As part of our goal to strengthen Latino communities in both sides of the border, HIP recently convened over 100 individuals committed to the growth of philanthropy in Mexico during a series of events in Guanajuato, Mexico.
On November 26th, HIP and FUNDEMEX gathered 37 business leaders, government representatives, community foundations and individual philanthropists to discuss new opportunities in the region. The following day HIP held an inaugural symposium in Guanajuato, titled "Productive Initiatives as a Foundation for Local Development." Over 80 non-profit leaders and members of the community attended the event, which featured a round-table discussion proposing productive projects as critical elements in local development. The panelists included Roberto Ramirez, Victor Anzaldo and Janete Arreola, non-profit leaders who have successfully developed productive initiatives in different regions in Mexico, and María del Carmen Cebada, a university professor in who has researched bi-national initiatives and identified challenges to their success. This discussion was followed by a presentation given by Fernando Robledo, the General Coordinator of the Center for Mexicans in the Exterior, and Arcadio Delgado, President of the “Federación de Guanajuatenses” in Chicago. Fernando and Arcadio highlighted the desire of diaspora organizations to invest in their home communities and the challenges these organizations face when implementing local development initiatives. During the event HIP also launched new grant rounds in Guanajuato and Puebla.
The symposium culminated with the a grant award ceremony for the Centro Comunitario para la Obras y el Intercambio Cultural y Educativo (CHOICE), our first funded project in Mexico. Founded in 1995, CHOICE has designed a replicable model for goat milk and cheese production in conjunction with local producers from marginalized communities in the state of Guanajuato. Members of the Tamaula community, where the project will be initially implemented also attended the symposium. Tamaula, is located about an hour and half west of Irapuato up a rutted road that is frequently rained out. Don Pedro, the community’s leader, gave a heartfelt message about what they are trying to achieve, building a wall, not of cement and brick, but of opportunity so their young people stay on this side of the border.
Through this productive initiative four individuals from the community will invest in the micro enterprise run by their wives, daughters and sons. These men, who currently work landscaping jobs in Washington state, Georgia and Kentucky six months out of every year, will have the opportunity to directly impact their home communities where the signs of remittances are clear—two story cement houses built side by side with the old stone houses as a reminder of how far they have come. There is no running water.
The goal is to extend the project to neighboring communities. Under this innovative program, local producers will be granted "goat loans", whereby they will receive a given amount of goats for milk and cheese production. Once the producer doubles the number of goats in his or her herd, the original number is returned to CHOICE, who in turn lends the goats to another producer, ensuring the sustainability of resources and the production program.