Books for the Kids- Libros para los Niños

How can children dream — how can they imagine a different and better future — if they can’t read books? The power of books is that they transport the reader to new worlds, expose them to new ideas and open up new possibilities.

This is the idea behind Books for the Kids/Libros para los Niños, a venture dedicated to building and stocking a community library in San Antonio La Nueva Esperanza, an impoverished Mayan village high in the mountains of Guatemala. The library will serve as a resource for approximately 9,000 people: the residents of San Antonio La Nueva Esperanza as well as eight surrounding villages.

Books for the Kids/ Libros para los Niños was begun by Marlisa Clapp, who has volunteered with Colegio La Libertad, the school in San Antonio La Nueva Esperanza, since 2005. Marlisa, whose professional background is in book publishing, brought five books to the school when she visited in spring 2006. Seeing how the students devoured these simple children’s stories—and knowing how many books publishers throw away each year —she committed herself to helping the founders of Colegio La Libertad build a library and filling it with books.