Support Grassroots Earthquake Recovery in Mexico

Dear supporters,

More than a year and a half has passed since the earth shook and destroyed so many communities in central and southern Mexico. Thanks to the support of people like you, we’ve been able to support 24 groups of women working to rebuild their communities.

Along the way, we’ve learned a few things:

1. Most communities still do not know how to react to risks. Most places in Mexico lack security protocols on what to do in case of an earthquake or a volcano eruption. We are working with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to train our grantee organizations in risk-assessment: identify what their organizations and projects’ risks are and find ways to better prepare for future disasters. As Amparo, one of our grantee partners’ coordinator expressed, “If we have another earthquake, maybe the houses will fall again, but we need to react differently. We need to stand before life in a different way, knowing that yes, it can shake again, and we are in a risk zone, but we decided to stay. We now have the tools, the skills, to get up again because we are resilient women.” UNDP is providing these workshops by geographic region so that organizations can work together on risks they share. We’ve already carried out a workshop in Morelos and, during May, the four organizations in Puebla will receive the same training. We have also partnered with UN Women that is offering these types of workshops in Oaxaca so that our grantee partners in that area can assist.
2. People living in the affected communities still suffer from post-traumatic stress. Most of the community leaders started working right after the earthquake hit and did not stop to consider how the disaster affected them emotionally. We are providing our grantee organizations with self-care and emotional support workshops so they have the time and space to heal.
3. The earthquake mobilized many people into organizing and implementing community projects. 11 out of the 24 organizations that we support are new organizations that require a closer follow-up to their processes. We are closely working with them to provide them with all the necessary tools (administration, legal responsibilities, communications, fundraising, and others) to become a functioning and sustainable organization once this project ends.

Once again, thank you so much for your support and for contributing to Mexico’s recovery. We will continue updating you about the progress of these projects and are happy to answer any questions you may have.