Help VTP promote literacy in Guatemala

BlogGuatemala
Written By Wayne J. Pitts
 
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Education is a well-known vehicle for upward social mobility. Possessing a college degree generally leads to a better paying job and over the course of a lifetime translates into greater opportunities, wealth, and a more comfortable lifestyle. Likewise, illiteracy and a lack of education are linked to poverty.

In countries such as Guatemala, which has a literacy rate of 81.5% (CIA World Factbook, 2019), illiteracy not only limits employment opportunities, it affects quality of life. Guatemala’s literacy rate places it among the lowest in the western hemisphere. The female literacy rate is even lower than the overall rate, putting women in an especially vulnerable position.

Since its inception, Vista Tranquila Publishers has been dedicated to supporting literacy, particularly in Guatemala, as we are currently headquartered in Guatemala City. In an effort to do our part to help eradicate illiteracy, we started the SHARE book donation program through the Vista Tranquila Publishers website (www.vistatranquila.com). We decided upon the acronym SHARE which was meant to mean, “Spreading Hope and Reading Everywhere.” However, my son, who is a marketing expert, said that acronyms are so 1990’s and Analuisa Alvarado, the illustrator who makes all of the logos agreed with him. So, we decided to stay with the simple word, SHARE, which conveys the heart of our message, and omit the byline.

The premise of SHARE is that for each book purchased through our website, one book is donated to an NGO in Guatemala that works with low income children. The NGOs were carefully chosen. In fact, Wayne or I personally know the staff and/or the founders or have volunteered with each of the organizations. Each quarter we select up to three NGOs as beneficiaries. Through SHARE, online customers partner with us to promote literacy at no additional cost.

Another goal of Vista Tranquila Publishers is to be an environmentally conscious business. As a sociology professor, I taught several environmental sociology courses and encouraged my sons and students to be “good habit rabbits.” The books that are donated as part of the SHARE program are ones that have minor imperfections - ink blot or glue on the inside cover, uneven binding, etc. We believe that rather than discard these books, they should be shared with children whose families do not have the means to afford children’s literature.

The NGOs for the first quarter were Los Gozosos, an orphanage for physically and mentally disabled children; El Refugio, a domestic violence shelter for women and children; and Fundación Sobrevivientes, a domestic violence advocacy organization. We are excited to be donating 60 books to these organizations in the next few weeks.  Be sure to check out the blog for information about upcoming book donation events.

Wayne J. Pitts

Wayne grew up in the mountains of North Carolina, surrounded by mountaineers and

Appalachian farmers who liked nothing more than sitting around a fire, spinning terrific tales

that always teetered on the fringes of truth and the slippery slope of fiction. It was here that he

learned the key points of storytelling. It is fitting that Wayne’s first contact with a Guatemalan

happened in a bean field on the banks of Upper Creek in Morganton, since that’s where so many

of his recollections seem to be rooted. It was there that he met a group of travelling migrant farm

workers who his father had hired for the green bean harvest. Their incomprehensible chattering

and traditional indigenous clothing captured his fascination.

In 2004, he finally made his way to Guatemala, spending most of his time among the peoples of

Alta Verapaz, visiting one or two times a year over the next decade. In 2016, Wayne and his wife

moved to Guatemala fulltime and gradually, he extended his travels and work experiences to all

twenty-two departments of the country. He has been flogged by turkeys, chased by pigs, hollered

at by monkeys, and countless mosquitoes have feasted on his blood. He has hung out with police

officers, visited many jails, slept outside in a cornfield, climbed a volcano, been hospitalized, and

he’s pretty sure he’s seen a ghost or two.

As a criminologist and human observer, Wayne has seen incredible goodness in the people of

Guatemala and the troubling consequences of colonialism, corruption, and organized crime. As a

writer, Wayne seeks to share his love of the Guatemalan people he has known, their incredible

generosity, their unwavering work ethic, their love of a hearty celebration and a good meal, and

their resiliency in the face of economic deprivation, separation from loved ones, and security

concerns. Guatemala is a fascinating country! There is such incredible diversity in both the

people and the landscape. He desires that his writings will stimulate curiosity to encourage

readers to want to learn more about this captivating country.

Wayne received his Bachelor’s degree in anthropology from Western Carolina University in

1991. After serving in the Peace Corps in Senegal West Africa, he attended graduate school at

the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, completing his Master’s in sociology in 1995

and his Ph.D. in the same field in 2003. He was a tenured professor of criminology at the

University of Memphis, where he spent eight years before going to work as a research

criminologist at RTI International in 2012. He has lived in Mexico, El Salvador and Guatemala

and he currently has multiple work activities across Central America and the Caribbean. He has

been happily and enthusiastically married to his best friend Kim for nearly 30 years. Together

they have two grown sons, Forrest and Walker, and a lovely daughter-in-law Annika. All are also

storytelling adventurers!

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