Oaxaca Street Children Grassroots (Centro de Esperanza Infantil)

We are Oaxaca Street Children Grassroots, a growing program that currently serves nearly 600 of Oaxaca's poorest children. We are dedicated to fostering the education and well being of Oaxaca's street children.

The state of Oaxaca, Mexico, is a fascinating tapestry of indigenous cultures making it a favored tourist destination. Oaxaca is also one of Mexico's poorest states with many of its three million inhabitants living in extreme poverty. Many families subsist on just a few dollars a day. Rural children sleep on mats on dirt floors, lack clean water and basic sanitation, and frequently become seriously ill or die from intestinal parasites and malnutrition.

These health issues, coupled with the economic needs of those in the state of Oaxaca's isolated rural regions often force children and their families to move to Oaxaca City (the capital) in search of safety and a better life. Once there, without access to basic services and education, poor children are no better off than they were in the rural areas from which they came. Survival for them and their families often depends on the youngest members of the family selling trinkets or shining shoes on the street.

The majority of the families in our program are Triquis, one of Oaxaca's smallest and poorest indigenous groups. These refugees have fled from political violence in their region. In the city they confront new challenges. Their distinctive language, dress, and customs set them apart and lead to mistrust and discrimination.

HOW WE HELP:

At our center, we provide nutritious meals, medical care, a kindergarten, a tutoring center and all the support necessary to prepare and assist these children as they enter public school which is not free in Oaxaca.

Since the inception of the program in 1996, we have had extraordinary success supporting children until they graduate from high school to University, thereby giving them the means to support themselves and their families as well as to participate in Mexican society.


-------YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE--------

SPONSOR A CHILD:

-One hundred percent of your donation goes to your child, and pays for school tuition, school supplies, books, uniforms, shoes and more.

VOLUNTEER WITH US:

-Long and short term volunteers are needed to assist in the center as teachers, medical volunteers, in the kitchen and in many other ways.

DONATE: Clothes, books, medical supplies, toys

INVOLVE: Friends, employers, churches, synagogue

-Please refer to website for further information- (ver menos)

We are Oaxaca Street Children Grassroots, a growing program that currently serves nearly 600 of Oaxaca's poorest children. We are dedicated to fostering the education and well being of Oaxaca's street children.

The state of Oaxaca, Mexico, is a fascinating tapestry of indigenous cultures making it a favored tourist destination. Oaxaca is also one of Mexico's poorest states with many of its three million inhabitants living in extreme poverty. Many families subsist on just a few dollars a day.... (ver más)