By Stephanie Ahlgrain | Fundraising and Alliances Coordinator
As of May 14, 2019, we have officially began construction on 35 of the 37 permanant houses proposed in this project. We are thankful to Mexican donors, international donors, and especially to GlobalGiving for the support in making these 35 families´ dreams a reality!! Some homes are just missing their windows and doors, while others are recieving other final touches. Construction on the last two houses is scheduled to begin in June of 2019. While we expected to be completed with the permanant housing construction project late last year, we are proud of the local team who has managed to find solutions for every problem that has come up, all while taking into account the ideas and needs of the benefitted families and local communities. We couldn´t have a better team to accompany families in their reconstruction process!
In addition to the reconstruction project, things are taking off with the Values for NonViolence and Income Generation projects. On March 22, 11 young people from the Social Work Major at the local college in Tetela del Volcán were trained in the Values Model for Nonviolence that Amextra has developed and worked with for over 15 years in various schools, churches and community centers. The purpose is for these students to reproduce the model in a local elementary school. The goal is for 70% of children participating in a series of workshops to recognize their value and the value of their peers, which will be reflected in their more respectful treatment of their peers and teachers.
On March 25th, the first session of the fruit liquor and homemade jams workshop was held. Ten people from the community attended this income-generation workshop. The person who taught the workshop is a member of a family that in March 2018 received materials to help rebuild the family's winery, that was damaged in the earthquake. In this winery the family packs fruits from the Tetela del Volcán to take them to sell in towns in the state of Puebla, Cuautla, Morelos, and Mexico City.
As for our plans in the next few months, we are currently looking to hire an agronomist to initiate pilot productive projects in the communities. The objective is to teach and accompany families for organic food production. The goal is for families to return to healthy and quality eating habits by planting their own vegetables and cereals. This project will serve a double purpose, as it also helps people take care of their health and the environment where they live!
Thank you for being a part of this journey! If you are interested in continuing to support this project, we are currently seeking donations to be able to continue teaching the education for non-violence model to 10 social workers, supplies for the next income-generation project, and help with the wages for the new agronomist who will join the team. Also, if you truly believe in this project, consider sharing with your friends and family!
Wishing you the best,
Stephanie and the Amextra team
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