Improve quality of health and education in Mexico

We are delighted to meet again, always grateful and excited to share how things have gone for us, what we have learned, achieved, and where we continue to progress. In the previous report, we shared with you the projects we are supporting this year, and this time we want to tell you what is happening with the projects but mainly what can be observed and what progress has been made with people and processes. These findings guide us to know if a good job has been done and encourage us to move forward. Thank you very much for rereading us and continuing to support their well-being and our communities.

SOLMUNDI

In the project "Center for education and training in agroecology from local contributions and knowledge," there has been greater participation of young people and women during the workshops. There is interest in the knowledge that has been shared, and they handle some technical concepts in their vocabulary; They have expressed the importance of recognizing ancestral knowledge based on work and family dialogue. On the other hand, families have greater food product diversification. This diversification could be seen through increased production or economic income from the sale of honey, coffee, and vegetables, allowing them to acquire other foods unavailable in their agricultural spaces. Something important to share is that two young people continued their higher-level studies in careers related to agroecology and productive work.

 AMEXTRA

With the "Integral Health in Los Altos" project, we identified a change in people's vision regarding their work and value. They have opened up to integrating new technologies, activities, and habits in their daily lives, as is the case with the use of filters and the development of beekeeping as a productive and commercial activity. Tangibly, families have improved their housing conditions. With the strengthening of effective projects, the possibilities of achieving food sufficiency are increased while generating additional income to remedy the lack of access to other resources such as health or education. Some groups have developed more significant appropriation to the projects and further strengthened their knowledge since they have begun to train their peers and lend their modules or plots to develop demonstration activities to improve the results of other community members.

FORO PARA EL DESARROLLO SUSTENTABLE

With the project "Agroecological Community for Good Living," we have seen different advances in the different groups:

Seedbed: it can be observed in the behavior of young people and children who have improved body language, are overcoming stage fright, are developing techniques and skills to express positive messages, are overcoming shyness, are handling carpentry tools, have also acquired knowledge about conscious and healthy eating

Red Patrol: the connection with the participants depends on the interests of each one; the element of Hip Hop allows exploring the interest of the attendees. We promote community and unity; we see that they are integrating with these same ideas.

Kassil Vochonil: Talking with girls and boys, they show greater awareness about not consuming packaged products. The interaction with different workshop participants and visitors has generated enthusiasm for knowing and learning about various topics they have heard, understood, and practiced in some of the activities promoted by the center.

Muk' ta luch: They want to integrate more women into their collective who are in the city and their communities of origin; they want to be trained in indigenous women's rights issues to be promoters in the communities and the city.

HOGAR COMUNITARIO

In the project "Development free of violence for indigenous and mestizo women migrant to the city," during the emotional care and pregnancy care consultations, as well as the childbirth preparation workshops, women are obtaining insights about themselves and the way of reacting to adversity that keeps them in constant suffering. This pattern change is gradual, and we can notice it in their attitude, the consistency with which they attend activities or punctuality in consultations, and the questions they ask regarding their process. 65% have valued themselves as a person and understood the importance of self-care and that they no longer victimize themselves, take responsibility for their actions and decisions, and look for alternatives to solve their situation. Of this group, 50% have taken steps that are moving them away from the circles of violence. They are interested, ask questions, and try to lead a harmonious life with their children.

In the case of the women attending the TRAMA workshops, they all express themselves more confidently and work on the technique with more confidence and patience. They have incorporated designs into their work that relate to their lives. They take care of the raw material and put a monetary value on their products following the steps for cost; they do it with more certainty. They express how they feel without shame and enjoy teamwork.

In the case of women's meetings and work with adolescents, the majority try to continue participating in the workshops and invite someone to attend. They all expressed their desire to get out of the circles of violence and understand how those circles manifest in their lives. The adolescent workshops are a space highly appreciated by this group of young people. They have invited other friends to join. We use the CAP methodology that helps us make visible the areas where it is necessary to reinforce and progress. In schools, we also use the same evaluation tool. A significant achievement in the school work is that the school is open to us developing a program instead of only allowing a 50-minute talk once a year.

As for the children, approximately half of the attendees are more tolerant of others, integrate quickly, participate, share what they know and express their doubts. Everyone arrives with their notebooks and books from school for review time, focusing on doing homework with pleasure. As for the mothers, they are seen as more relaxed and enjoying the activities with the children. In turn, the children do not feel intimidated by the presence of their mothers; they play and look for their mothers to share the game with them.

 MUTRAM

In the project "Building territories of hope: Educational strategies in health-gender with women, men, girls, and boys," there is greater participation of women in the workshops; in particular, attention is being paid to incorporating more young women and men. Workshops have been planned to generate interest in youth participation. A working group has been created in San José, combining six women from the Colibríes collective. A group of young women shows interest in joining the training process.

Greater empowerment of the Phases of the Moon group has been seen by appropriating the methodology and overcoming the fears of facilitation before the groups. Participation in community assemblies has been achieved; security is acquired, and the fear of speaking is lost. The women came to start their organization and contact community actors.

In addition, our community participation has increased. One of our partners is the secretary of the Pastoral Council of the Sacsalum neighborhood. At the organizational level, there is greater cohesion with the alliance on the border. The critical and self-critical review of our educational practices is a significant change that allows us to identify mistakes and successes at work. That has led us to identify the ways we relate to each other.

Men participating in anti-patriarchal masculinity workshops have improved their practices that reproduce violence in the family and at work. The alliance with organized women has been strengthened; proof of this is that from the colis and phases' health work, other men interested in joining the work of masculinities are approaching.

Another significant change is the involvement of girls, boys, and young people. The boys and girls are approaching the women's workshops. In San Nicolás, a group gets together when the women of the little flowers get together. In the municipality of Margaritas, in the workshops carried out in the neighborhoods, children and young people are coming to participate.

OMNIUNITY

Implementing the project "Youth, Women, and Health in the Original Neighborhood of Cuxtitali: a proposal for popular self-organization" contributes to increasing the community's awareness of health issues, mainly because people have nearby spaces and accessible was to receive the necessary information and attention. In the case of the Casa de Salud, it is very noticeable how it went from having a good response only when we provided free health services (and not educational/reflective) to outstanding participation in the workshop spaces. We also see that users continue to increase, we have registered more than 60 new users in the last quarter, and those who were already registered keep coming back, inviting their family and friends, and expressing their needs.

In the Gymnasium, we have noticed how the participation and commitment of teachers and students are more significant when we have adequate materials available, not just recycled things. Everyone takes more responsibility. More spaces for feedback have been opened, such as assemblies, and it has been possible to listen to people to improve.

TIERRA ROJA

In the project "Tierra Roja, land of peace: healthy relationships, non-violent coexistence and social insertion for young people from the urban periphery of San Cristóbal de Las Casas," one of the challenges we expected in this 2021-2022 cycle with the young it was regular attendance since the previous year we had registered little regularity in their attendance. We also observed a certain apathy and lack of motivation to participate in the activities. After a deep self-critical reflection, we have understood that a lot depended on external factors (consequences of the pandemic at an emotional, social and developmental level) but also on internal factors that had to do with the proposal we were sharing this segment of the population. We were used to working with girls and boys up to 10 years old, but these children had already grown up and had new needs. From this reflection, this project was born, more focused on building the proposal together with them where the activities would be closer to their wishes and needs. Since the beginning of the year (2022), this change and methodology have also transformed the group, which has been attending regularly and participating actively and critically. It seems a significant difference to us, even though we have little time and a lengthy process. We measure this process with attendance lists, participation, decision-making assemblies, listening, and conflict transformation spaces.

Thank you very much and stay close, hugs :)

Once again, we meet to share experiences, stories, and work. On this occasion, we are pleased to share with you the projects we have accompanied this year, their progress, and their testimonies. All of them are key so that our communities' children, women, and families have more significant opportunities for development in an adverse context. Thank you very much for rereading us and continuing to support their well-being and our communities.

SOLMUNDI

From 2018 to 2022, the Agroecology Training Center project has been built and strengthened based on local contributions and knowledge. We have worked with four family groups from the Altos de Chiapas area. The locations are: Naranjatik Bajo and Jamubil in the municipality of Chenalhó, El Pozo de San Juan Cancuc, and El Corralito in Tenejapa, Tzeltal and Tzotzil groups respectively. The work has focused on learning agricultural techniques with an agroecological approach, including workshops on group participation, gender equity, and conflict resolution. From February 2022 to June 2022, follow-up workshops have been held in each group, mainly on ethnoveterinary poultry production and beekeeping management, reinforcing learning on coffee, orchards, and organic fertilizers. The groups are in a learning process for solidarity trade in producing eggs and meat from backyard poultry and the production of honey and by-products from the hive. There has been greater participation of young people and women in the workshops and greater diversification of food products in the families.

Uriel is a young man who has decided to study a career in the forestry area, at the Benito Juárez University, in his municipality. He told us that agroecological practices and workshops from this project had helped him better understand the issues he sees at his university. He also says that he reinforces these practices and learns about new strategies he is implementing with his family. He currently also participates in a group of young people trained in the marketing of agroecological products; together with his family, they decided to focus on poultry production.

AMEXTRA

In this project's first period, we followed up on productive projects of beekeeping, poultry farming, and vegetable production in orchards and greenhouses of 3 families in Chalchihuitán, Aldama, and Larráinzar. This experience has made it possible to obtain a production of food to integrate into the daily diet of the families. We managed to improve housing, health, and hygiene conditions by installing a new eco-technology and monitoring 13 more in the municipalities of Aldama and Chalchihuitán. Finally, three local promoters attended an exchange of experiences on solidarity economy to promote and construct leadership on issues of productive projects. This event was possible thanks to the alliance with ECOSUR, KAN, and KAKUXTAL.

Doña Estela is originally from the community of Canech in the municipality of Chalchihuitán; She raises backyard poultry and grows coffee and milpa. She has been producing with the new chicken coop for two months. She now has about 80 birds. The eggs are used for consumption and hatch, thus having new birds. She is the mother of several sons and daughters, and she also works in the fields and takes care of the home: "When it rained, a lot of water came in, and my chickens got wet and often got sick with cough, diarrhea or fever; the floor of the chicken coop was dirt and, truthfully, the space was tiny. With the new chicken coop, I think my production will improve because it is bigger, has a cement floor, meshed, and has greenhouse nylon that covers it when it is cold and rainy. I hope to see my poultry production improve and that I can produce more hens for family consumption." Estela

CONIDER

This project has sought to strengthen community health and follow up on deworming campaigns in 9 San Juan Cancuc, Chiapas localities. Seven communities were visited to promote the project and inform about the deworming campaigns and the health and nutrition workshops that take place throughout the project. In 2 communities, nutritional follow-up was given to children under five years of age, and anthropometric measurements were made. Physical examination showed that the main clinical signs of deficiencies are: vita C deficiency, iron deficiency, reflected in pale conjunctivae, protein deficiency reflected in the skin, nails, and depigmentation. Workshops were held in the communities: 1. Workshop Signs of malnutrition, attention, and care. 2. Personal hygiene workshop, family at home and community level to avoid diseases and parasites. 3. Workshop on how the digestive system works and feeding sick children. In 5 localities, the deworming campaign was carried out; ADC vitamins were provided for children, and folic acid and iron for pregnant and lactating women.

Ana is a mother of a family from the Community of Tanubiljá. She comments that she finds it very important to continuously attend to her children, two of whom have chronic malnutrition. The way the nutritionist treats them is a good way since they are attended to in their language. The project goes to her and her family. They explain their actions, so we have confidence in bringing our boys and girls to care.

FORO PARA EL DESARROLLO SUSTENTABLE

Joint work continues to be carried out with different actors, groups, and collectives with which they seek to build and strengthen an agroecological community for good living: The "Muk' ta luch" Collective, El Huerto Kassil Vochonil, Semillero Cultural and Agroecological Center, the Red Patrol Cultural and Agroecological Center, the "Anstik Tsunubil" Women's Group. Agroecological production activities, food exchange, sale of products for the sustainability of the project, exchange of seeds and knowledge with the participants and Latin American organizations, preparation of traditional foods, and training activities such as workshops on food sovereignty have been carried out, nutrition with and without an artistic approach; volunteering in the orchards; rap and hip-hop high school performances and murals; events such as Disco Sopa in the communities of Ciudad Real and Jardines del Valle.

Miguel Ángel actively participates in the Semillero project. He is an 11-year-old boy in the care of his brother, under three years old. They live in a complicated family situation; even so, they attend and participate with great motivation in the center's activities.

COMMUNITY HOME

Always seeking violence-free development for indigenous and mestizo migrant women, this year's activities strengthened these women, who often struggle to survive. Prenatal care and emotional care consultations, childbirth preparation workshops, and childbirth care continued. Manual art workshops for employment (TRAMA) four times a week, macramé and waist loom, where they reflect on the value of their culture, their abilities, their self-esteem, and the importance of collaborative work. Las Orugas Children's Space, where children reflect on suitable treatment and express their emotions and needs. Also, this year, we have held two Mothers and Children meetings designed to analyze the agreements at home to avoid violence. We have held women's meetings: 2 in the city and 2 in communities (some men have also attended) to reflect on the different forms of violence. In coordination with Doctors of the World, we resumed a program of face-to-face workshops on preventing violence and teenage pregnancies at CECYTE. We are going for the second season of workshops with the group of adolescents from the Community Home we hold at our headquarters. The themes point to self-knowledge, strengthening self-esteem, and learning and exercising healthy sexuality.

Julia came at a critical moment; we worked on anger and acceptance, the experience of abandonment, her self-care, self-worth, and self-knowledge: "every word I found when I got here had helped me a lot to get ahead, especially when I arrived I was all down without knowing what I was going to find, I thank you for having supported me a lot, you advised me that it had helped me a lot to get ahead and get my son ahead when I came he was not like that, I came worried I felt alone I felt that I had no support from anyone and with you, I felt accompanied." Julia

MUTRAM

The Educational project strategies in health-gender with women, men, girls, and boys strengthen the training process from a perspective of the prevention of gender violence and a community and indigenous perspective in the border region of Chiapas. The work has been done with groups ((Hummingbirds, Phases of the Moon, and Men G), training them on gender, health, and territory issues. There has been greater participation of women in the workshops and better management of popular education methodologies and perspectives of community feminists. Conversations were also held between adult and young men and women to prevent gender violence in the municipality, and bimonthly assemblies to plan and evaluate activities that allow groups to be strengthened. These activities have shown that the perspective of women and men is changing and has improved their lives. Women participate more; mainly, the attention is on incorporating young women and men. A group of young women and men has been formed from the talks driven by one of the collectives. We will carry out a diagnostic workshop to see what needs they have and start a process of enclosure and training.

"I did not dare to speak in the assembly. But I wanted to do it because of the problems related to the consumption and sale of alcohol, and passing in front requires a lot of security and removing fear, and I didn't want to do it. I dared and say what I thought, other people did not speak, and I ventured to speak in the assembly by myself. I felt bad, and then I settled; I expressed what I felt and stayed calm. The problem is that I was angry because I was going to see alcohol in the community, and it came up without approving anything. I got furious, and in the assembly, I said that because they drink, the consequence is violence, accidents, and mistreatment. That men think what they are doing because they have their daughters and not think only of themselves." Zenaida Member of the Hummingbirds.

OMNIUNITY

This project aims to build and strengthen community health spaces in the Cuxtitali neighborhood with activities aimed primarily at young people and women. From the Popular Gymnasium, we have followed up on all our sports courses with young people from Cuxtitali, starting activities to strengthen these programs. From the Health House, we have carried out different preventive health activities aimed at women from the neighborhood and other city neighborhoods. Two herbalist workshops for natural gynecology were held with women. In addition, the office was opened weekly for individual consultations. A free campaign for the prevention of cervical-uterine cancer and sexually transmitted infections (Pap smear campaign) was carried out, in which 53 women participated, in collaboration with health promoters from the organizations "Brigada Callejera de Apoyo a la Mujer E.M.A.C." and “Mayan Moon A.C.”

Clara Luz and her family (her daughter and granddaughter) have been with us from the beginning. They are users of the Popular Gym and are proof of how much the women of the neighborhood have a fundamental role in the development and success of these projects since they are often the ones who are most involved. They always contribute as much as they can with some gifts or something to eat for our events. They do not miss an assembly or an event and always contribute new ideas about how you would like the project to evolve. Clara Luz and her family, as well as other families, are the backbone of our project.

TIERRA ROJA CUXTITALI

We seek to promote the active and autonomous participation of young people from the urban periphery of SCLC and offer them healthy, peaceful, and alternative social spaces to violence, discrimination, and marginalization. During this period, workshops and weekly meetings on academic reinforcement, literacy (primary and intermediate), music, construction and management of a family educational greenhouse, and socio-environmental education activities. With the accompaniment and monitoring of the group of educators, the participants organized and managed weekly and monthly leisure and fun spaces. Also, sports, crafts, and tournament workshops have been shared, opening the space for self-management and receiving other groups of young people from other organizations (Popular Gymnasium, Sueniños A.C., Cuxtitali soccer team). We also link with other groups and organizations to create collective moments of dialogue, reflection, and channeling needs, focused on building relationships of friendship, trust, and solidarity, inside and outside the Community Center. We are linked with Popular Gymnasium Barrio Bravo (for regular activities of physical activation and sports as a tool for conflict resolution); with Persicaria (for socio-environmental education workshops focused on the construction of spaces for Peace). We have other links planned with Semillero and Casa de Las Flores before the end of July.

Thank you very much for reading us and being interested in the projects. All this good news is possible because of your support and the accompaniment you give us.

United, we make the difference :)