Tag Archives: disabilities

Huatulco

Un Nuevo Amanecer: A Community Lifting Children Toward Their Full Potential

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By Dan Thompson—

Starting their 31st year, Un Nuevo Amanecer (UNA) has been one of Huatulco’s most essential community organizations, dedicated to providing therapy, education, and support to children and adolescents with disabilities. What began as a modest local initiative has grown into a respected center offering physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, psychological support, early stimulation, and inclusive education programs.

In 2024, UNA delivered more than 1,700 individual therapy sessions, and its 2026 plan includes increasing its reach by at least 15%, serving more families who depend on specialized services not available elsewhere in the region.

A Growing Network of Support

For many years, the annual Blues on the Beach concerts provided nearly 60% of UNA’s annual funding, establishing a strong foundation for the organization’s growth. As awareness has increased, UNA’s support base has broadened significantly.

Donors include local residents as well as members of Huatulco’s international community, demonstrating the shared commitment behind UNA’s mission. Additional support now comes from local businesses, community events such as Vamos Huatulco, and long-time private donors from Mexico, Canada, and the United States. This diversification has strengthened UNA’s financial stability and expanded its ability to meet increasing demand.

Support From Across Borders

Canadian donors may contribute to UNA through Amistad Canada, a registered Canadian charity that partners with vetted nonprofit organizations in Mexico. This partnership ensures transparency and allows Canadians to make tax-deductible donations, further supporting UNA’s long-term sustainability.

Impact With Measurable Results

Each year, more children learn to walk, speak, develop independence, and gain confidence through UNA’s programs. Families receive guidance, emotional support, and the tools needed to help their children reach their full potential. Behind every therapy session is a story of progress—sometimes small, sometimes life-changing, always meaningful.

Looking Ahead

UNA’s goals for the coming years focus on expanding therapy services, strengthening professional staff development, improving equipment and facilities, and ensuring that every family seeking help can receive it. Continued community support—local, national, and international—is essential to achieving these goals.

Un Nuevo Amanecer stands as a testament to what a dedicated community can accomplish. Through ongoing generosity, the children and families of Huatulco can continue to look forward to a future filled with dignity, opportunity, and hope.

Friday, January 16, 2026
Casa Bocana, Huatulco

Artists Lineup:
Emiliano Juárez with Dai Gallo and the WestCoasters

Special Guest: Cat Wells — powerhouse Canadian rhythm, soul, and blues vocalist

Donation: 5,000 pesos per person (goes directly to UNA)

Via Paypal:
http://www.paypal.com/paypalme/unnuevoamanecerhux

or for Canadian donors, receive a CRS receipt via AMISTAD Canada http://www.AmistadCanada.org/donate Select Un Nuevo Amanecer as beneficiary

Your support funds therapy and education for children with disabilities in our community.

Can’t Attend? You Can Still Help:
Sponsor a child: 15,000 pesos provides one full year of therapy and educational support.

Learn more: http://www.facebook.com/huatulcobluesonthebeach

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

A New Dawn for Un Nuevo Amanecer

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By Dan Thompson

Un Nuevo Amanecer (A New Dawn) is a Huatulco organization that focuses on the detection, prevention, and treatment of disabilities, including educational needs and delayed development needs, in children. This civil association (associación civile, a certified Mexican nonprofit) has been meeting the needs of these children for almost 25 years. It is the only center of its type on the Oaxacan coast; last year, UNA offered over 7,000 individual sessions to about 150 children from Huatulco and surrounding municipalities.
Unfortunately, UNA and its work still remains unknown to the great majority of both locals and foreigners. You can learn more about them on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Un-Nuevo-Amanecer-en-pro-del-discapacitado-AC-185242528169754.
Supporting the Work of Un Nuevo Amanecer
The organization Amigos de Un Nuevo Amanecer was founded to educate residents and visitors about the incredible work done by Un Nuevo Amanecer, and to encourage donations and support for this organization. Their Facebook page is at http://www.facebook.com/groups/219989236981319.
Amigos de Un Nuevo Amanecer started the annual Blues on the Beach concert 10 years ago as a fundraiser for UNA; the event has grown to the point that it provides 60% of UNA’s operating budget. Alas, COVID canceled the 2021 concert, and put a crimp in UNA’s funding, and yet despite this, the center continued therapy sessions, actually treating more children with the assistance of hard-won grants, donations and small-scale raffles. COVID being still with us, there will not be a Blues on the Beach concert of the same scope as past years, but the need for funding remains the same – your donation of $300 pesos (about $15 USD) provides one individual therapy session.

A New Home for A New Dawn
Since its beginning, UNA has operated from the second floor of the founder’s family hardware store. There is an urgent need for a safer and expanded center to enable UNA to better serve existing families, and to assist more families. Now, after many years of effort to build a new home for Un Nuevo Amanecer, it is finally becoming a reality. A building lot has been titled, engineering and architectural plans are being developed, and groundbreaking is scheduled for early June.

The project is split into three phases, each of which will cost approximately $1,000,000 pesos. UNA has secured enough commitments to start the project, but funding for the subsequent stages must be raised. UNA needs your support both to fund its ongoing activities and to complete this critical building project.

Donations can be made via Paypal by going to http://www.paypal.me/unnuevoamanecerhux.

If you require a Canadian Tax receipt, you can donate through AMISTAD at http://www.amistadcanada.org/donate/. Instructions for donating from your bank and by check are on the left; the online donation column is on the right. Please make sure to click on Un Nuevo Amanecer as your desired charity.