Reports from Oaxaca

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Dear Friends of Oaxaca Streetchildren Grassroots:    

I just returned from a two week work trip to Oaxaca, my first in two years due to the pandemic. Although Oaxaca remains a wonderful place to visit, the effects of the pandemic are evident. The city is dirtier, strikers block roadways and camp in the Zócalo, and so many businesses I have known for so long have closed or re-opened as something else. The hardship for those in poverty is evident with many asking for money, and there is a clear sense of how difficult their struggles are. That said, Oaxaca remains a beautiful colonial city, has some of the best food in the world, and for those of us that travel, it remains a wonderful place to be.  

Nearly all of my time in the city was taken by meetings with the staff at our center, our Mexican President, Dra. Martha Canseco, our partner organizations such as CANFRO, TASH, INC., conducting interviews, and in planning for the exciting things to come. We are currently in the processes of planning the opening of a second campus for our center, Centro de Esperanza Infantil, in Xoxocotlán, that will not only increase our capacity, but offer more services than ever before. 

More to come about this in our paper newsletter that will go out in about a month. (If you do not receive one via mail- please let us know).  My takeaway from the trip was that our services are needed now more than ever. Thanks to the incredible generosity of so many, we are planning to address the need in more ways at the second center, a staff teacher, a nurse, increased services from our psychologists, an expanded food program, and so much more. Without you this could not happen!

W. David Slaymaker, President Oaxaca Streetchildren Grassroots