Earth Day 2018 and Jewelry Group Fundraiser at Huerto Cafe

It has been quite a week for the Brigadistas of San Pedro Itzican 

and for Poco A Poco we all make a difference.

On Sunday April 22nd, 2018 we were asked to attend a recipient gathering at the 

Anglican Church in Riberas del Pilar.  The Church was presenting their annual

grant awards and the Poco A Poco we all make a difference request for funding for

educational expenses for 22 Brigadistas was accepted.

The Brigada Estatal sent 2 representatives to attend.

The awards ceremony immediately followed Sunday Service at the Church

We were in wonderful company.

Grant Recipients

We could not have been happier with the results.

As it was also Earth Day, special tribute needed to be given to Mother Earth...so we headed down to the shore for some serious bird watching.

Women Supporting Women

Jewelry Making Group Fundraiser
Huerto Cafe
Monday April 23rd, 2018

With the assistance of the Brigada Estatal and El Mayor, the Brigadistas arrived in style to the
Women Supporting Women, jewelry group fundraiser at Huerto Cafe.

Guests arrived early and waited for the start of the event.

Our VIP lounge was converted into a reception and work area

Anita Torres Guerrero and Doris Wakeman discuss last minute details

Happy Guest

Many friends and supporters arrived to partake of the festivities.

El Mayor, Sr. J. Trinidad Lopez Rivas, inspects one of our garden group's harvest products.

Dona Olivia was on hand to offer her wonderful, homegrown products. 

Of note is the first crop of moringa leaf packets.

Our friend, George was happy with her purchase.

Happy Customer

Kari Higgins has been the heart of the Jewelry Making Project's coordination

and quality assurance efforts.

Products from our newly formed knitting program were also available.

Our Music Group was also present and performed for us.

Rehearsals on the street

El Mayor tries acelga/swiss chard grown in Dona Olivia's garden.

Co-hostess Enaj enjoys our guest of honor.

Our displays were informative and entertaining.

Our event was booked solid from the start.

At times it was standing room only.

Tonaluna took the stage, featuring Kristina Trejo on piano and Gaby on flute & vocals.

Adios

All too soon the event was over, the restaurant put away and the Brigadistas ready for their 

long trip back home to San Pedro Itzican.

We'd like to thank the following for their generous contributions:

Rocio Meillon, Huerto Cafe

El  Mayor, Sr. J. Trinidad López Rivas, Brigada Estatal, Jalisco

Anita Torres Guerrero, Director, Los Brigadistas

The Women of the the Jewelry Making Project, San Pedro Itzican

The Women of the Knitting Project, San Pedro Itzican

The Members of the Music Group, San Pedro Itzican
The Guadalajara Reporter

Karin Higgins

Doris Wakeman

Enaj

Tonaluna

Yanin Saavedra

And all those who contributed and donated to the success of our event.

Poca A Poco we all make a difference.

La Zapotera Update - April 19th, 2018

La Zapotera

As you drive to La Zapotera from Poncitlan, you travel through prepared and plowed fields, seeded and ready, awaitng our annual rains.  Dairy cows polka dot the landscape.  And as you crest the ridge overlooking Lake Chapala, your breathe is taken away by the sheer beauty and majesty of the landscape and vista.

Harvey Bernier and I had arrived at La Zapotera to see the progress at the community center building that the community is renovating.  Today's homework was to review with Project Manager Gerardo the kitchen plan and see how the plumbing investigation was progressing.

Kitchen Plan

We had a basic idea of what the community kitchen was to be, and wanted to run the plan by the women and men of La Zapotera, to gather their responses.  We were give a "two thumbs up" from them to proceed with the planned work.

As always, a good guest brings gifts.  And Harvey is the best guest ever!  He always brings food and drink and usually a slew of tomatoes as gifts for the community members.

Peanut butter and jelly duty

Everyone lines up and waits patiently for their sandwiches.  It is a lovely thing to behold.

Then it was up to the roof to see where the slow sand filtration system will reside, as well as the organic rooftop food gardens, the medicinal plants gardens, the gas tank placement and the 'al fresco' dining area.

My partner Brad had asked about the water filtration system.  I asked Don Antonio, who oversees the works, to explain.  He said the spigots use a water filter that allows for potable water to be taken from the spigot to a 20 liter water bottle for $5 pesos a bottle.

Certain townsfolk are assigned water duty certain days of the week.  Potable, drinking water is available to the entire town.

As we worked through the morning word got out that Harvey was in town.  Harvey is somewhat of a local celebrity in La Zapotera.  Children materialized at the community center door.  The volunteers arrived.  Naturally we all met at the community center to discuss the evolution of the duties required for the project.

200 children will be fed at the community center kitchen.  We will have to accomodate 60 children per day, along with 20 people of the third age and 20 adults per day, for a total of 100 people a day being fed.

Discussion was had as to who will run the kitchen, who will clean, who will stock the pantry, how will we shop locally for our food and materials, why is it important to shop and source locally...all these were addressed.

Then it was time for me to bring out the most amazing gift for the women of La Zapotera's farmacia.  I had been asked to give a presentation at the Lake Chapala Garden Club's monthly meeting in March 2018 re: the garden projects in the east of Mezcala region.  One of the attendees was Chris Lindner from Ontario, Canada.  Chris went back to Canada and remembered the women of La Zapotera's farmacia needed dark glass bottles to store their tinctures/remedies.  The women of La Zapotera had stored their remedies in old jam jars, old Coke bottles, anything they could get their hands on.  Chris Lindner remembered my asking for dark glass  bottles and sent a "Care Package" of beautiful dark, glass bottles and an amazing array of heirloom seeds for the project.

Fco. gives Dona Olivia apothecary bottles

Fco. gives Dona Olivia heirloom seeds

Dona Olivia. one of the farmacia group, accepted the gifts.  They were overjoyed to have a wonderful set of bottles to use for their remedies, as well as accept the seeds for their gardens.

Don Antonio and Raul at our community meeting.

 Raul and Harvey listen intently.

The projects at La Zapotera are community run and volunteer based and staffed.  We rely on the townspeople to attend meetings, distribute the workload and do the work.  I am pleased to say that the majority of the workers are women from the town who want to improve their lot and make a difference in their communities.

Poco A Poco, we all make a difference.

A special "shout out" goes to Chris Lindner for the lovely apothecary bottles and heirloom seeds, to Wendy Wilton for liasioning, to the Lake Chapala Garden Club for facilitating this encounter, and to all the people who support our programs to help make our communities better.

We could not do what we do without you!

****Hair & Make-Up Classes in San Pedro Itzican - April 2018****

Hair and Make-Up

Rodrigo López from Innovation Hair Specialists in Ajijic

The hairdressing project, was originally organized by a group from Guadalajara, and this organization trained 35 women in San Pedro Itzican, on how to cut hair. They gave them brushes, hairdryers and scissors, and 10 women are now trying to run their own businesses from their homes. 

Those 10 women have asked the brigada for help in getting more supplies and training so that they can style hair. So we are looking for hair straighteners, hair curlers, heated rollers, styling brushes, gel, hair spray, shampoos, conditioners, etc.

They would also like to learn how to do make up, so make up supplies are also requested, as well as training. Other supplies could include nail varnish, towels, lipstick, make up, creams, etc. And if you have any ideas on how to help, do contact us!

We approached Rodrigo López of Innovacion Hair Stylists, of Ajijic and he kindly provided free training on hair styling and make-up . His first visit to San Pedro was on Monday April 16, 2018.

We had 20 women show up for the training. We only expected 10 who were enrolled.

We hope to get other hairstylists to also assist us with this project.

Knitting 

Music

Seed: The Movie Premiere in Ajijic, Jalisco Mexico

The Jacarandas are in bloom again.

With this lovely omen we had our Seed: The Movie premiere.

Guests arrived and were greeted at the door with a smile and a seed exchange table.

Several guests brought and took seeds.

As the hour approached our theatre started to fill up.

We greeted our guests, had a wonderful screening and finished with a question & answer period.

We'd like to thank the producers from Collective Eye Films and especially Robyn

for helping us get this premiere together.  And thank you to all the people who came out

to view the wonderful documentary.

Look for a second screening of Seed: The Movie coming soon to our area.

Hope House - Ixtlahuacan, Jalisco Mexico - April 3rd, 2018

 Hope springs eternal, especially at Hope House in Ixtlahuacan.

Today I was invited by my new friend Patsy to tour Hope House located in Agua Escondida

in Ixtlahuacan.

Hope House is a children’s shelter providing vital temporary and 24/7 residential care

for young boys ages 2-18 who have been abused, neglected or abandoned.

Their Mission

They are determined to break the cycle of abuse and neglect our boys have found themselves in

and, as a result, raise a generation of productive, successful young men.

Greenhouse

Knowing of my interest in growing organic food, Patsy thought that the hydroponic gardens at Hope House would be of interest...she was right.

 Josue

Our guide this morning was young Josue.  He is 11 years old.

Moyo

Josue's trusty companion Moyo shadowed our every move.

The greenhouse has both in ground (earth) plantings as well as hydroponic plants

 Radishes

Josue told us that the kitchens at Hope House harvest food for their tables year round.

The hydroponic planting area uses common water and a pump that turns on every hour to irrigate the plants.

They do have small fish in the water recycling receptacle area, adding nutrients to the water as it circulates.  I guess you could call this an aquaponics garden.

In addition to the gardens the greenhouse also has a compost pit, that assists in efficiently

amending the garden soils.

 Hope House has vocational training programs for the boys.  One of the most developed is a fully equipped wood shop, where the boys learn, from volunteer teachers, the craft of woodworking.

Hope House is always looking for volunteers, to help them reach their goals.

Plant a seed of hope.  Contact Hope House.

376-762-0032

oficina@casahogarmexico.org