Cabo Trip
At the end of September, myself and three friends went on a surfing trip to Cabo in Baja Del Sur Mexico. Since it was just four guys going surfing, there wasn't much to pack in our suitcases. Some boardshorts, sunscreen, a rashie and maybe a t-shirt in case we eat at a restaurant. I had the idea to fill the remaining room in our bags with school supplies for the local children. Then we could take an afternoon off from surfing and visit with the children at their school. I wasn't sure how it would go, but I had an idea it would be rewarding.
First I had to find a school and someone to help. I don't speak spanish so was unsure how to coordinate everything. I emailed the hotel we were staying at hoping they might provide some guidance. Unfortunately they didn't mail back. Then I searched for charitites in Cabo. I really liked what I saw on the web site for Liga MAC so I sent them an email asking for help. Within a day or two I got a response from Cynthia saying she could help out. Finding Liga Mac was a real stroke of luck. She and her team coordinated everything for us. I really can't say enough good things about them.
On Friday afternoon Cynthia picked the four of us up at the hotel and we loaded our school supplies. We all thought it would be a good idea to bring the kids a little treat so Cynthia drove us to the local Mega Mart. We bought enough cupcakes and juice boxes for the 35 second graders we would be visiting. We also took the opportunity to replenish some of our water and tequila supplies. After visiting the Liga MAC headquarters and seeing where they do their work, we headed to the school.
The school is new and was built in an area of government assisted housing. However, most of the children we saw were from a different area. The area where many of the children live is an unincorporated shantytown nicknamed "La Invasion". It is essentially a neighborhood being built from the ground up by squatters. Driving through La Invasion, we were struck by the poverty and poor conditions the children and their families live in. However, I didn't get a sense of the desperation and resignation that I've often seen in extremely poor areas. Instead, there seemed to be a bootstrapping feel where most were working towards improving their prospects.
The schools in Mexico have two sessions: the morning session and the afternoon session. We visited during the afternoon session. Typically the morning session has the more affluent children, but I can't remember why.
My first impression of the school was that it was clean, well cared for, and full of happy children. The classrooms surround a covered square area for the children to play in and there looked to be a dirt field in the back. The entire complex was fenced and gated and did not suffer from the gang tags spray painted everywhere else.
When we entered the classroom the children were busy working on an assignment. There was a lot of staring and giggling as we carried our gifts in and shuffled around at the front of the classroom. Each child sat at a shared desk and had a little bookbag at his/her feet. I could tell immediatly that their teacher enjoyed his kids and took his job seriously. He had a calm gentle demeanor with the children and you could tell they liked and respected him. He made an announcement saying something like we were there to visit with them, but they had to finish their work before we could get started. Their heads immediatly bowed in concentration and pencils were put to paper.
Soon the children finished their work and we were introduced. We showed them the school supplies we brought and I was amazed at how excited they were about the crayons! They were definetly a big hit. As were the cupcakes :) One thing we all noticed was the children ate some of their cupcake and then carefully folded it in their napkin and tucked it into their bookbag for later. After cupcakes we played, sang songs, took lots of pictures and laughed a lot with the kids. Then they were released for recess and we all went outside.
I walked over to the area where the children were buying their food. They get their lunch from a little stall that looked like it was run by a family. The good news is it contained some healthy and affordable food options. I believe the day we visited they were serving quesadillas. I can't remember the exact price but it seemed reasonable (I think 15 pesos). The bad news is there was lots of snack/junk food. And from what I could tell, the children seemed more inclined to buy chips and candy than quesadillas. Of course, this is the same problem we have in american schools, but it seemed particularly troublesome in Mexico where nutrition was not a priority. These kids were not adding snacks on top of their meals, they were substituting it.
If there is one specific thing I can think of to help the children, it would be to recommend a way to provide incentives for the kids to buy the healthier meal.
Maybe a system where each meal comes with a ticket? Collect 7 tickets and get something? More freetime, recess, etc?
Overall, visiting the school was one of the highlights of a great trip to Cabo. All of us left with big smiles and a feeling that we experienced something outside our normal lives. When I get a chance to do it again, one of the things I will do differently is to bring a soccerball. Those kids were so fun and playful I'm sure they would have had a great time running circles around us with a soccerball.
Click here to see some of the pictures from the trip.
First I had to find a school and someone to help. I don't speak spanish so was unsure how to coordinate everything. I emailed the hotel we were staying at hoping they might provide some guidance. Unfortunately they didn't mail back. Then I searched for charitites in Cabo. I really liked what I saw on the web site for Liga MAC so I sent them an email asking for help. Within a day or two I got a response from Cynthia saying she could help out. Finding Liga Mac was a real stroke of luck. She and her team coordinated everything for us. I really can't say enough good things about them.
On Friday afternoon Cynthia picked the four of us up at the hotel and we loaded our school supplies. We all thought it would be a good idea to bring the kids a little treat so Cynthia drove us to the local Mega Mart. We bought enough cupcakes and juice boxes for the 35 second graders we would be visiting. We also took the opportunity to replenish some of our water and tequila supplies. After visiting the Liga MAC headquarters and seeing where they do their work, we headed to the school.
The school is new and was built in an area of government assisted housing. However, most of the children we saw were from a different area. The area where many of the children live is an unincorporated shantytown nicknamed "La Invasion". It is essentially a neighborhood being built from the ground up by squatters. Driving through La Invasion, we were struck by the poverty and poor conditions the children and their families live in. However, I didn't get a sense of the desperation and resignation that I've often seen in extremely poor areas. Instead, there seemed to be a bootstrapping feel where most were working towards improving their prospects.
The schools in Mexico have two sessions: the morning session and the afternoon session. We visited during the afternoon session. Typically the morning session has the more affluent children, but I can't remember why.
My first impression of the school was that it was clean, well cared for, and full of happy children. The classrooms surround a covered square area for the children to play in and there looked to be a dirt field in the back. The entire complex was fenced and gated and did not suffer from the gang tags spray painted everywhere else.
When we entered the classroom the children were busy working on an assignment. There was a lot of staring and giggling as we carried our gifts in and shuffled around at the front of the classroom. Each child sat at a shared desk and had a little bookbag at his/her feet. I could tell immediatly that their teacher enjoyed his kids and took his job seriously. He had a calm gentle demeanor with the children and you could tell they liked and respected him. He made an announcement saying something like we were there to visit with them, but they had to finish their work before we could get started. Their heads immediatly bowed in concentration and pencils were put to paper.
Soon the children finished their work and we were introduced. We showed them the school supplies we brought and I was amazed at how excited they were about the crayons! They were definetly a big hit. As were the cupcakes :) One thing we all noticed was the children ate some of their cupcake and then carefully folded it in their napkin and tucked it into their bookbag for later. After cupcakes we played, sang songs, took lots of pictures and laughed a lot with the kids. Then they were released for recess and we all went outside.
I walked over to the area where the children were buying their food. They get their lunch from a little stall that looked like it was run by a family. The good news is it contained some healthy and affordable food options. I believe the day we visited they were serving quesadillas. I can't remember the exact price but it seemed reasonable (I think 15 pesos). The bad news is there was lots of snack/junk food. And from what I could tell, the children seemed more inclined to buy chips and candy than quesadillas. Of course, this is the same problem we have in american schools, but it seemed particularly troublesome in Mexico where nutrition was not a priority. These kids were not adding snacks on top of their meals, they were substituting it.
If there is one specific thing I can think of to help the children, it would be to recommend a way to provide incentives for the kids to buy the healthier meal.
Maybe a system where each meal comes with a ticket? Collect 7 tickets and get something? More freetime, recess, etc?
Overall, visiting the school was one of the highlights of a great trip to Cabo. All of us left with big smiles and a feeling that we experienced something outside our normal lives. When I get a chance to do it again, one of the things I will do differently is to bring a soccerball. Those kids were so fun and playful I'm sure they would have had a great time running circles around us with a soccerball.
Click here to see some of the pictures from the trip.
posted by Stephen at 4:06 PM
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