Dear Fellow Rotarian:
Magic happens when hope takes root, when compassion drives action, and when people come together to create lasting change. This year, RI President Stephanie Urchick has called on us to embrace “The Magic of Rotary” — the power we each have to make a meaningful difference.
Imagine the child whose world expanded because of a book you helped provide. Picture the teacher whose skills have improved, bringing knowledge and opportunity to countless students. That’s magic — real, transformative, life-changing magic — and you made it happen. The magic of Rotary isn’t just about what we do — it’s about who we are. It’s the spark of inspiration that drives us to serve. It’s the ripple effect that turns small actions into extraordinary outcomes.
In 2024-2025, 141 Rotary clubs and 27 districts joined the Guatemala Literacy Project’s Global Grant, bringing education to over 6,000 Guatemalan children and teachers. These teachers and students will benefit from a Global Grant that raised $400,000 in 2024-2025 to deliver the GLP’s signature textbook, computer center, primary reading, and youth development programs.¹
The following report includes details about the GLP’s most exciting happenings this year (spanning multiple Global Grants):
- A complete list of clubs, districts, and matching funds that will help make Global Grant #2463588 a success. THANK YOU to all of you! It is a pleasure to coordinate this grant with our partner club, Windsor-Roseland, Ontario.
- A list of Rotarians and clubs supporting Rise Scholars and other program sponsorships.
- A list of beneficiaries, photos, & thank you letters from the Textbook, Computer, Spark, and Rise Programs that are benefiting from your recent support of the GLP.
- A report on the Impact Study conducted by our partner organization, Cooperative for Education.
- Financial reports on Global Grant spending in the past two years.
Are you and your club ready to see how we can spread the hope of a better education and a better life to even more rural Guatemalan youth? The GLP invites you to join us in 2025-2026:
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- Fill out this form TODAY to pledge your club’s support for the 2025-2026 GLP Global Grant #2578323, sponsored by the Rotary Clubs of Fruita, CO, and Vista Hermosa, GUA.
- Join the GLP Project Tour to Guatemala from February 1-8, 2026.
Magic happens when a child opens a book and discovers a whole new world. As one Spark reading teacher, Liseth, shared, “I tell my students that it does not matter if they do not have the money to travel to other parts of the world, just by reading, they are already traveling to other places.” This is what we Rotarians help make possible—through programs like Spark, where the seeds of literacy grow into lifelong opportunity.
Yours in Rotary,
Oscar Saenz Wirtz
GLP Advisory Board Chair
Rotary Club of Nueva Guatemala
P.S. – Please share this report with your fellow Rotary club members and district leaders and keep up to date on the latest project achievements through the year at www.guatemalaliteracy.org/news!
¹ The total amount of $400,000 includes matching funds from The Rotary Foundation.