Celebrating our 100th Library
School: Latinoamericana Elementary School
Location: Tegucigapla, Honduras
Number of Students: 235
Number of Books Donated: 500
June 26, 2025
Update: We’re installing your library (our 100th) next week!
I’m Eva from Chispa Project, and we so appreciate your support in the creation of our 100th library in Latinoamericana Elementary School. We’re installing the library next week! This is just the first of several updates we’ll share over the next year to inform you of the impact you’ve had through this library.
This is a project that is close to our hearts; while many projects are guided by funders’ requests, our staff chose this school based purely on the alignment this educational community has with our vision. The principal, Henry Molina, demonstrated this when he said, “We want the kids to have a space that is dignified and safe, where they are free to imagine and create…that will lay the foundations for the rest of their lives.”
Students and staff are equally as committed to this project:
7th grader Elizabeth can’t wait for this library. She’s interested in studying Criminology in her future, so she’s eager to read all the books in genres like mystery and suspense.
5th grade Teacher Profe Fenix has a vision for her students. In her words, “I see them as doctors, lawyers, and professionals…who will change our country. It is through books that minds expand.”
And unsurprisingly, the parents are thrilled that their children will have access to books. One mother, Elda, mentioned that her son isn’t the strongest reader. This library is bringing her hope that he’ll have more opportunities and inspiration to improve his literacy. Another mom, Karla, feels committed to the project, saying, “Our role [as parents] is to ensure that the kids take advantage of this opportunity.” Collectively, all parents described their dream: they want their children to have brighter futures and more opportunities than they had growing up.
To help them realize this goal, the Chispa Project staff has been hard at work preparing the school community for their library. So far:
We’ve supported the creation and training of the Library Committee made up of admins, teachers, parents, and students, preparing them to lead in the management of their library.
We will train teachers from grades K - 9th through our "Lighting the Spark with Literacy" program on Monday and Tuesday, where we connect transformative pedagogy with tried-and-true literacy activities to help educators spark a love of reading in their students.
Now more than ever, your support is shaping futures for kids in Honduras. Thank you for being a part of this journey!
July 17, 2025
You made our 100th library possible!
It has been a busy couple of weeks! From June 30 to July 3, our team was hard at work co-creating our 100th library with the Latinoamericana educational community. We’re pleased to announce that as of July 4th, this library is officially inaugurated!
At the start of the installation week, the 17 teachers and staff at Latinoamericana participated in our "Lighting the Spark with Literacy" teacher’s workshop. We taught strategies and skills to develop literacy and shared activities that inspire interest and connection between students and the books in their new collection. Teachers expressed how much of a change this library would make in their pedagogy:
Mr. Gerson, who teaches fifth grade, said his goal was to strengthen his students' reading skills and that this collection, especially the literary novels, would be his first tools to use.
Similarly, Ms. Blanquita, who teaches sixth grade, shared that the variety of texts would inspire her students to find books that interest them, giving them more autonomy and motivation in their learning.
The Chispa Educational Program Officer for this library, Jeny, mentioned, “There was a special energy [during this project]. We all worked as one team: the school administrators and library committee, parent volunteers, and teachers. I was moved to see how the children embraced the space with such excitement and respect, as if it had always been a part of [their community]. We even had one volunteer, Ana, who graduated from 6th grade in 2017 and accompanied us all week painting and taking inventory of the books. She shared that she felt very satisfied seeing that her little school would now have a library.”
The students are already excited. They were thrilled to learn that the mural chosen for the library was based on the book "Giraffes Can't Dance" by Giles Andreae, part of their new library collection. Other popular favorites the kids were glad to see included the Harry Potter series , and the Dog Man books. Fourth graders negotiated among themselves who would read which Dog Man books first, second, and so on. Clearly, books can even teach collaboration and organizational skills!
Now, the teachers and students are settling into a new routine. They’re starting their first round of scheduled library classes this week, and they’ll soon be choosing their first collections to bring to their classrooms for silent reading time. These classroom collections will be rotated every 2 weeks or so.
Thank you again for making this library, our 100th, possible.
Take a look at some of our best photos from Latinoamericana Elementary School!