mexico

The mountain country of Mexico has a spectacular array of plant life.

Read: Latest news from Mexico

Mexico’s amazingly vivid history goes back as far as 40,000 years according to some archaeologists. Five different civilizations thrived in the region. By today’s standards, some of these civilizations weren’t so civilized. While Mexico boasts a rich legacy of many cultures, it also carries a past filled with conflict, tribal warfare and foreign invasion.

An unfortunate remnant of Mexico’s history of conquest both from within and without, is the mark of poverty, particularly among many remote indigenous villages. An estimated 44 million people live in poverty in Mexico. Of those, 14 million live in extreme poverty on less than US $1.25 a day.

CHOICE Humanitarian’s efforts in these villages are well-known. Since 1995 CHOICE has partnered with dozens of rural villages in central Mexico. Working in three of the poorest states, Guanajuato, San Luis Potosí and Zacatecas, CHOICE Humanitarian volunteers and staff have helped villagers reach for better lives. Micro-enterprises in livestock, cheese making, handicrafts, blacksmithing, corn mills and many others are in operation. Electricity is now supplied in many villages. Women’s savings programs, healthcare training and classroom construction are underway throughout CHOICE Humanitarian service areas.

Mexico is a country where we’ve seen incredible progress with self-sustaining village projects. CHOICE lays the foundation and sows the seeds of development that ultimately carry the village to the next phase. In just three to five years, communities learn how to leverage and mobilize their resources and reach the self-sustaining level. The number of successful village turnarounds grows almost monthly, yet there are literally thousands of villages throughout Mexico in desperate need of our help.

With your involvement we can not only make a dent in poverty, we can end it. CHOICE Humanitarian In-Country Director Juan Alducin (Link to Juan Bio) and his staff in Mexico have made enormous progress in the march toward developing successful communities. Please help us keep the progress moving forward.

Latest news from Mexico
CHOICE Expedition to Mexico
CHOICE Humanitarian Mexico Project Region - Google Maps
CHOICE Critical Needs in Mexico


CHOICE - Mexico by the Numbers

  • Mexican villages where CHOICE has worked: 33+
  • Mexicans directly impacted by CHOICE: 8,600
  • Mexicans indirectly impacted by CHOICE: 15,000

Village Progress at a Glance - Mexico

  • ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
  • Medicinal Plants, Handicrafts, and Fruit Hydrating programs initiated
  • Continued development of new CHOICE work areas in Zacatecas and San Luis Potosi
  • One completed and functioning income generating Goat Cheese Factory built, one near completion, and one more under construction.
  • Completion of Hispanics in Philanthropy grant to set up livestock micro-enterprise
  • HEALTH
  • EDUCATION
  • New school construction plans finalized in La Joyita - thanks to partnership with Deseret Health Group.
  • Construction on the first secondary school in the region is underway in La Mesa de San Isidro.
  • ENVIRONMENT
  • CULTURAL PRESERVATION
  • LEADERSHIP & TRAINING
  • Expansion of CHOICE Humanitarian Internship program

Livestock Can Help Earn a Living

Guanajuato, Mexico  –  2010 marks the successful completion of the 3-year HIP (Hispanics in Philanthropy) grant of $240,000. This grant has allowed CHOICE to build from foundation laid with the support of Rotary International and the Cameron Family Foundation for numerous animal husbandry projects. These projects not only teach villagers best practices in raising livestock, but also how to finance and market their livestock products.

Cheesy Group Visits Cheese Operation

Tamaula, Mexico  –  FeelGood World conducted their first expedition to Mexico where a group of women have started their own goat cheese factory with assistance and advice from CHOICE. FeelGood volunteers visited the new goat cheese facility and helped villagers build a community water system.

Secondary School Excitement

La Mesa de San Isidro, Mexico  –  Construction on the secondary school is moving fast thanks to Trivani Foundation support. The excitement level for this project is off the scale because it is the first secondary school available to villages in the area. Many classes are taught to high school students via satellite broadcasts from the state capital. The teacher quality and the education is first class. Traditionally students would have to move to urban cities to get a secondary education, almost an impossible dream for impoverished rural families.

More About the Cheese

Tamaula and Huaricho, Mexico  –  The Goat Cheese Cooperatives in Mexico are progressing rapidly. The new factory in Tamaula is complete, and the Huaricho Cooperative is well underway. While both are currently producing cheese for market. The new facilities will allow workers to produce higher quality cheese and dairy products in greater volume for sales distribution in the nearby urban area of Irapuato, Guanajuato, Mexico.

MBA'S and New Businesses

As CHOICE Humanitarian expands micro-enterprise projects in Zacatecas and San Luis Potosi a variety of cooperatives will be explored. CHOICE will be working with leaders to evaluate the viability of Medicinal Plants, Handicrafts, and Fruit Hydrating programs. Pilot tests are underway. CHOICE invites MBA students to contact us about internship opportunities. Call 801-474-1937.