Viva la Selva

 

Viva la Selva is a community library and cultural center located in San Andrés—a small town on the shores of Lake Petén Itzá in northern Guatemala.  The library was established in 1999 and almost instantly became the educational center of the entire community.  In late 2001, Viva la Selva expanded to include a cultural center, with the goal of reviving traditional dances and music, and to provide unique educational opportunities to individuals in the community.  In 2002, we inaugurated a medicinal plant interpretive trail.  A community playground was dedicated on December 28, 2004.  Please help us build a new playground in San Jose, Petén in 2007.

 

Before Viva la Selva opened its doors, there were practically no books available to the children and adolescents of San Andrés.  After a only short time in operation, Viva la Selva is proud to be able to share with the community hundreds of books, dozens of educational videos, various mind-developing games and puzzles, a microscope, two telescopes, and a handful of interactive computer programs--all within a setting conducive to the spirit of learning and education. 

 

Viva la Selva is the only community library in the state of Petén, Guatemala—an area almost twice the size of New Jersey!  The library has generated so much enthusiasm in the region that school groups from rural villages over ninety miles away travel via pickup truck to have the chance to spend a few hours reading and learning more about the unique environment in which they live.

 

Viva la Selva is a reality thanks to the on-the-ground efforts of ProPetén and the kind contributions of various individuals and organizations.

 

Please join us in supporting Viva la Selva.  Together we can make a difference.

Project Coordinator and Webmaster: Daniel Irwin

Last Update: September 13, 2006

Community Library

Cultural Center &

Playground

 

Petén, Guatemala

Help Us Build a New Playground