Do you know that…?
It is winter, it is cold – very cold, today almost -10 ° C again – and you are already looking forward to your warm home, the heated living room and a hot chocolate in front of the TV …
Or: It’s summer, it’s hot – especially hot today, almost 35 ° C – and you are already looking forward to the cool interior of your house, the car’s air conditioning and a delicious ice cream from the store …
The Conditions in the Copper Canyon
Unfortunately, these privileges are not known to the Tarahumara people in Mexico´s Copper Canyon. In addition, the extreme temperatures of this region can reach up -20 ° C in the winter and up to 45 ° C.
To protect themselves from the cold, the indigenous communities move into the valleys of the canyons in the winter where they live with large families in simple wooden or tin huts. During the summer months they live in the numerous caves found in the area which offer protection from the intense heat.
As if these extreme climatic conditions were not tragic enough, external circumstances of the past few years have made the economic situation of the Tarahumara continually worsen. Due to the negative press about the drug war in northern Mexico, there are far fewer tourists in this breathtaking region, even though this particular area is still safe for travel. As a consequence, the small income that the indigenous communities earned through the sale of handicrafts has been almost completely eliminated.
Chihuahua has also had the worst drought in over 100 years, destroying much of the agricultural production and tarahumara cattle breeding. The support from the Mexican government is unfortunately insufficient and there is a lack of water, food, clothing, and inadecuate facilites in school and work environments.
The Fate of the Tarahumara Children
What would you do with your 7-year-old daughter if she had to walk up to 85 kilometers to the next school for 2 1/2 days of learning? While you really need her help to finish the embroidered blanket that you want to sell down in the village for €1.50 to secure the next meal. What would you do if you went to “bed” in your cave in the evening and when you looked at your sleeping children you would find that they would expect exactly the same fate as you yourself? The only thing you can do is to hope that someone can give your children a higher education, giving them a chance at a better future.
Please Help!
When you travel to poorer regions of a country, you have probably often asked yourself what you can do to make the community and especially the children feel better.
“Should I give them something? Does it really help and what do they do with the money afterwards? “
How happy would you be as one of the above-mentioned mothers if a travel company merged with an aid organization to ensure that your children were doing well and that this constant worry was removed so that you would know: My children get a chance at a promising future!
For this reason we, Buenos Días México together with the charity organization of Little Light Feet e.V. joined to help the Tarahumara children. We support the girls’ boarding school “Tewekado” in Cerocahui which is lovingly run by the religious nun Catalina and financed solely through donations. Together with our customers we collect donations and give proceeds from our trips so that the children in the Copper Canyon have the opportunity to go to school and the necessary school material can be purchased.
Our Project
The girls’ boarding school in Cerocahui currently has one large dormitory and a classroom, both of which could use donations.
Buenos Dias Mexico wants to fulfill the children’s long-awaited wish this year: a furnished lounge where they can play, paint or read books during their break. What is the normal standard in countries like Germany is an extraordinary luxury in the Copper Canyon. The room itself was built 2 years ago through a larger donation, but has been empty since then.
For every customer who books a trip through Buenos Días México we donate € 5 to this project. However, in order for us to collect the necessary goal of € 800, we need YOUR help.
Please help the Tarahumara mothers to take care of their children and donate to:
Sparda Bank
Account 222 66 77
BLZ 206 90 500
Purpose: BDMx helps first name last name
Little Light Feet and Buenos Días México give you the opportunity to really change something with your donation and we – and especially the Tarahumara children & mothers – say: Thank you for your help!
Visit the area around the Copper Canyon and the Tarahumara children in the girls’ boarding school – book your Buenos Días México trip and make an automatic donation of 5 euros!
