Mexico

Hogar Infantil, Chiapas: For 40 years Hogar Infantil has been a refuge for homeless, orphaned, abused and destitute children of the State of Chiapas. Recognizing that educating the girls of the surrounding region would have a tremendously positive impact, Hogar Infantil opened the doors to young girls. Today, 80 boys and girls live, play, and work at Hogar Infantil, while attending school in the village. There is no upper age limit, so those living at Hogar Infantil are not pressured to leave until they are ready. Most are, though, certainly by the time they reach 20. Education is a major focus at Hogar Infantil. Transportation is provided for those attending local public schools and universities in Mexico. It costs about $150 per child for tuition, required uniform and books each year. Multiply that by 80 children and you can see the blessing that is available to these children. Complete medical and dental coverage is also provided to the children. The SladeChild Foundation has awarded a $2,400 annual grant to Hogar Infantil, For more information, see www.hogarinfantil.org.

Rosita, in the photo above, was one of the girls living at Hogar infantil. She saw her mother and father macheted to death. She didn't speak for a number of years.

Piña Palmera School for Children, Oaxaca. Deep in southern rural Mexico, on the coast of Oaxaca, stands a modest palm grove filled with the sounds of children and singing birds. Among the trees, a cluster of well-constructed buildings catches the eye and leads to further signs of organized life - a connecting network of pathways to an assortment of buildings, workshops and houses...... and a playground. Welcome to Piña Palmera, center of rehabilitation and care for disabled and needy children, for education for families with disabled members, an internationally acclaimed outreach center for community-based care and rehabilitation.

Piña Palmera was founded in 1984 as an orphanage and school for abandoned and neglected children, this non-governmental organization has a growing international support network that provides essential funds for its continued development and, of course, its on-going needs. The SladeChild Foundation became an important part of that network in 1997 in the wake of hurricane ''Paulina'' which tore a path of destruction directly through the center of the old establishment. A hearty response to a call for aid and assistance on the Internet prompted the SladeChild Foundation to offer its services as ''fiscal agent'' in the US, by setting up a Piña Palmera Relief Fund. The success of the relief effort established a vital link that continues today. A significant number of U.S. and Canadian donors support Piña by sending funds to the SladeChild Foundation, earmarked for Piña Palmera.

Piña Palmera has a pool of about 10 therapists and specialists that reach into communities over an area of approximately 70 square kilometers, caring for 100 to 150 new patients per year and offering services to more than 400 people that participate in the different programs (of which 25% are between 0-5 years old, 45% between 6 and 18 years old and 30% above the age of 18). The programs available at Piña Palmera include: Physical, Occupational and Language Therapy, Early Stimulation, Instruction in Sign Language and Scholastic Normalization, as well as general medical consultation, and specialist consultation in Neuropediatrics, Orthopedics, Rehabilitation and Psychiatry. A token fee is charged (30 pesos for the first examination and 15 pesos thereafter) although most (85%) patients, are not able to pay and some even receive economic support for transport. The work in the communities is done at no charge. For more information, see www.laneta.apc.org/pina/