A language is more than words.
It carries stories, memory, identity — and a way of seeing the world.

In Guatemala, children from six Mayan language communities are now receiving free copies of What Makes Us Human in the language spoken in their homes. This initiative, led by the Guatemalan publishing house Cholsamaj in partnership with UNESCO and the Mayan Languages Preservation Project, helps ensure that children can read, imagine and grow without leaving their language behind.

From communities with over a million speakers to those where only a few hundred people keep the language alive, every voice matters.

Selected by UNESCO to promote the International Decade of Indigenous Languages, What Makes Us Human — written by Victor Santos and illustrated by Anna Forlati — has already been translated into more than 37 languages worldwide. Today, it continues its journey in Mayan languages.

Because preserving a language is not only about safeguarding the past.
It is about protecting dignity, strengthening belonging and building a future where every child can learn in the language they call home.