Health and education for children in Chiapas

Thank you for 2025!

In the last quarter of the year, we were able to deepen the educational processes with the participating children through meaningful public actions:

International Day of the Girl Child – October 11th, when the streets of the city center were taken over so that the participants could raise their voices in defense of their rights, primarily the right to a life free from violence: https://www.facebook.com/share/v/16kkY8SQPC/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Impunity for Death – November 1st, within the framework of the Mexican celebration of “Day of the Dead,” we carried out an action to denounce the deaths of children and adolescents that could have been prevented with medical attention and traffic accidents, mainly in early childhood: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1AEQkyfMME/?mibextid=wwXIfr  

And finally, the educational training process in plazas and markets to promote appropriate motor and academic development for preschool age has resulted in 75% of the Participating children have increased their motor development by following instructions, and 80% have improved their relationships within the work group, reflected in their interaction, play, and dialogue.

Your commitment to defending the rights of working children is bearing fruit in the more than 65 children aged 3 to 6 who have received support this year.

Thank you for being an ally of children! Together we will achieve much more in 2026.

Follow us on our social media @melelxojobal and learn much more about our work.

From the entire Melel Xojobal team, we wish you all the best in 2026.

Regards

Children accompanied by families working in the city's markets and plazas were able to enjoy play spaces and create science projects using basic materials available to everyone, as well as strengthen their knowledge and defense of their rights from their early life stages.

 The result of this process was that participants can recognize and name at least three rights, as well as where they live them. The most frequently mentioned are: the right to family, the right to health, and the right to play. 

Regarding the right to health, workshops were held to identify any visual impairments among the children and with some families. The program also included the distribution of amaranth-based enriched food, which provides vitamins necessary for development. https://youtu.be/CEiKTwtLZcc

Recreational science stimulates their imagination, promotes teamwork, and active listening. It also helps introduce children to science from an early age, in a fun way that helps them relearn how to use materials: https://youtu.be/PCVv-kOYHek

Engaging in sports, art, and creative activities helps improve socialization and communication, as well as providing safe spaces in a complicated social environment where spaces for children are increasingly scarce.

Finally, we share our institutional video (with written translation into English) so you can learn more about our history and our commitment to working alongside the working indigenous children of San Cristóbal de las Casas. https://youtu.be/UJngnUd8zes

This continues to be possible thanks to your continued support for this project. We invite you to follow us on our social media @melelxojobal and learn much more about our work.

From the entire Melel Xojobal team, thank you very much.

Best regards