WHAT ARE COMUNITECAS?

Comunitecas are community libraries that allow users to access a diversity of information and provide spaces for community coexistence. The Comunitecas promote education through programs directed to early childhood, boys and girls in school age, young women, parents, community leaders, and villagers.

Did you know? In recent years, our Comunitecas have ceased to be places exclusively for lending books and have become active centers for learning, information, and culture.

Our Comunitecas have become an important ally for the local schools to improve the quality of education and promote development through a participatory approach.

We have three libraries in the municipality of Tecpan, in Chimaltenango: 

1. Paxixil – Our Comuniteca in Paxixil is a small community building with an exclusive design donated by Axel Parades, a Guatemalan architect from Paredes+Aleman. The surrounding landscape contrasts with the dynamic model of panels on the Comuniteca’s facade and guarantees a unique educational experience. Paxixil  has 212 inhabitants who benefit from our programs and have more than 3,000 books at their disposition.
2. La Loma – Our Comuniteca in La Loma has a very modern, contemporary designby Paredes+Aleman. This Comuniteca is unique because of its bright colors that vividly contrast against La Loma’s sunsets, which continue to amaze its visitors and 77 inhabitants.
3. Panimachavac – To date, this Comuniteca is located in a small space inside the community’s public school. Our objective is to build new facilities to benefit a larger number of students. Panimachavac is surrounded by twelve communities, and a new, stand-alone facility would make the programs and services available to all 251 villagers in the communities.

The programs in the Comunitecas are imparted by Promoters: young community leaders  who seek to teach through a comprehensive model that assures the sustainability of our  programs.

We have seen amazing results with our Comuniteca model. For example, teachers have noticed a positive attitude change in the children who attend the Comuniteca programs: they are more expressive and curious in class. Girls are, for the first time, showing leadership and assertiveness. The High School students, who use the Comunitecas as centers for educational support, have found a new source of resources to assist with their learning. In these small rural towns, the Comunitecas are transforming minds and lives.