An adventure walk

Today we were given the opportunity to see how Mexico looks from the inside. Like yesterday, a group us met Gary at 7:00 a.m. for our morning adventure walk. This time there were a few more students. We went for a walk in a gated community, which is like a
fenced off neighbourhood. We then continued in the opposite direction we did yesterday.

We saw beautiful houses, a horse instead of a car in what looked like a garage, beautifully flowered plants, chickens running around on the streets and a man milking a cow on the side of the road. We saw things that to us were incredible, but to Mexican people would be nothing out of the ordinary. We talked about funny it would be to see a group of foreigners in Belleville all walking down the street in their funny clothes with their cameras in hand, snapping pictures of our houses, cars and construction workers. It would be hilarious. This is exactly what we were doing and I’m sure that’s exactly how we looked to them; hilarious.

We returned for yet another delicious breakfast at the Abbey. We then split into four cabs and headed to the squatter settlement in downtown Cuernavaca. The settlement is a piece of government land housing more than 20,000 poor Mexican families. Years ago many of these families had no money and were living in shacks or boxes. Over time they have been able to save enough money to build a more sufficient home out of cement blocks, most with tin roofs. Some houses had more, some had less.

La Estacion is a building in the settlement that is similar to a community center and has been running for 13 years. It is made up of volunteers within the community including over 80 mothers and numerous International and University students. They prepare breakfast for the neighbourhood children and schools 130 kindergarten students. It also holds workshops for students and mothers to improve existing skills, such as knitting and also teach them new ones like pottery for an example. La Estacion has international partnerships with churches and organizations that make donations and find sponsors for the children. The donations cover things like school supplies, maintenance of the facilities, costs of educators, breakfast costs and things like that. The individual sponsors pay for the childrens' school uniforms, shoes, medicine and food.

Out of the 130 children attending La Estacion, there are only 10 who currently have full time sponsors. The children receiving the funds are chosen by the mothers at the center based on financial need.

We were privileged to meet with two of the families involved in the center who live in the settlement also referred to as a cooperative. Both families invited the 13 of us into their home where we gathered on stools, chairs and arm rests to ask questions and listen to their stories.

The Leon family was made up of the mother, Lourdes, the father and their five children. The children were 8, 9 and 11 years old. All of the children attended school and received sponsorships. In order to continue receiving these funds they have to participate, study and be of low income.
The father works two jobs and Lourdes helps sell things at the market but the family is still low income. The fathers daily income for the one job is 150 pesos a day which is equivalent to $15 a day Canadian. Lourdes says this is the cost of feeding her family each day.
Lourdes told us about their living conditions dealing with water, hydro and sleeping conditions. Their electricity contract is shared between 11 families, which means at night it is poorly lit because all 11 families are using the same source of energy at the same time. She said the children are sometimes afraid of the dark but there was not much they can do about it. Sometimes their power goes out and it won’t be fixed for days, same for the water. She said a few weeks ago they lost power for over a week and were not able to turn on the lights, shower or do the dishes. They resorted to using paper plates so they could throw them away when they were finished their meals.

She told us about their set of bunk beds; on the top sleep the two boys and the bottom the three girls. The youngest daughter told us how her sister was afraid to sleep on the top because she kept rolling off, so the girls took the bottom bunk and that sister slept in the middle of the other two. Lourdes and her husband slept on the single bed together in the same room as their children.

About a year ago the family was forced to fix their roof because the rain would leak in. They needed to borrow the money in order to replace the cardboard with tin. The interest rate was 50 per cent and they have a year to pay it back before the rate increases. If they aren’t able to pay, the bank will come and start taking things of value. The bed and the T.V. are the only things of value they own she says.

The two older daughters told us how they like to sing and dance. The mother told us how dangerous the neighbourhood is. She said there are many drug dealers in the area and a lot of crime.

The second house we went to housed a mother, father, their seven children, and the grandparents. The mother has lived in the cooperative for the last 12 years and her children ranged from 4 to 11 years old. The father has diabetes and is employed at a corner store where he works six to seven days a week, 7:00a.m. until 10:00p.m.

He will make 800 pesos if he works Monday to Saturday and 900 to 1000 pesos if he works Monday to Sunday. This is $80 to $100 Canadian a week to care for a family of two adults and seven children.

The grandfather worked for the railroad before retirement and receives a pension. His daughter, Gloria, says her father is sometimes able to help them out when money is short.

Gloria says the government has programs that cover some of her husband’s diabetes medicine, but not all of it. Right now he has to take drops that cost 380 pesos for a bottle that will last a month.

She tells us how her son likes to play soccer and about the time their house was broken into and robbed. She says over the last few years the police have been present in their neighbourhood. When they were robbed, the police were able to find the person who broke in and return their valuables.

As the mother tells her story, her seven kids surround her, laughing and playing, but mostly staring at us. When I take their photo they smile and pose, then run over to me to see what the pictures look like. Both women have very beautiful families.

When we are finished our visit 10 year old boy Luis Antonia walked us back to La Estacion. We are able to meet with a few of the volunteer mothers and hear more about how the facility is run and get an opportunity to ask questions.

I asked why the mothers chose to volunteer at the school instead of getting work, one mother named Maria Carmen, says it is because they all have children who are being sponsored and this is their way of giving something back.
The school refuses to ask or accept government funding. They don’t want anyone to manipulate them, and if the government is giving them money they will say it is their school and try and make them change their ways.

Today I realized there are many stories far too often overlooked, unappreciated and under estimated. These people I met today were phenomenal. They welcomed us into their homes, answered questions honestly and offered us what little they had. This community constructed of people living poverty worked together to create something structured to help their children succeed.

It was a fascinating day that was full of many different things. To me, the most important was their hope, hope for themselves and for a better future.

I wish them all the best.