Children sponsorship letter from Huehuetoca
14/01/2008
Sponsorship update from 2007
It is finishing the first semester of this year and we are pleased to contact you again to thank you very much for all support we have received from you. Your kind heart allows us continue to support the SOS Children Village of Huehuetoca, Edo de Mexico and all the children who live there.
In the middle of January, the SOS mothers in the village arranged to go to the Chapultepec Zoo. It was very funny visiting the animals, eating in the forest and chasing each other. The Zoo is beautiful and very big. There are many different kinds of animals.
Subsequently, the expected Easter holidays came, and thanks to your donations we could go to the aquatic park “Tlacotlapilco” where we swam, ran, played foot ball and the SOS mothers brought food. We were very happy over there sharing time together.
At the end of April, it is celebrated in Mexico “The Children’s Day”. The SOS mothers organised a clown show. There was a lot of typical Mexican food which is loved by children. It was a busy week due to the fact that after this show, a group of youths came to perform a sketch about the children’s rights. The L’Oreal Company came to share time with us organising games and give surprises and presents for everybody in the village.
On 10 May, we celebrated the “Mothers’ Day” in Mexico. The SOS mothers celebrated their day in their homes and by attending to their children’s school festivals (as in a common family). They also went to have lunch to an ecologic park located in an adjacent locality.
Among our satisfactions we can tell you that this year 4 of our young children will take the unique exam to be accepted in the high school level. We hope they will be accepted. We will inform you about these results in our next letter.
Thank you very much once again. We really appreciate your kindness. Your help and support really make that our objective and mission become true.
Sponsor's update from Tehuacan
Sponsor update from Summer 2007
It is finishing the first semester of this year and we are pleased to contact you again to thank you very much for all support we have received from you. Your kind heart allows us continue to support the SOS Children Village of Tehuacan, Puebla and all the children who live there.
We have a current population of 96 children, 43 girls and 53 boys who belong to our 12 SOS families, which are constituted by not more than 9 children and one SOS mother per family.
School Level Children
Preschool 06
Primary School 54
Secondary School 28
Preparatory School 06
University 01
United World College 01
Other Institution 03
Related to the labor activity, there are one girl who is working full time and 7 boys and 2 girls who have a part time job. They have different employments such as: national chain restaurants’ employees, shoe stores’ employees and in the recycling industry. These children are from 16 to 23 years. The last two girls are still studying.
Three youths were reincorporated in their biological families. Almost the 40% of our population keep in touch with any biological relative in order not to lose the affective links with them.
One girl was visited by one of her sponsors from Germany, who spent time with the whole family. Both of them, the girl and the sponsor, enjoyed this day a lot.
Through the Easter holydays on April, four of our SOS families took a trip in order to visit their families due to the fact that for our children the SOS mother’s family is their family too. It allows strengthening the family links with their SOS mothers’ families.
As a tradition in this SOS Village, on the Three Wise Men Day the families usually celebrate it involved in a home environment. The traditional bread is the Three Wise Men ring-shaped cake. Toys are left for the most little children next to their beds, so that they can find them on the next day. The older children received a detail.
On the children’s day we received visits from the community, who organized different activities such as: clown shows, songs, organised games and prizes. There were also different outings to many places of the city to share with other children of the community and continue celebrating.
The SOS mothers celebrated The Mothers Day by having a lunch male in their houses with their children. They were given a small detail and also the SOS mothers and aunts got together in a restaurant to celebrate their day.
To celebrate the International day of the SOS Children Villages, we organised a mass and a celebration for remembering all SOS volunteer friends and collaborators from the different associations for the labor done and the one will be carried out by them during the next years in favor of the Children Villages and of the General Childhood.
A broadcaster visited the Village in order to promote our labor and our daily life.
Through these six months, the SOS mothers, aunts, boys, girls and youths have received many courses workshops and speeches to acquire more benefits on themselves and in the case of the mothers and aunts, also to acquire more skills regarding the labor they are performing.
We continue with after school activities such as: Children’s Chorus, football, and sports with the SOS mothers support so that their children can develop their sports and artistic skills.
The Family Strengthening Program provides the neediest families of Tehuacan with support through communitarian assistance centers where the preschool children are assisted while their mothers are working.
Thank you very much once again. We really appreciate your kindness. Your help and support really make that our objective and mission become true.
Yours Sincerely,
LIC. José Mora Luna
SOS Children Village of Tehuacan Director
Child sponsor update from Morelia
An update from Summer 2007
It is finishing the first semester of this year and we are pleased to contact you to thank you very much for all support we have received from you. Your kind heart allowed the construction of our SOS Children Village located in Morelia, Michoacan in which we can take in many more unfortunate children than we used to have, and provide them with a family and a home and a hope for their future.
The SOS Children Village of Morelia is located at the northwest side of the City, in a poor neighborhood. In spite of the families’ economical difficulties in the community. The District has infrastructure. There are shops, public transportation, a nursery school, elementary and secondary schools.
At these days, we have 7 families from 6 to 9 members each one of them. We take in a total amount of 59 children (29 girls and 30 boys) who are from 1 to 12 years old and study pre-school and elementary education respectively. The village has 14 houses which allow us to take in more children, however it has been difficult to find more SOS Mothers, but we are working hard in searching SOS aunts and we hope we will get good results.
On 23 June 2005 the FIFA and SOS Children Villages put the first stone of the new home in Mexico. Important people assisted such as: Lazaro Cardenas Batel, Governor of Michoacan; Salvador Lopez Orduña, Local President of Morelia; Mayra Coffigny Pedroso, Local DIF President; Alberto Lopez Nava, National Board President of SOS Children Villages Mexico and Georg Rodenbach, the FIFA Cooperation Spokesman and Public Relationships and Marketing Director for Latin America and the Caribbean of SOS Children Villages. There were also many authorities of the Government of Michoacan and of the SOS Children Villages.
The firs SOS mother who took in a family, was Salome Camaal Castul 0n 06 May 2006. This family used to live in a provisional house while the village was being finished. The second family was formed by Silvia Isabel Herrejon Alvarado on 29 August 2006. These families are supported by the Aunt Virginia Sagrero Villa.
On 25 August 2006 the offices were transferred to the village. On 18 September 2006 both families moved in the village. Children were very happy checking out everything. They reviewed their closet, kitchen, bathrooms. They approved their new home in many different ways.
On 26 October 2006, the Dutch sponsors T’ Veen visited the village.
On 14 November 2006 we took in 14 more children. The SOS mothers prepared a male to welcome them. Also on the same day, started the activities in the Village and it was an emotional event to which many important people assisted.
On 14 December 2006 we went to AMANC to coexist with children who have got cancer.
On 16 December 2006 we celebrated a “posada” (traditional party before Christmas). It was very funny. There were outlandish people, hamburgers, and surprises.
On December 24 at night, it was celebrated the first Christmas dinner (Turkeys and Legs) to which assisted Mr. Jaime Lopez joint to his wife and son to wish us a Merry Christmas.
On January 2006 we had a party day in the Village. The children were very excited and nervous due to the fact that they were going to meet the Three Wise Men. Thanks to a family brought them from the sky. The three Wise Men were elegant dressed. They were coexisting with children, and were sharing out presents and were being taken pictures with children.
On 20 January 2007 we had the fortune of opening one house more (the fifth). It was the turn of the SOS mother Ma. Irma who took in 7 children on January 29 and 30 more children arrived in to complete the family.
On 06 February 2007 we had a bad experience which last two months. The SOS mother Salome (the first in opening a house) was admitted into a hospital due to a gall bladder illness. This situation joined and worried us a lot. She was not discharged until March 30th.
From 13 to 18 of February stayed in the village Silja Streeck from the Germann Gmeiner Fonds Germany.
The sixth and seventh families arrived on 16 and 21 March 2007 with the SOS mothers Maria Martinez and Viviana Paz Bermudez.
Thank you very much once again. We really appreciate your kindness. Your help and support really make that our objective and mission become true.
Yours Sincerely,
Lic. Adrián Romero Ramos
SOS Children Village of Morelia Director
Relevant Countries: Mexico.