The Nicolas Fund for Education offers a full-day, high quality, junior and senior high school education for children from isolated villages in the Central Highlands of Guatemala at Nicolás Christian School. NFE also provides free, 6th grade tutoring to prepare students for junior high school.
However, these children still lack Spanish fluency and have poor reading comprehension and weak vocabularies. Since most of their parents are illiterate and speak only their indigenous Mayan language, and all Guatemalan education is in Spanish, these children must learn Spanish in school. But rural, public elementary schools operate only half-day with few books or resources. No public libraries exist in the region.
In response, NFE created public, mini-libraries in three villages in 2020, five more in 2021, and one more in 2023. Now, we need more books to open our 10th library in the village of Vichibala in 2024. You can help by donating a book or an entire bookshelf. See some samples on this page. The Sophos bookstore in Guatemala City gives NFE a 20% discount and will ship your book(s) to the highlands.
NCS staff works with village leaders to set up each library, train volunteer librarians, and promote reading. NCS students build the shelving in their carpentry classes. Since 90% of vocabulary growth comes from reading, these books will help children increase their vocabularies and background knowledge, preparing them for success in school and life. Your gift of books can help break the generational cycle of poverty and empower future leaders of the Ixil region of Guatemala.
Our current project is to place the entire 7000 item (and, with your help) growing catalog on a digital library database in 2024. Village librarians will scan and upload book and patron barcode data to the central database. Patrons will be able to view the entire catalog of books, ebooks and audiobooks, and request material that their own village library does not have.
Explore these captivating book examples and see how your support can transform lives. Whether you choose to donate $15 for a single book, $150 for 10 books, or even $1500 to fill an entire bookshelf, every contribution matters. Together, we can ignite a love for learning and create a brighter future for deserving children.
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Nicolás Fund For Education is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization (45-4887611). Your support makes a significant difference in the lives of students. Thank you for your generosity and commitment to education.