Dear Donor,
What is the meaning of to be empowered? To make somebody powerful, like to have a fruitful, independent life.
This is what any parent or tutor seeks to instill in his/her children or pupils to have their own decisions no matter if they make mistakes or have success
We know that empowerment does not appear out of nothing, it is the fruit of a caring environment and its nurturing conditions for its development.
For a child it is important to have an environment of trust, where errors are not punished but analyzed and reflected upon, and that new alternatives for achieving goals are suggested, cherished and supported . Having to support and encourage curiosity in learning social and academic skills, as well as to have a broad perspective of reality and teaching them to make better decisions.
Women today face challenges when they need to have their voice heard, when they express their desires and decisions, passing from dependence to independence, from ignorance to knowledge.
This process empower their lives, with control on their decisions, on their emotions, their inner souls and thus to value themselves. Women have also learned to believe in them, with successes and failures that have taught them to accept themselves and when in distress, stand up and start again, as many times as needed.
This International Women´s Week we need your help to offer all our gilrs the tools they need to become independent self suficcient responsible young women, visit our project: https://goto.gg/9451 and boost your genrosity with 50% matching funds up to $50 USD
For Puerta Abierta, our priority has been to raise women with these traits. If for any given woman, even born in ideal family conditions, sometimes empowerment is challenging, just imagine the work needed in our girls and young women, not having had a trustful environment in their original families.
Today, some of our girls are making important life decisions, like career and work choices, while also trying to forge their own self image, and thus becoming empowered in the process with responsibility to assume the role they want .
We at Puerta Abierta are very proud of our young women, seeing them taking control of their lives an example, Margarita is now independent, has a successful, and emotionally balanced personal and professional life, she is aware and exercises her independence within the social group she belongs and is committed to her Puerta Abierta sisters and friends.
Like Margarita, we have other girls growing up, becoming young and empowered women. As tutors we wish to be empathic enough to help them to make the best decision.
Meanwhile our dreams and wishes are becoming true.
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Are we working to make a better world?
We want to do so much and we can do so little!
This thought has been so present in our minds during this pandemic that we run the risk of feeling hopeless and frustrated. Consequently, we are subject to a more pessimistic attitude in which we believe mistakenly that we are not doing enough for anyone.
We know that what happens in one part of our planet will have repercussions in other parts.In our longing to have a better world we realize that we can start changing ourselves (and the ones closest to us), with the hope of this generating change in other place.
Feelings of empathy and compassion are precisely what is needed to transform intention into action. Actions can be as simple as listening to someone’s problems, becoming involved in another’s problems, letting go of something negative, spreading joy, as well as fostering imagination and creativity. We believe that these actions can lead to more awareness of how these behaviors can be extended to others.
At Puerta Abierta we wanted to transmit the message to the girls that, despite the confinement, they can learn valuable lessons both for themselves and for others. These lessons can start with simple things such as, turning off unnecessary lights, saving water, separating garbage, initiating an exercise program, maintain order, establish schedules, seek to learn something new and share it with friends and family. It is hoped that they will realize, over time, the positive repercussions that this has for themselves and for their close, and not so close, environment.
It is important for the tutors and trainers to understand just how much their own lives become living examples for these beautiful girls and young women. Also important is the need to help them find the opportunities (places, activities, and relationships)in which they can practice these positive behaviors and then analyze the benefits that were obtained.
Our tutors have found that our teenagers do have the possibility of having a positive impact on their younger siblings. They assigned one of them to reinforce the language therapy of one of the small girls and be present when she is in session. Thus the elder girl is learning new skills and is applying them. Another older girl signed for a photography course and now takes pictures of them all. Those girls with math or English skills now help the others with their homework. Another one, involved heavily in personal exercise, is now setting up sport routines for the whole group. This practical work practices have opened new opportunities for them all to grow in skills and companionship.
We can only imagine how many borders we can cross when we maintain consistently positive behaviors, filled with great hope and love, so that they can extend beyond our closely-knit environment,
Let us all work to make this planet a beautiful place where we can enjoy and have a better life
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Dear Donor,
We are already in the final stretch of the year. It is important to take stock of what has occurred in order to determine what was achieved, what was missed, and what could have been done differently.
This year has presented us with extraordinary challenges. Many people believe that this year should not count, others, that it should simply disappear without any fanfare. We all recognize, however, that it has been a unique year; one in which we all have had many experiences… some have had major losses, both emotional and material, others have struggled for self-improvement.
In crisis situations, many different facets of our personality emerge. With some people, their generosity, kindness, creativity, and leadership become manifest. In other cases, the crisis led some to become more self-centered, less positive, more defensive and possessive without concerning themselves with the well-being of the group or community. We all would like to think that such self-protective reactions will soon fade away with our continued evolution.
We would like to believe that those who have suffered in their lives will eventually learn to transform this suffering into empathy and a heart-felt concern for others within our communities. It is hoped that we will all become appreciative of what we have, accepting of what is beyond our reach, and grateful for all that life offers.
At Puerta Abierta we have been able to see, during this Covid -19 crisis, how conscientiously our girls, teenagers and young woman have worked to adapt to the “new normal.” Some accepted rather quickly the difficulties of their confinement. For others, the social isolation created many limitations and discomforts. The level of personal and collective growth, however, that has taken place in each of them has been surprising. These girls, teenagers and young women have shown the ability to appreciate aspects of their lives which previously seemed irrelevant to them. They have shown a renewed appreciation for the attention, care, affection, and dedication of their caretakers. The academic performance has been significant and praised by their teachers.
Today the girls of Puerta Abierta are aware of all the positive consequences of this pandemic, of the effort that each one has made to live through this experience the best way possible, and how they have developed and matured. Nevertheless, as with everyone else affected by this catastrophe, they want the pandemic to come to an end. While we all sail in the same boat, not everyone can experience the storm in the same way. Regardless of how they navigated these turbulent times, our girls discovered their personal strengths and characteristics.
It is important to question if it is necessary to suffer so much in order to truly value what we may have simply taken for granted.
The Puerta Abierta family wishes that we all try to live a healthy Christmas with much peace and much gratitude!
Merry Christmas and a Hopeful 2021.
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Welcome Paulina, we were waiting for you!
Today, Giving Tuesday we will share Paulina´s story.
The human being is constantly asking herself, why, how, what for, and now what. I am certain that we can answer these questions in relation to a specific event, yet most other times these questions are left unanswered in situations we have not solved or when faced with new experiences.
Regardless if we find the answers to such inquiry, we will always search for the most loving and supportive response to every situation.
This reflection emerges when we observe the damage that is done, unwillingly, to a young girl.
We just received in Puerta Abierta an 8-year-old girl that had lived in an orphanage for children and given up for adoption. Paulina was adopted twice, and twice she had been returned. The obvious questions are: Why did this happen in Paulina’s life? What was the purpose of these experiences and what did each person in Paulina’s life have to learn? We do not know!!.
We would like to think that the ultimate purpose was that Paulina had to come to Puerta Abierta to be really loved, to enliven and renovate our family, and to provide us an opportunity to be creative, imaginative and, above all, active participants in her emotional development.
Paulina became a marvelous companion to Lluvia, who is the only child (7 years old) in a household of adolescents and adults. They have a great relationship. It is a pleasure to hear them laugh, play, and talk with one another. Their relationship helps us connect with the spontaneity and innocence of life.
Not only has Paulina profited from her time with Lluvia, she has also been able to interact with and benefit from her relationships with the adolescents in the house. These young women play with her and help her with schoolwork. Everything is nice and new for her. As importantly, Paulina realizes that she is not the only one at home and consequently has to learn to share and to accommodate herself to the family structure that is so different from the one she lived in as an only child.
If we want to answer any one of our many questions, we think we have been able to find a heart-filled response. Puerta Abierta’s family can provide for many of Paulina’s needs and Puerta Abierta will receive gladly all that she has to give.
Please remember that today is GIVING TUESDAY and our girls need you! Please consider supporting them today!
December the 1st Giving Tuesday 2020
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Hi, My name is Magui, I know you have read all about me in the past. I am the oldest girl in the Puerta Abierta Family and a proud member of it.
I´ve has the privilege to be part of this amazing family, its been 16 years to day that I’ve received lots of love, happiness and adventures. And I am sure we will have lots more in the coming years. I am very proud of Karla, María and Ana Gaby that are now in University, Brisa, Fátima, Moni, Lupita and Angeles in High School Alma, Zule in middle school and Lluvia and Pau in elementary. Some of them are heading to to University next January.
As you might know I finished my University studies in April and I am living independently. I have a job in an Engineering Company as a junior shopper in the logistics department. I want to tell you know that this wouldn’t have been possible without your help through all these years without you trust and faith in us.
I´ve always had people by my side that have taken care of me, giving me the tools I needed so I could reach my goals every step of the way.
You have been part of this project: thank you. As you know, and because of Covid, this has complicated our fundraising goals. We couldn’t go ahead with our events such as the Golf Tournament and our traditional donuts sale in schools. Now more than ever We need your help to keep going with this project.
I am thankful for all the love I have received, for all the people at home who were always there for me, for having us in a beautiful home, good schools, delicious food every day, lovely people that are always there for us. Throughout the years I have met amazing people, some that have been part of our family for a short time and some for long time, I´ve learned from all of them, surely they were there for a reason!
I can say today that Puerta Abierta is the best family that I could have and that they were in every moment there for me, I can only thank you for choosing Puerta Abierta and being there for all of us.
Thanks again
Magui
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