A Year End Message From Our Founder, Hilda Pacheco-Taylor. Posted on 18 Dec 16:38 , 0 comments
Dear Corazon de Vida Family,
Your support is making a difference! As we get to the close of our 29th year of providing for orphan and vulnerable children in Baja, Mexico, we want you to know that your support over the years is creating a wave of change in Baja that has a generational impact! Below is a short recap of this year’s activities.
LIFE SUSTAINING SUPPORT: Thanks to your generous giving, we continue to provide life-changing support for the children of Baja. This year we welcomed Casa del Jardin orphanage to our network of support. Casa del Jardin is a very special home to 20-25 children and teens. Orphanages in our network received monthly funds for basic needs such as food, water, shelter, utilities and care. We were also able to adjust our level of support to account for the devaluation of the dollar which dropped 15-20% in value.
QUALITY OF LIFE IMPROVEMENT: Several construction, repair, and facility improvement projects were completed this year. We also placed a strong emphasis on identifying and covering the health needs of the children, and ensuring that we have funds to support these needs. With our focus placed on preventive care to improve the children's health and well-being, it is no surprise that this year we had a significant increase in the number of kids who needed medical intervention, eye care, and dental work! With hundreds of kids and young adults in our network of support, we know this will continue to be a significant need.
EDUCATION: Thanks to everyone's participation, we had a very successful Back-to-School fundraising and supply drive. Some of the kids at the orphanages continue to struggle with raising their academic level up after almost two years of remote learning. We continued to fund onsite teachers/tutors who have been able to work with the children who need the most help (including new children who arrive at the home and need additional support as they incorporate into their new school.) We plan to continue to provide this type of support to supplement the children's learning. In addition, we have a "Computer Coding" pilot project at one of the orphanages, teaching the children coding skills using a program called Scratch, a program for kids developed by MIT. The children are learning to create digital stories, games and animations and learning problem-solving skills, creative learning, collaboration, and self-expression. We hope to motivate and inspire the children and create a wave of future computer programming professionals!
CONTINUING EDUCATION: This year we had twelve (12) students who completed their university/trade school studies!
Here is a photo of them during our graduation celebration in October.
Top row, left to right: Eunice - Medicine, Magui - Nursing, Alejandra - Education, Rocio - Dentistry, Griselda - Cosmetology, Paloma - Education, Kelly - Business Administration. Bottom row, left to right: Osbaldo - Customs and Logistics, Angela - Culinary, Charlie Engineering. Not pictured: Karen - Engineering, Lupita - Law.
Nothing fills our hearts more than to see our children succeed! If you EVER wonder whether your support makes a difference, they are living proof that it does. Together we are giving orphaned and abandoned children an opportunity for a life of purpose and possibility.
Please consider making an additional end-of-the-year tax-deductible donation to help us continue to make the dream of a better life a reality for our kids! Thank you for your support and partnership in this work!
Click here to donate today: https://form.jotform.com/221146956589166