Sponsorship in Mexico
CFCA sponsorship has been offering hope to the poor in Mexico since 1984. Sponsorship helps remove obstacles of poverty such as hunger and lack of educational opportunities, encouraging individuals and families to progress in their development and reach their desired potential.
 The Cuernavaca project, located about 40 miles south of Mexico City in the state of Morelos, serves surrounding states of Veracruz, Oaxaca, Michoacán, Guerrero, Puebla, Guanajuato, San Luis Potosí, Jalisco, Querétaro and the state of Mexico, which includes the Federal District in Mexico City.
The Guadalupe project in the state of Nuevo León extends to the states of Tamaulipas, Coahuila, Durango, Zacatecas and to the U.S. border states of Baja California, Chihuahua and Sonora. This project covers a vast amount of territory and works with children and aging persons from border areas to the mountains where the indigenous Tarahumaras live. It addresses needs such as education, nutrition and medical care.
The Cuernavaca and Guadalupe projects serve children with special needs, street children, orphans and students in vocational training among others. These projects also hold weekly gatherings for the elderly, offering meals, craft activities, help with basic hygiene and recreational outings.
A high cost of living comparable to the U.S. makes life difficult for poor families at the Santa Catarina project in Monterrey. The project focuses primarily on quality education for sponsored children.
The oldest project in Mexico is in Mérida on the Yucatán Peninsula. The Mérida project works in the states of Chiapas, Tabasco, Campeche, Yucatán and Quintana Roo. The communities vary greatly, and the project works with many people of Mayan descent, including refugees from Guatemala. Programs aim at developing small communities of compassion, involving families and the elderly in income-generating initiatives such as vegetable gardens, small farms, incubators for hatching farm birds and cooperative stores to supply basic foods.
Sponsor a child in Mexico
 About Mexico
Mexico is the third largest Latin American nation (after Brazil and Argentina) and shares a large border with the United States. The country’s rich cultural heritage is a blend of Spanish colonial influences and Native American traditions, including those of the Aztecs and Mayas.
Many of Mexico’s most popular modern crafts such as textiles, pottery and furniture-making borrow designs and techniques from Native American culture and religious themes. The Mexican Revolution fostered a new sense of nationalism and experimentation that has been reflected in many aspects of Mexico’s culture since the late 19th century.
Over the past 100 years there has been a steady increase in migration of the rural population into larger cities and of the general population into the United States because of the decline of agriculture and the rise of industry.
Great contrasts in the standard of living exist between the rich and the poor, between city dwellers and rural residents, and between northern and southern Mexico.
The country enjoys a variety of climates because of its unique topography. Mountain ranges in the east, west and south contrast with the lowlands along the coasts and in the Yucatán Peninsula. Mexico experiences frequent seismic activity.
The people
The Mexican people are predominantly mestizo, people of mixed Native American, including Aztec and Maya, and Spanish descent. About a third are indigenous peoples.
Mexico has two distinct cultural groups that are defined primarily by social class. Upper- and middle-class citizens are more likely to live in urban areas and have lifestyles similar to people in the United States and Europe. Most people living in Mexico’s rural areas have more traditional values and beliefs, and clothing and food are more in tune with the indigenous culture.
 The family is the most important social institution in Mexican society. Families are usually larger in size and more inclusive in definition than American families. One Mexican household might include as many as four generations and extended family such as aunts, uncles, cousins and in-laws. Most often, financial and moral support are unconditional and even considered obligatory between blood relatives.
As a predominantly Roman Catholic society, Mexico’s largest celebration is Semana Santa (the week before Easter). Each day is celebrated with food, community-wide parties and religious processions on elaborately decorated streets. The Virgin of Guadalupe (Mary) is the patron saint of Mexico and is honored by countless road-side altars where the faithful often stop to pray, light candles or leave offerings such as flowers, letters and photos.
Education
The Mexican system of education is made up of kindergarten plus six years of primary school (elementary), three years of basic secondary (middle school) and three years of upper secondary (high school), which includes technical or business courses.
In 1992, the government established the National Accord on the Modernization of Basic Education that transferred the funding of public schools to the state level. Teacher salaries and training are a large burden on the states’ budgets, and while education remains a high priority, student retention through high school is extremely low. While public and private colleges and universities are available, mainly in urban areas, few are able to attend, and even fewer graduate.
Attendance for basic education is compulsory for ages 6 through 18 and schools are in session from September through June. The increase in school enrollments during the past two decades has been dramatic. However, a shortage of teachers and schools, and a growing population have limited the effectiveness of the educational system. Many parents opt to send their children to private institutions (usually Catholic schools). Poor families generally cannot afford the tuition and additional costs such as uniforms and textbooks.
Sponsor a child in Mexico
Sources:
World Factbook
MSN Encarta Encyclopedia
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