John Tyler, one of our board members, lives part time in Oaxaca. He returned to the U.S. recently and shared his observations of the current situation in Oaxaca with us. Below John says:
“In my twenty years of spending summers in Oaxaca, the downtown neighborhoods near the Centro de Esperanza Infantil were different this year from anything I had seen in the past. More than anything, what struck me was their emptiness. Most churches were closed. The street vendors who normally sell to tourists along the streets that lead to the Zócolo were ordered by the government to leave, forcing them in places behind the Jardín Etnobótanico, in the Zócalo, or on the streets near the Benito Juárez Market. Many of these vendors are relatives of children served by the Centro de Esperanza.
The tourists themselves were largely absent, as were locals who come downtown for the summer celebrations. The popular Guelaguetza dance spectacle, held in the last two weeks of July, was canceled and converted into a virtual event that was broadcast on TV. Many of the fairs in nearby towns were also canceled. The overall economic impact has hurt anyone dependent on tourism, especially the poor families who use Centro de Esperanza’s services.
Mexico uses a color system – green to red – to track the COVID-19 pandemic, and since spring Oaxaca has been in either orange or red, the two highest levels. The government is vaccinating people by age, beginning with the eldest. Unlike in the U.S., most people seem eager to be vaccinated. At the beginning of summer, teachers became eligible. By summer’s end, young people aged 18 and older were eligible. Schools were going to open with in-person classes this month, but that plan is on hold because of the latest surge. In-home learning will continue, putting more pressure on poorer families who don’t have the technology to study from home.
The Centro Esperanza closed last year and has yet to reopen to the in-person activities that typically occur during the summer – hot lunches, games, and workshops led by volunteers. However, the center’s staff continued to prepare for the coming school year, dispensing to students school supplies, shoes, and a voucher for a school uniform. Only two of the Center’s SIX employees did not get sick with COVID-19. The center itself has been modified to reduce the chance of contagion. There are partitions between all the desks, computer
workstations, and in the offices. Facemasks are obligatory and everyone who enters gets a dose of antiseptic hand gel.
One of the summer tasks is translating the thank-you letters handwritten by children to their sponsors. I helped with the translation and in the letters I saw what Oaxaca has been like for the students during the pandemic. For many, unreliable internet reception interrupted their classes. Public school classes are televised, and teachers check in with them on a cell phone to make sure assignments have been completed. Sponsor money has helped to pay some cell phone connection costs, which has been a big help for families. Several children wrote about deaths in the family and parents who were without work or were forced to change jobs. It was evident from the stories the children told in their letters about their families’ needs that donations are more important than ever this year.”
