Meet the Team Behind the Magic
Chispa Project started with one person, a stack of books, and a motorcycle — a grassroots effort to get books into the hands of kids in Honduras who needed them most. All it took was a whole lot of heart and a willingness to show up.
Fast forward to today, and something remarkable has happened. That one-person initiative has grown into a team of 11 staffers, reaching more schools and communities every single year. In 2024, Chispa supported 6 libraries and 7 reading corners. In 2025, that grew to 9 libraries and 10 reading corners. And in 2026? We’re on track for 10 libraries and — buckle up — 25+ reading corners.
Which brings us to the obvious question: how do we make library magic happen when we’re growing this fast, all while still staying true to the community-rooted, relationship-first approach that makes Chispa, well, Chispa?
The answer is people. Really talented, deeply committed people. Let’s introduce you to them.
The Team Behind the Magic
Sara Brakhane — Founder & Executive Director
Every great origin story has a moment. For Sara, it was a tiny town called Opatoro, where she was volunteering as a teacher and watched students — kids with almost no classroom resources — devour every book she brought in. Before school. After school. During school, the second they finished their work. That was over 14 years ago. Now, a decade into Chispa’s life as an official nonprofit, Sara still leads volunteer trips, sets the strategic vision, and inspires supporters to join a mission that started with one woman and a deep belief that books change lives.
Ana Rocío Castillo — Associate Director
If Sara is the heart of Chispa, Ana Rocío is the engine. She leads the team on the ground, keeping all the moving pieces — administration, staffing, educational programming, strategic partnerships — humming along in harmony, while also representing Chispa at national conferences and events. Managing a growing organization while staying genuinely connected to the community level is hard. Ana makes it look easy.
Dunia — Coordinator of Educational Programs
Seven-plus years at Chispa means Dunia holds more institutional knowledge than just about anyone. She trains and leads the program officers to make sure every library program is implemented with both fidelity and flexibility, because Chispa’s approach isn’t about dropping a cookie-cutter program into a school and calling it a day. It’s about building real relationships and customizing the work to fit each community. Dunia makes sure that standard never slips, no matter how fast things are growing.
Jeny, Jorge, Josué & Esteven — Educational Program Officers
These four are the heartbeat of Chispa’s library programs. Day in, day out, they’re in schools building relationships with teachers and library committees, implementing Chispa’s 6-step library program, and providing two full years of training and coaching to help teachers build a genuine culture of reading. They stay, they coach, they cheer, and the relationships these four build are the foundation everything else is built on.
Gleen — Coordinator of Literacy Alliances Program
For the first time this year, we have Gleen full time in this role — and the timing couldn’t be better. Through Chispa’s Literacy Alliances Program (PAL), he partners with organizations and leaders who bring the community relationships and local vision; Gleen brings the books, the training, and the literacy expertise. He reaches communities our traditional library program simply wouldn’t get to. It’s a beautifully efficient model and one of Chispa’s most powerful tools for scale.
Marvin — Office Administrator
Behind every smooth-running organization is someone making sure the lights stay on, the cars are running, the books are counted, and the accounting is actually accounted for. For Chispa, that’s Marvin, handling inventory, finances, and office operations with quiet, steady consistency.
Cristian — Administrative Assistant
A new role this year, Cristian is handling logistics and record-keeping from the Tegucigalpa office so that leadership and program staff can stay focused on what matters most: the partnerships and the people. Without him? The whole operation slows down.
Eva — Marketing & Communications Specialist
Working in libraries in Honduras means you’re surrounded by incredible stories — a kid reading under a tree before class, a teacher finally getting her first real library, a community that protects its books like the treasure they are. Eva’s job is to make sure those stories are celebrated and shared. She’s the team’s storyteller, capturing the joy and sharing it with the world. (Which, if you’re reading this right now, means it’s working.)
Still Grassroots. Growing Fast.
Eleven people. Over 109 libraries and counting. Strategic partnerships strengthening every day. Thousands of kids with books in their hands.
Chispa Project is growing, and we’re excited for what that means. But the foundations of our work stay the same: the deep commitment to community relationships, the insistence on showing up and staying, and the belief that every child deserves access to books.
The motorcycle is still in the spirit of everything we do. The team is just a little bigger now.
