The International Humanitarian Foundation

The Puerta Abierta (Open Door) Library is a non-profit education center for children. The library offers an inviting space for children and teens to discover the joys of reading, receive academic reinforcement, and explore creative expression.

The library offers homework help for local children, reading clubs, creativity workshops, vacation classes, pre-school preparation classes, and story hours. The library's most popular program, “La Biblioteca Movil” now visits six schools, where books and story hours are shared with rural school children. These programs and activities are facilitated by the staff of three local teachers who not only help students with their homework, but also inspire them to learn!

The Puerta Abierta Library and the IHF have partnered in providing an enriching learning environment for their Santiago Scholarship group and the Panabaj Escuelita. Scholars study and volunteer in the library, and the Escuelita brings children to the library weekly to encourage reading. Looking ahead, library staff plan to cultivate the book collection, reach out to more rural schools with the traveling library, and continue to motivate community children to read.

Vision and Mission
Education is the basis for intellectual, academic, and economic development, and our biggest dream is to share the gift of learning with all students in our community so that they can receive a better education and improve their quality of life. We strive to inspire children to read, to cultivate good learning habits for the youth of Santiago Atitlan and to provide an open community space for children to participate in a variety of educational activities.

History
The library was founded in 2007 with the support of Karen Hedrick, a retired elementary school teacher, and Amanda Flayer, a former Peace Corps volunteer. They both recognized the importance of sharing literature with local children and dreamed of creating a library. Amanda and Karen worked with a group of local teachers from Santiago Atitlan to create a learning center with an inviting environment and educational programs which inspire children to read and learn.

How to Help
See what an impact your donation can have:
IHF 2009 Catalog
IHF 2008 Catalog