Protect 800 children from sexual abuse in Mexico

Dear Friends and Supporters,

Because of your commitment, the "ASI No Jugamos" program continues to build a safer world for children. Over the past three months, we have turned your donations into concrete actions—teaching children to protect their bodies, empowering parents to listen, and ensuring teachers know how to respond.

Here is a look at what we have achieved together recently:

Empowering Schools and Families

From November to January, we completed an intensive series of workshops using our specialized "Prevention Toolbox"—a methodology we’ve refined over four years alongside experts. We worked across several schools and preschools.

The results speak for themselves:

• Knowledge is Power: We saw a significant increase in understanding child sexual abuse prevention across the board: 78% of caregivers, 100% of teachers, 81% of elementary students, and 98% of preschoolers now have a better grasp of this vital topic.

• Confidence to Act: Beyond just "knowing," 70% of caregivers, teachers, and students reported feeling significantly more capable and confident in knowing exactly what to do if a violent situation arises.

Expanding Our Reach in 2026

As we rang in the New Year, we didn’t slow down. In January, we completed training for 12 elemenary school educators and launched new programs at two preschools.

We aren't just starting new cycles; we are sustaining old ones. We met with teachers who were trained two years ago to reflect on their long-term impact, ensuring that prevention remains a permanent pillar of their classrooms. So far this year, we have already reached 56 caregivers, 16 teachers, and 84 preschoolers through 31 dedicated sessions.

A Community United: The Spokeswomen Network

Prevention isn't just taught in a classroom; it’s lived in the streets. Our Spokeswomen Network—a group of local women dedicated to this cause—has shown incredible initiative:

• Creative Advocacy: During the Mictlán (Day of the Dead) procession and our year-end holiday festivals, these women rewrote traditional songs to teach children that "bad secrets" should always be shared with a trusted adult.

• Art as Protection: Collaborating with a local artist from the network, we restored three community murals that keep our message of safety visible to everyone in the community.

Healing and Justice

For those children who have unfortunately already experienced violence, your support provides a lifeline. Between October and December, we provided 21 psychological therapy sessions for four ongoing patients, all of whom continued their healing journey into January. On the legal front, we continue to provide rigorous follow-up and guidance for a pending case, ensuring a child’s right to justice is upheld.

Looking Ahead

We are currently seeking new civil society organizations and institutions to adopt our "Toolbox" methodology, aiming to scale our impact and protect even more children through external partnerships. If you'd like us to train you or your team to better understand and respond to sexual violence against children, please reach out!! informes@imaginalco.org

Your support is the foundation of this work. By funding these workshops and providing these children with a voice, you are changing the trajectory of their lives.

Thank you for standing with us.

Over the past few months, our ASI No Jugamos (“We don't play like that”) initiative has continued to grow — bringing knowledge, empathy, and protection tools to more families, schools, and communities in Malinalco. From lively classrooms to community plazas, we’ve seen children, parents, and teachers join together to prevent violence and strengthen care networks around every child.

Learning Together: Prevention Workshops

Between July and October, we led a new round of interactive prevention workshops for children, parents, and educators. These sessions use our own methodology, developed over four years in collaboration with experts, to teach how to recognize and prevent child sexual violence.

In September, during the National Awareness Campaign on Child Sexual Violence Prevention organized by the Ministry of Education, we offered different talks and workshops at multiple schools and preschools. Some activities have already wrapped up, while others will continue into November. 

In total, from July to October we’ve offered 53 sessions:

• 6 sessions for parents (106 participants)
• 7 sessions for school staff (31 participants
• 38 sessions for children (145 participants)

Each meeting has been a reminder that prevention starts with listening, learning, and building trust.

Voices of Change: Community Communication

This summer we focused on creative ways to keep the conversation alive in our communities. In July, we launched the “My Body Belongs to Me” micro-story contest — inviting children, teens, and young adults (ages 7–25) from Malinalco to write about consent and personal boundaries.

We received 56 stories filled with courage and imagination. Thirty young writers were selected as finalists, and on September 21, on the International Day of Peace, we celebrated their creativity with a public award ceremony.

The event featured music from the Malinalco Children’s Guitar Orchestra, the dedicated support of the Imaginalco team, and the inspiring presence of 10 community women leaders from our Network of Spokeswomen.

It was a day full of joy, laughter, and powerful words — proof that storytelling can be a beautiful way to teach respect and self-awareness.

Care and Support: Healing with Compassion

Our model of psychological and legal support continues to reach children and families in need.Since August 2025, DIF Malinalco has provided us with a dedicated space for therapy sessions.

During this period, we carried out 5 initial interviews with families and provided ongoing psychological care to 3 children, completing 15 therapy sessions in total. Additionally, we offered legal guidance to a family navigating a difficult case.

Each session is a step toward recovery — a space for listening, rebuilding trust, and restoring hope.

Sharing Knowledge: Training for Other Organizations, Parents and Caretakers

To help others take action, we organized two free webinars titled “When a Child Speaks: How to Respond to a Disclosure of Sexual Violence.”

These sessions aimed to equip parents, teachers, psychologists, and the general public with tools to respond safely and compassionately when a child shares an experience of violence. 150 participants joined us online — which reflects that more and more people want to be part of the solution.

Together, We Make Prevention Possible

From classrooms to community stages, from stories to therapy rooms — every effort has been powered by your generosity. Your support allows us to continue building safer environments where children are heard, believed, and protected.

Thank you for walking this path with us.