Yahoska Protection Center Library

The Yahoska Protection Center is located on the edge of San Marcos, a town characterized as a “college town.” Ave Maria University, the only American university found in Central America, is located here. The University classes are in English and students from around the world come to San Marcos to attend. The influence of foreigners is evident by the efforts made to help those in need in San Marcos.

The Yahoska Protection Center is a place that takes girls off the street; girls caught in situations of violence, abuse, and exploitation. The Center’s goal is to give each girl hope for their future by giving them a good education. The girls are taught to make good decisions that will aid in developing their identity and help promote healthy self-esteem and self-value while also preparing them to become positive leaders and honorable participants in society.

The Center currently has 22 girls and has the ability to house 35. They provide housing, food, clothes, school supplies, and any other needs they may have. Each girl attends the local school and likely participates in an activity outside of school; options are dance, sewing, art, theatre, and sports.

The Center is located over half a mile down a dirt road making the town of San Marcos very unattainable because there is no vehicle is available to take them anywhere. The Center wishes to have a library the girls can access anytime of the day or night. They have a very small collection of books, but need so many more to follow through with the goal of helping the girls receive a good education. There are many resources the Center is lacking which will help prepare the girls to be positive and active participants in society when they leave.

Resources much needed for the girls to achieve the level of education they desire are:

Books (of all kinds: textbooks, novels, dictionaries, all age levels, etc.)

Computers and Internet (internet is available)

Educational resources (maps, videos, etc.)

Creative supplies (scissors, glue, paper, markers, etc.)

Many of the girls have dreams and aspirations of becoming a woman that will be able to help those in need. When asked what they hoped to do with their lives some of them responded in the following way.

Guadalupe, 13 years old   

“On behalf of everyone, I want to say thank you to everyone that is helping us with our education!!”