AUGUST 2010 IN CHIAPAS

Linda and I just returned from over three weeks in Mexico, first in Oaxaca and then in Chiapas. The latter was dedicated to Mujeres. In a short ten days we accomplished a lot. We spent two days at the women's bi-monthly workshop where much of the time was spent in a workshop on gender equity. We distributed our donation of 84 children's backpacks and the Soroptimist donation of a suitcase full of toothbrushes and toothpaste. Ten women and girls had eye exams and seven received glasses.

On Saturday morning we attended the Zinacantán Children´s Saturday Project. 25 children arrived and put on puppet shows that dealt with values, read their original stories in Spanish (remember, Spanish is their second language!), and then played bingo with multiplication tables and practiced penmanship. We were very impressed with the dedication of the teachers (four of our scholarship girls) and the interest shown by the children.

We spent another morning in the community of Crucero. The women gave us a demonstration of the process of weaving from the carding of the wool to the backstrap loom. Crucero had changed a lot from our last visit as a new road had been constructed, changing the landscape and making the community much more accessible, as evidenced by more houses and more population.

Our meetings with Carmen were productive. We also spent time looking at houses for sale, with the idea in mind that the cooperative needs a permanent location in San Cristóbal to hold their meetings, lodge when needed, and where they are not paying rent.

The weather was not the best this time. We dodged both rain showers and torrential downpours. But as usual San Cristóbal worked its charm and we enjoyed the trip. This last picture is of the church in El Cerrillo district, decorated with flowers for its annual festival.

Please check our website for pictures and news of our new scholarship girls as well as the Experiences page for new photos.

All for now. Judith