Tag Archives: charity

Huatulco

Un Nuevo Amanecer

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By Pamela Welgan

Several years ago, my husband and I decided to make Huatulco our annual winter retreat. During one of our stays, I sought ways to connect meaningfully with the local community and discovered various charitable organizations. Serendipitously, I crossed paths with one of the founding members of Un Nuevo Amanecer (UNA), a professional care center in Huatulco dedicated to supporting children and adolescents with developmental challenges.

How It Started
An old proverb says, “It takes a village to raise a child.” Nearly 30 years ago, Flor Angélica Castillo de la Cruz, María Estela Venegas Aguirre, Dominga Sanchez Aguirre, Luz María Blanquet, and Leonardo Alcántara García took this to heart when they founded UNA. They recognized a pressing need for resources and services to support children with disabilities in Huatulco.
In those early days, these remarkable individuals, some with young children of their own, conducted village-by-village needs assessments across the Santa María Huatulco municipality. Imagine them driving a VW Beetle to remote communities to better understand and educate families about the importance of providing care for children with disabilities.
UNA’s initial funding came from the Ba’asolay Foundation. Piña Palmera, another local organization working with children with disabilities, provided medical assistance, wheelchairs, and hearing aids in collaboration with the Huatulco Rotary Club.
Over the years, UNA has partnered with government institutions and international organizations, including Indesol, Unión Europea, COPLADE, Oaxaca Public Charity, TELETON, the Harp Foundation, and Amistad Canada. Local support has come through efforts such as Blues on the Beach, spearheaded by Daniel and Sonia Thompson, and community-driven initiatives led by Vamos Huatulco and Lobos Blancos. These partnerships, along with countless dedicated volunteers, have been instrumental in UNA’s journey.

UNA Today
UNA is a registered asociación civil (a nonprofit organization permitted to receive private donations). Its full name, Un Nuevo Amanecer en Pro del Discapacitado, A.C. (“A New Dawn for the Disabled”), reflects its mission to offer hope and a brighter future to children and adolescents with developmental challenges.
In 2023, UNA reached a significant milestone: the opening of a purpose-built Child Care Center in Huatulco. This modern facility provides a safe environment for children and their families and improves working conditions for staff. Its prominent street-level location has also increased awareness of UNA’s services. (See Dan Thompson’s article, “A New Dawn for Un Nuevo Amanecer,” in the February 2022 issue of The Eye.)

Today, UNA serves approximately 150 children annually, ranging from infants as young as three months to teenagers up to 17 years old. After an initial assessment by UNA therapists, each child receives personalized interventions. Specialized medical follow-ups are often arranged in Huatulco, Oaxaca City, or Mexico City. Diagnoses include physical disabilities, hearing loss, blindness, learning disorders, ADHD, intellectual disabilities, autism, and neurological disorders.
Therapeutic interventions at UNA include speech therapy, occupational therapy, Mexican Sign Language instruction, and pedagogical support. For adolescents unable to pursue further education, workshops in independent living and cooking skills prepare them for future employment. Success stories abound—many young people have gone on to work in local resorts, restaurants, or their own communities

Supporting UNA
UNA relies on the generosity of donors, volunteers, and community support. Here’s how you can help:
Blues on the Beach
· Date: February 5, 2025
· Location: Hotel Casa Bocana, Bocana Beach
· Details: Enjoy food, drinks, and live entertainment in a stunning open-air venue. Admission by donation—$5,000 MXN per person.
· Donations can be made via PayPal: http://www.paypal.me/unnuevoamanecerhux. For Canadian tax receipts, donate through UNA’s partner, Amistad Canada: http://www.amistadcanada.org/donate.
Vamos Huatulco
· Date: January 12, 2025
· Details: Join a 5km run or 3km walk to support UNA. Register and learn more at: vamoshuatulco.org.
Apadrinar a un Niño (Sponsor a Child)
Through this program, donors commit to financially supporting a child’s therapeutic treatments with an annual donation of $15,000 MXN. This initiative targets children from the region’s neediest families who require multiple interventions. For more information, please contact UNA directly.
Get Involved
Whether you’re interested in donating, volunteering, or simply learning more, UNA welcomes your support. Visit: http://www.unnuevoamanecerhux.com.

Pamela Welgan serves as Project Liaison for UNA with Amistad Canada.

 

Huatulco

The Power of Giving

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By Russell T. Greene and S. Price

Every autumn people across North America eagerly anticipate Black Friday (weekend beginning November 25) and Buen Fin (weekend beginning November 18), the kick off for sales to begin their holiday shopping sprees. At the same time, people with a desire to support charitable and non-profit organizations have balanced retail spending with philanthropic giving. Giving Tuesday, which happens on November 29 this year (the last Tuesday in November), was created as “a day to encourage people to do good.”

In Huatulco many charitable organizations and community groups have benefitted from the generosity of tourists, snowbirds, and a growing number of permanent residents who look for ways to support their homes away from home. Donations of time and money have contributed to the local Red Cross, built and supported rural schools and provided much needed medical equipment. Each completed project, and the donations given, is a testament to the calling many of us have to help people living in vulnerable situations.

It’s with the calling of being a Christian that Randy Clearwater and his wife Kimberly were determined to feed the hungry, cloth the unclothed and provide shelter, especially to the widowed, the elderly, and single mothers. After volunteering themselves in Canada, Randy and Kimberly wanted to bring similar charitable work to Oaxaca, though on a smaller scale and in keeping with local culture.

To fulfill this ongoing mission, the generosity of individuals who see the life-changing results of their efforts is needed. Donations in the form of food, clothing, building supplies, and – of course – money are constantly needed. Without the continued support of all, nothing happens.

On September 7, 2017, an 8.2 magnitude earthquake struck southern Mexico, with its epicenter in the Isthmus region. In a rapid response, Randy delivered food hampers to the community of Chahuites, a small, impoverished mountain community east of Salina Cruz, four hours from Huatulco. While there, it became evident that in addition to food security, families were in need of safe housing and basic furnishings.

With the help of local residents, families in greatest need were equipped with material to rebuild their homes. Since 2017, the community has come together to give of their labour, skills and resources to construct 12 casas including making their own cement bricks, adding metal roofs, doors and windows. Randy and Kimberly have travelled several times to Chahuites to witness the progress and they are so thankful for the hearts and generosity of the donors who have made this possible.

Following the 2020 earthquake (magnitude 7.4), with an epicenter near Salina Cruz, and Hurricane Agatha in May 2022, which made landfall at Puerto Angel, access to safe housing and simple comforts like a bed to sleep in and a table to eat at became growing priorities. So, in 2022, Safe Shelters Huatulco was developed alongside the Huatulco Food Bank to give donors an option to support different projects in the community.

Safe Shelters Huatulco has been focused on building basic furniture like bunk beds, tables and shelving to provide the comforts of home. Local pastor Wilfri Justiniano serves as a community liaison and has been identifying families in the area that will benefit from this work. In many families, parents have a bed in which to sleep, but children often sleep on the ground. The cost to build a single bunk bed strong enough to hold the weight of multiple children and withstand the elements is substantial – the lumber alone is well over $5,000 mxn ($250 US).

While there will be volunteer opportunities to build the furniture in the future, there is a constant need for financial support through donations and fund-raising. Without the generous contributions of time and money, these projects are not sustainable.

This November 29, take a moment to consider what is important to you and find a local charity or nonprofit group that needs your support. And remember that while Giving Tuesday makes it easy to get the donations started, your support is needed all year long.

If you would like to support Safe Shelters Huatulco, please donate through PayPal (@rlclearwater) or Interac (rlclearwater@gmail.com).