How a simple box of raw art supplies invited twenty-two children across Guatemala to become published authors.
The initiative began with the arrival of simple, raw materials: crayons, markers, rulers, watercolors, and blank drawing notebooks.
Across some of the most rural, under-resourced regions of Guatemala, GLXi-trained teachers lovingly accepted and unboxed the supplies, which carried an unspoken and profound message for their students: your ideas have value, your imagination deserves to be heard, and you are capable of creating something entirely your own.
When the children received their materials, they found a letter from the GLXi team waiting for them:
Dear boys and girls:
Today, a very special adventure begins. Each of you has a unique story to tell—an experience, a dream, an idea, or a lesson that can become a story capable of inspiring others.
We invite you to observe your world with curiosity: your family, your community, your friends, nature, your joys, the challenges you have overcome, and the dreams you wish to achieve. In every corner of your reality, there are valuable stories waiting to be written.
Remember that there are no small stories when they are written from the heart. What matters most is that your words reflect who you are, what you think, and what you wish to share with others.
The students were reminded that every child has a story worth telling, and every story has the power to inspire the world.
“Every page you write will be an opportunity to learn, grow, and discover the power that words have to transform lives.”
With a final send off — “Wishing you great success in this wonderful literary adventure!” — they began. Twenty-two students, each with a blank page.
From Blank Pages to Living Stories
This past summer, a select group of students across Guatemala were chosen to embark on a literary adventure, through GLXi’s first-ever “Inspiring Stories” initiative.
The theme of the stories was left entirely open. There were no limits, no rigid guidelines, no constraints on their imagination.
For the evaluation of these projects, the GLXi team operated on the premise that every participating child is already a winner. But for the sake of sharing the finished work with the public, the team honored two outstanding works from each grade level, ensuring the evaluation was fair and tailored to each child’s unique age and stage of development.
From there, two stories were further selected from the larger pool to travel thousands of miles straight to the tables at GLXi’s annual Fiesta fundraiser in the St. Louis region. GLXi supporters were able to hold finished paperbacks in their hands; a beautiful, living reflection of the literacy and self-empowerment that their contributions make possible.
Locally for these children, the recognition became a profound milestone. The students stood proudly in front of their peers, teachers, and parents to receive certificates and read their completed stories aloud.
This allowed the entire school community to celebrate the vulnerability, effort, and talent of their classmates. And it showed all of the students that they, too, possess voices worth developing.
Now, we have to tell you: What these students produced has impressed even the most experienced literacy professionals on our team.
Most noteworthy is that the children bypassed generic fairy tales or cliched storylines. Instead, they spontaneously anchored their books in the realities of their immediate surroundings — weaving their local customs, landscapes, and deep personal hurdles directly into the text.
They wrote narratives of immense emotional depth and maturity, turning their blank notebooks into an intimate library of family history and personal resilience. And in the process, they taught us about themselves, their needs and their dreams.
In this way, “Inspiring Stories” became not only a writing contest but also an opportunity to recognize the voices of Guatemalan children and value the country’s cultural diversity.
Each story unfolds as an opportunity to understand how children observe their surroundings, interpret their experiences, and use their imagination to transform their reality into narratives capable of inspiring others.
We hope you enjoy this glimpse into what these young authors have created.
The Winning Student Stories
1. First Grade: Nahum Christopher Rafael Pú Vicente
Book Title: “Manuel’s Spinning Top”
Teacher: Victoria Betsabé Vicente
School: EORM “Barrio La Libertad,” Quiché
Nine-year-old Nahum Christopher Rafael Pú Vicente wrote “Manuel’s Spinning Top” to capture the real-life childhood of his 89-year-old great-grandfather, Manuel Palios.
Following the loss of his father at age five, the protagonist, Manuelito, faces severe financial hardships in the village of Xebalamquac. His greatest wish is to buy a colorful spinning top that he sees at the local fair.
Since his family cannot afford to buy it for him, at the age of nine Manuelito starts collecting eggs from his neighbors to sell in town, and later he travels to the capital to sell tomatoes and other products.
Through his hard work and persistence, Manuelito manages to save enough money for the August fair in Joyabaj, finally achieving his dream of buying the spinning top. The story concludes with an inspiring lesson about how perseverance, personal effort, and love for one’s family can make it possible to achieve any goal, no matter how difficult it may seem.
Nahum, our student author, is a curious, creative child who finds in reading a way to discover new worlds. His participation was deeply connected to his family roots. With sensitivity, imagination, and love for his family, Nahum also discovered that his stories can make other people smile and dream. As he noted: “My family’s stories are a treasure that I must never forget.”
Now, with his great-grandfather suffering from heart trouble, Nahum handles his completed book with an immense sense of duty. He says he hopes his story can act as a "band-aid" for the elderly man's illness. As for Manuel, he was deeply honored to learn the boy had chosen to honor his past and family history, and he looks forward to seeing the book that his grandson wrote for him.
2. First Grade: Elissa Sarahí Mendoza Boror
Book Title: “The Mountain Range That Smiled Again”
Teacher: Yeymi Elizabeth Ramírez Oliva
School: EORM “Camino al Éxito,” Los Limones, Zacapa
Seven-year-old Elissa Sarahí Mendoza Boror is an enthusiastic girl who enjoys coloring and letting her imagination soar.
Her story, “The Mountain Range That Smiled Again”, is based on real events that occurred in Gualán. It tells how a large forest fire threatened the Sierra de las Minas and its animals. In response to the emergency, firefighters and local residents bravely climbed the mountain to fight the flames, while the children at the school prayed faithfully for help.
Two days later, abundant rain extinguished the fire, restoring the forest’s greenery. The lesson of the story is that protecting nature is everyone’s responsibility and that when people work together with love and hope, the earth can prosper.
Elissa’s story arose from an unexpected experience she had with her classmates and teacher at school. That event, marked by unity and faith, allowed her to write from the heart and impart the book with special meaning.
By experimenting with new materials and discovering that her own experiences can become stories, Elissa leaves readers with a beautiful lesson — both within her story, and through her writing process.
3. Second Grade: Jonathan Daniel Ovando Uz
Book Title: “Jonathan, a Boy Full of Energy”
Teacher: Florentina Sebaquijay Top
School: EORM Bilingüe 10 de Mayo, Sacatepéquez
Nine-year-old Jonathan Daniel Ovando Uz describes himself as a happy, intelligent child with a curious personality. For this contest, he authored a remarkably brave, self-aware story that details his daily life after being diagnosed with hyperactivity: “Jonathan, a Boy Full of Energy”
In the book, the main character, Jonathan, shares what it is like to navigate endless energy — jumping, dancing, and talking — while conquering his favorite subjects like Mathematics and Kaqchikel.
The real life Jonathan dedicated the book to his teacher, Miss Flor, who he says supports him with patience and encouragement when he has difficulty staying focused or following instructions.
When Miss Flor read Jonathan’s work, she was moved to tears: "I thought he would describe me as demanding or strict," she shared, "but instead, he saw me in a completely different light."
To channel his emotions whenever he feels upset, angry, or frustrated, Jonathan turns to his favorite hobby, origami. There, he finds precision, calm, and peace in creativity. Through this book contest, he was able to discover an equally potent tool: writing.
We were left inspired by his lesson about discipline, family and teacher support, and how love can help channel difficulties in the classroom and in life.
4. Second Grade: Grethel Itzel Molina Mérida
Book Title: “The Enchanted Castle of Malacatán”
Teacher: Karen Marissa de León Soto
School: EORM “Magdalena Mérida de Morales,” Malacatán, San Marcos
“The Enchanted Castle of Malacatán” is a children’s story written by eight-year-old Grethel Molina Mérida. Grethel is a curious girl who enjoys imagining and discovering new worlds, and who is motivated deeply by her faith and her mother.
Her book is inspired by a real and abandoned castle located in Malacatán, San Marcos.
The story follows Grethel, a curious girl who discovers the impressive structure while traveling by bus with her mother to visit her grandparents. Fascinated by the building, the little girl dreams every night of becoming the princess of the place and playing freely in the countryside alongside rabbits, squirrels, and butterflies.
On her birthday, her mother surprises her by blindfolding her and taking her by motorcycle to the real castle. When the blindfold is removed, Grethel experiences the joy of seeing her dream come true as she runs around the place.
The story concludes with a beautiful lesson about how imagination allows us to create magical stories, connect ideas, and make our dreams come true.
The real-life Grethel wrote this story based on her own experience traveling by the castle and dreaming of becoming its princess. Through the writing process, Grethel had the opportunity to let her imagination soar, demonstrating that creativity can take us to places we have never seen before and help us make our dreams come true.
5. Third Grade: Ángela Yissel Ajxup Coxaj
Book Title: “Elito and His Dreams”
Teacher: Sara Amarilis Velásquez Rodríguez
School: EORM Village of Los Cipreses, Momostenango, Totonicapán
“Elito and His Dreams” is an inspiring story written by nine-year-old Angela Yissel Ajxup Coxaj.
The story tells the life of Eliseo, a boy affectionately known as Elito, who was orphaned at the age of three and raised by his older siblings amid limited financial resources. Despite walking barefoot to protect his only pair of shoes and experiencing the sadness of not having his parents, Elito demonstrates a cheerful, well-mannered, and faith-filled spirit.
He helps make traditional Momostecan jackets and, from the age of ten, works as a shoeshine boy in the central park of Momostenango to buy his own school supplies and clothing.
Over the years, his dedication allows him to move forward and become an example for his community, leaving the lesson that through hard work, humility, education, and perseverance, any dream can become a reality.
The author, Angela, is a creative and persevering girl who finds expression in art, drawing, and sports. Her narrative holds a profound family truth: Elito is based on the real-life childhood history of Ángela’s own father.
By reflecting on his humble origins, Ángela used her book to honor the incredible effort he made to overcome adversity and excel in his professional life, becoming a role model to all who know him — and to all who can now read about him.
The young student put it best when she said, “Dreams can be achieved when we put love and dedication into everything we do.”
6. Third Grade: Fátima del Carmen Meléndrez Jiménez
Book Title: “Jhonatan: Hope for Life”
Teacher: María Irene González López
School: EORM Aldea El Aguacate, Mataquescuintla, Jalapa
“Jhonatan: Hope for Life” is a story of courage and triumph written by nine-year-old Fátima del Carmen Meléndrez Jiménez, based on the life of her brother Jhonatan.
The story takes place in the village of El Aguacate, in Mataquescuintla, where Jhonatan enjoyed school until he began experiencing unusual health problems and was diagnosed with cancer.
Despite the difficulty of chemotherapy treatments, hair loss, and weakness, Jhonatan remained cheerful while his mother, Doña Ana, faithfully prayed for his health. Some time later, a medical examination revealed the miracle that the cancer had completely disappeared.
By the age of 17, Jhonatan had become a healthy young man, surrounded by the love of his parents and his sisters — Jimena, Dulce, Kenia, and Fátima — and the affection of his dog Guardián. His story leaves an inspiring lesson about hope and the ability to flourish in the face of life’s adversities.
Our student author, Fátima, is a sensitive girl who uses singing, drawing, and stories to transform meaningful experiences into messages of profound hope. Through her book, Fátima transformed her brother’s real-life journey into a tale that encourages any reader facing challenges big or small.