LITERACY PROJECT

Izote was founded to provide children’s books to rural public schools in El Salvador. Rural communities have been plagued by barriers to literacy for generations and many adults are only marginally able to read. While local Salvadoran community groups aspire to advance literacy, they have been hampered by the enormity of the task, the weak infrastructure of the schools and the lack of government assistance. Over time we learned that while providing books is crucial, more is required to increase literacy and engage students in learning. We expanded our goals to include creating and funding dynamic school and community libraries that foster active learning.

Grassroots organizations comprised of rural villagers selected the schools that would receive the initial book collections. We received and distributed our first donation of 5,000 Spanish-language children’s books in 2011. The following year we shipped and distributed 30,000 more children’s books. Because of the coordinated efforts, thousands of students were exposed to children’s books for the first time in their lives. Izote’s literacy project has been highly successful and demonstrates our ability to initiate creative ideas and coordinate with on-the-ground groups in order to achieve our goals.

By 2019, Izote had successfully transformed five schools through our sponsorship of an innovative library and literacy program. The school library and literacy program provided engaging children’s books for lower grades and Kindles (loaded with over 200 books) for older students. This was followed by intensive teacher training on how to replace rote teaching methods with methods that actively engage students’ creativity and critical thinking skills through read-aloud, independent reading time, and lively class discussions. In 2019, we also began working with our sixth rural school, which has about 400 students. We are developing a network of impacted schools that serve as models for the surrounding schools.

Finding space to house the new libraries was challenging because the schools are underfunded and overcrowded. In order for the schools to have truly sustainable libraries, investment in capital improvements was required. Critical components of sustainable libraries are accessible display of books, comfortable places for children to read and be read to and tables to look at books on. Izote funded a variety of physical improvements. In a few schools we enclosed open windows and repaired leaking roofs. At one school we funded the enclosure of an outdoor assembly area. At another school we oversaw and funded the design and construction of a completely new addition from the ground up.

Izote was also instrumental in creating community libraries in two rural areas and linking them to the Ministry of Culture’s nascent national library system. In one library Izote funded annual stipends to pay young adults to run the library and lead reading programs.

Thousands of schoolchildren and their families have benefited from the school and community libraries, with teachers reporting marked improvement in the reading levels and active participation in learning of their students.

In late 2022 we provided 600 new and beautiful children’s books to replenish and update the library collections at the six schools Izote has been supporting. The San Hilario community library is now self-sustaining after eight years of our financial support.  

With your help Izote can continue to open the world of books and literacy to the children of El Salvador.