Send 200 Low-Income Kids to Daycare & Preschool

Home visits are an important part of our regular application process. We like to understand where our mothers are coming from, what sort of conditions they’re living in, and what sort of familial support they have. We do this both to ensure we are really helping the neediest members of our community as well as to see how we could best help them.

Lupe, who is 19 years old, was nervous about us visiting her house; she explained that her father didn’t want her asking for help from anyone. As we drove to the outskirts of town, we asked her questions about her work, how she gets to work, where the father was, and what she wants for her daughter. Miguel ,our administrator, tried to give her some consul on how to explain to her more skeptical family members that the daycare would be good for her daughter. He explained that our kids have a real head start when they begin kindergarten because of all that they learn in our care—from potty training to letters to how to walk in a line to sharing their toys and working together. He reassured her that this was a good choice and that she was good mother for wanting more for her child and being brave enough to seek it.

The more we learned about her living situation and her family it became clear she was coming from very difficult circumstances. Eventually, it came out that she also had a son who was a year older, but she told us that her father would never let his grandson attend our daycare. She said that he was very spoiled, not completely potty-trained, and he didn’t like to be with people other than his family. Miguel tried to convince her that her son should also come to the daycare, but she wasn’t convinced.

After about 15 minutes driving, we arrived in one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in San Miguel de Allende. Stories of drug war violence and criminality were often the only thing locals heard about this part of the city. But this was home for Luz and her family.

She opened the door slowly, peering inside to see if anyone was home. It seemed empty. She showed us her kitchen and the bedroom she shares with her 16-year-old sister. She sleeps in a double bed with her two children. It was still piled high with stuffed animals. After about 5 minutes in the house, Miguel and I thanked her for letting us visit and invited her to start bringing her daughter to our daycare the next Monday. All we needed was a copy of her daughter’s birth certificate. A look of distress came over her face; Miguel quickly added that she could come back with us to the daycare and that there was a copy place nearby. She immediately looked relieved and I could easily understand why since there didn’t seem to be any papelerias in her neighborhood and without us she would have had to spend even more money on transportation. It’s amazing what a difference the small expenses make for someone living on so little.

So next Monday morning, Lupe will bring her daughter, Alejandra, to Casa de los Ángeles, joining a community that feels like a family. Alejandra will meet her teacher and her classmates. She will get two filling meals a day here and she will be loved and cared for by our staff and our volunteers. She will learn songs, she will paint, she will play on our playground, and go on field trips. Her mother, Lupe, will give an hour of service everyday little Alejandra attends the daycare, helping us keep our daycare clean and safe for all the children. We are still hoping Jorge, her son, will soon follow once she sees the benefits of our daycare gives to her daughter and that Lupe will feel more empowered to make decisions about her future and her family’s future.

With your donation we are able to feed the more than 120 people everyday. Your donation helps us to keep the lights on and helps us to educate these little ones who are so eager to learn. Your support and your donations help us to keep operating and serving the women and children of San Miguel de Allende. We hope you continue to think of Casa de los Ángeles and remember Lupe and her daughter Alejandra. We all thank you.

Links:

• Our new website!

It is hard to believe that next month we will celebrate 15 years of serving families of low income, single working mothers in Central Mexico. In these 15 years we have grown and developed and created a very special place. In July we completed our beautiful new volunteer house. And, our children get to play on our new playground which was completed in September.

We have grown over the years from serving 21 children when we opened, to now having 96 children from 82 families.  In fact, some of the children who are now in our care, are grandchildren of our very first moms.   Grandma Erika tells us that she was so happy that her daughter knew exactly where to get the help she needed as a single mom.  Rosita´s son Iker is now with us marking three generations in our care. 

In these 15 years we have come to celebrate mothers who working toward things never dreamed.  We celebrate children who value their education.  We celebrate international volunteers who have joined in our work.  We celebrate the simplicity of a smile of a child who is happy to be a part of Casa de los Ángeles.

We are pleased to announce that in February Bonnie Watt will take on the role of Executive Director for Casa de los Ángeles.  This  is really a good thing for Casa de los Ángeles. To have new energy and new ideas while we continue to serve those in our care will be for the benefit of everyone . . . children, moms, staff and volunteers.

Links:

• Our website
• Our Facebook page
• Our video