or in the United States. Rather, professors from the United States find it personally and professionally rewarding to travel to Guatemala to give workshops, even when there are no subsidies to cover their expenses. Guatemalans who are members of the Guatemalan Literacy Council also share their knowledge when they offer workshops. The latter charge a minimal fee to attendees, and the money is used to purchase books for schools.