Women’s cooperative battles globalization, August 18, 2006

Center for Global Justice Excursion to Cieneguilla Saturday, August 26, 250 pesos, 150-0025 Many positive effects of neoliberal globalization are visible around us: foreign restaurants, English-language newspapers, shopping and even donuts.

San Miguel is prosperous and cosmopolitan—if you have the money for such items. But for the most visible negative side of globalization, you need to go to the countryside.

On a visit to Cieneguilla, a community 1.5 hours north and east of San Miguel by bus, participants in the Center for Global Justice conference “Another World is Necessary” saw globalization’s other side. The town is full of old people, women and children; most working-age men have gone to the United States to work. Due to NAFTA’s flooding Mexico with corn and other agricultural products not grown in Mexico, even the small amounts of cash needed in village economies by sale of such products are out of reach. A child’s need for glasses or a school uniform suffices to send a family member—usually a brother or father—north to earn the required cash. Proportionately, Guanajuato sends more men to the US than any other state. 

“Families want to stay together. Our men do not go out of love for the US, but out of need," explained one of our hosts. Emigration (migrating out of and away from) is even more of a problem in Mexico than immigration (migrating into) is for the US—though no policy is being envisioned for raising up the underclass thereby created.

Neoliberal marketization imposes the need for cash on a village’s largely non-wage communal economy. At the same time, it pits village products against world market commodities—a losing proposition. Not incidentally, such policies allow big agri-business farms to expand cheaply. But so far, rather than sell out to such concerns, emigration to big cities or to the US is the painful solution chosen by many individual families. This further weakens the autonomy of village economies. 

Yet there are some positive solutions that are reinvigorating such economies and keeping families intact. Yolanda Millan has helped organize a sellers’ cooperative of 104 women from different villages, mostly northeast of San Miguel. She seeks out groups of women who make sellable items: women and children’s clothing, nopal soap and shampoo, sweets, baskets and the like. Sometimes she gets training or machines that allow improvement of products. Sometimes she just provides space in her store where they can be sold.

As a highlight of this July’s workshop, at Cieneguilla we met a group of 17 women who make baskets for sale at fairs and in the new Mujeres Productoras outlet located at the Center for Global Justice, Calzada de la Luz 42.

The grand opening of the outlet, San Miguel’s first exclusively “fair trade” shop, will be scheduled soon.
Basket-making has been practiced for generations in Cieneguilla. Simone Bullen, a Center for Global Justice intern who came to study and write under supervision of professors from Berea College in Kentucky, spent a week of collaborative field research in Cieneguilla. She demonstrated the art of basket-making for us with other more expert women. Her efforts sufficed to reveal the high level of skill involved. Yolanda has brought basket-makers from Oaxaca to teach the women new basket weaving patterns. The women had just returned from a major fair in Acapulco, where they sold baskets. 

In another malign turn of globalization, Chinese baskets can now be made more cheaply than Mexican ones. The campesino women of Mexico are competing with peasants in China! Yolanda now plans to get training for the women to make furniture from metal and reeds—small tables and chests of drawers. Soon they will be available for purchase at the Mujeres Productoras’ outlet. 

The Center for Global Justice plans another visit to Cieneguilla on August 26, and bus seats are available. You will be able to compare experiences of globalization in person with the basket weavers of Mujeres Productoras. You will also learn about how they have organized themselves into a cohesive, functioning group producing baskets for sale. 

Advance registration is required. The trip costs 250 pesos and includes a traditional meal, bilingual translation and transportation. For more information or to make a reservation, call the Center for Global Justice at 150-0025 or come by the office weekdays between 9am and 1pm at Calzada de la Luz 42 (near the corner of Loreto).


Medical team seeks children needing surgery
By Atención staff

The outstanding medical team from Kids First, Inc. returns to San Miguel August 26 through September 7 with a target of conducting 100 surgeries on local children with congenital medical problems.

Although many children have been screened and 30 children are coming in from the Televisa-sponsored therapy center CRIT in Guanajuato, there are still openings available and the team is putting out the call to bring more children in for review and a life-changing opportunity. 

Kids First, Inc., Surgical Missions Abroad visited San Miguel in September 2005. Although the team was prepared to perform 100 surgeries, only 40 appropriate cases were found, hence the call for more candidates. The children, all under 18 years old, received medical treatment for congenital problems such as foot malformations and dysplasia. Kids First provides medical care and performs orthopedic surgeries on children in countries such as Brazil, Colombia and Mexico. 

This year the 26-strong medical team led by Dr. Billy Andrews will use three operating theaters at the San Miguel General Hospital to perform the surgeries.  All surgeries, recovery therapies and medicines are free. Absolutely nothing will be charged to families. Through the support of generous individuals and the municipal International Relations department, the cost of the project, an estimated US$800,000, has already been covered.

Christopher Finkelstein, director of municipal international relations, hopes the community will continue to support the project with donations for an emergency fund to cover unforeseen circumstances. Remaining funds will be donated to the San Miguel Red Cross. 

According to organizer Dr. Roberto Maxwell, “It is important for the community to know that this is a joint effort. The Red Cross, the Centro de Crecimiento, DIF and the municipal administration all provide support as well as assistance with importing medical supplies and even with the doctors’ lodging.” 
The DIF (Family Services Agency) is still evaluating cases, so it’s not too late to refer a child to this program. Call Dr. Maxwell at 152-0247, the department of international relations at 120-4528 or 120-4529, or DIF at 152-3380. To contribute to the emergency fund, make checks out to Kids First, Inc. and leave checks at Casa Maxwell, Canal 14, or with Christopher Finklestein at the municipal international relations office. All donations are tax-deductible in the US; please request a receipt.


Audubon hosts fundraiser for PEASMA

Audubon’s champagne brunch for PEASMA Sunday, August 20, 11am–2pm Potranca 15, Col. Guadiana, US$50 nonmembers/US$40 members

Beautiful food in lovely surroundings is the highlight of a fundraiser for the Proyecto de Educación Ambiental San Miguel de Allende (Project for Environmental Education in San Miguel de Allende), known as PEASMA. 

Thanks to two women, Natalia Ortega and Eugenia Velasco, and the support of local organizations, San Miguel’s elementary school students will learn more about the environment this year. Previously, environmental subjects have been given little attention in the curriculum.
Under the sponsorship of Save the Children (FAI), Natalia and Eugenia have prepared a more effective program to give youngsters greater exposure to the subject. “We need a new generation that is not only more knowledgeable but also more respectful of the environment,” said Natalia, adding that the way of achieving this “is to start with today’s children.” 
The Sociedad Audubon de México, A.C., will sponsor instruction about birds, habitats and related subjects for second graders. A unique curriculum will be taught at each grade level, covering such important subjects as recycling, ecosystems and native wildlife, preservation of river basins and avoiding water pollution, as well as water treatment techniques. Workshops, field trips and other creative approaches to learning about the environment will also be incorporated. 

So far, PEASMA has received funds from FAI, Charco del Ingenio, Save the Laja, the San Miguel Educational Foundation (SMEF), Productos ZEUS, Vivero Los Magueyes, Art Print and individuals, including Mary Reich and John Rowe. 

The Sociedad Audubon de México, A.C., is based in San Miguel de Allende and is the only Audubon organization in Mexico. The group works with local communities to preserve and restore habitat for birds, wildlife and plants and to create biodiversity for the benefit of humankind. Audubon holds monthly bird walks and other field activities and sponsors monthly presentations, lectures and films that are open to all.

Tickets for the PEASMA fundraiser are available from any Audubon member and every day in the Jardín from 11am to 2pm until August 18. Tickets are also available by calling Saul Whynman at 152-2139. The cost is US$40 for Audubon members and US$50 for nonmembers. Information is available from Ortega and Velasco at FAI’s offices at calle Hidalgo 13 (152-3686).

Audubon sponsors monthly birdwalks, held the third Sunday of the month. Locations change, along with the species that the birders see. 


Mujeres en Cambio August lunch
By Roger Hind

Mujeres en Cambio Lunch Thursday, August 24, 2pm, Hacienda de las Flores, Hospicio 16, 120 pesos Mujeres en Cambio (Women in Transition) will present another delicious buffet lunch on August 24.

A primary objective of Mujeres en Cambio is to help young Mexican rural women gain an education and thus foster their self-sufficiency, self-esteem and self-respect. The group also encourages rural women to build businesses as a path to financial independence.

Mujeres en Cambio provides scholarships to more than 130 girls from the ranchos around San Miguel. Scholarships are offered to promising young women recommended by their school principals. Continued receipt of a scholarship is dependent upon maintaining good grades.

The guest chef at the lunch will be Dilshan Madawala, from the new restaurant Dila opposite the Instituto on Ancha de San Antonio. He will be providing Indonesian-style curried chicken. As usual, there will be a selection of delicious accompaniments and mouth-watering desserts prepared or supplied by core members of our group.

Come along and enjoy the beautiful surroundings, share a delicious meal, meet some interesting people and learn more about our programs to assist rural women. Men and women are both welcome!

Attendance at the lunch is limited to 50 people, and tickets (120 pesos) must be purchased in advance. Tickets are on sale now at Casa de Papel, Mesones 57A (the China Palace building); RE/MAX Colonial, Portal Guadalupe 12 (diagonally opposite the Parroquia); and Solutions Mail Service (Recreo 11). Get your ticket early, because they sell out quickly.

At the beginning of the school year, and every two months thereafter, scholarship recipients travel to San Miguel to pick up their monies. If you would like to meet some of the students and observe the payment process, please visit La Terraza restaurant (immediately to the left of the Parroquia) at midday on either August 31 or September 1.)

The following events round outour 2006 calendar:

October 26: afternoon tea and lecture on the Day of the Dead at Casa de la Cuesta, Heidi Le Vasseur’s beautiful museum, gallery and bed and breakfast
November 16: lunch at Patsy’s Place
December 21: lunch with Christmas fare at Hacienda de la Flores
For more information, check the website, www.mujeresencambio.com, or call Roger at 154-6552 (no reservations can be taken by phone). We welcome new members.


Pilgrimage with power and purpose
By Barbara Erickson

This coming January 2007, the San Miguel Walkers will be putting their feet and their hearts into pilgrimage with a purpose again. For the fourth year, they will be walking not only for their personal inner pilgrimage, but also to raise both money and awareness for CASA.

In particular, the organizers of the San Miguel Walk make it their goal to fund CASA’s anti–domestic-violence programs. 
Last January’s walk funded in part the newest CASA publication, Our Right to a Violence-Free Life, which in addition to providing background information on universal human rights speaks to the international and national legal framework for human rights. It includes a cookbook-style, step-by-step guide on how to report crimes of domestic and sexual violence in San Miguel de Allende and which agencies, both governmental and nonprofit, are resources to the public in these critical moments—including CASA.

CASA offers counseling for both men and women, emergency intervention for women and children in need of a safe temporary shelter, legal aid, medical help, psychological group and individual counseling and even daycare for preschoolers whose parents need help. 

CASA programs seek to address the staggering rate of domestic violence with a diverse approach. The peer-counseling program has been operating for more than 20 years and brings the issues into the light in rural communities, often for the first time. The annual public education program reaches the entire communities, starting with activities in schools for young children and reaching out to adults through seminars. The radio program and the theater group use funny and touching entertainment themes to bring the message home to even broader audiences. 

CASA works personally too, accompanying survivors of domestic violence to legal proceedings and providing the personal support that is critical to successful resolution of the cases. 

The CASA hospital and midwifery school provide accessible, invaluable care and birthing for the general public on a sliding scale for those who wish to have the alternative of a natural birth. The midwives trained by CASA go back into their communities and provide a sensible and safe alternative for pregnant women and their families.

With this purpose in mind and heart, the San Miguel Walk joins forces with more than 8,000 pilgrims who gather in front of the San Miguel Parroquia to walk the centuries-old pilgrimage path to the Basílica of San Juan de Los Lagos and the miraculous image of Our Lady of San Juan de Los Lagos. The second most popular manifestation of the Virgin in Mexico, this diminutive statue, constructed of corncob paste and orchid juice was constructed in the 1540s by converted Tarascan Indians. The first healing miracle of Our Lady of San Juan de Los Lagos was the cure of a young Indian woman around 1623. In 1769, the venerated image was installed in what is now the basilíca of San Juan de Los Lagos, where millions of pilgrims seek her aid and healing powers in the last days of January. She is particularly famous for miracles helping women and children, which adds the perfect dimension of meaning to the SMA Walk for CASA.

Martin Gray, anthropologist and Sacred Sites web publisher, says of this pilgrimage: “In my long years of pilgrimage around the world I have been to many religious festivals, but few so highly charged and boisterous as that of San Juan de Los Lagos. Truly a density of holiness saturates and surrounds this shrine during the festival.” 

Make your plans to join us, or sponsor a walker in your name or the name of someone you love! In such a “density of holiness,” the energy that comes back to you is truly worth the effort!

For further information about the pilgrimage, go to www.casa.org.mx/ and click on “Get Involved” and then “SMA Walk,” or see the website: www.sanmiguelwalk.com. 
About CASA and the walk 

Pilgrim Walkers: US$1,200 Put your feet into it
Angels: US$1,200 Sponsor a pilgrim or send your petition
Santos: US$600 Sponsor half a pilgrim 
Milagros: US$300 Sponsor one fourth of a pilgrim
Amigos: Donate what you can. Every donation is help for someone who needs it! 

Call Barbara Erickson 152-0129, barbara_erickson@hotmail.com 
Mary Breneman 155-9432, marybreneman@hotmail.com 

THANK YOU
This issue of Atención was made possible by contributions from …
Norman Araiza, M.A.
Betsy Bowman
Robert de Gast
Barbara Erickson
Christine Foster
Jeremy Goodwin
Vicki Gundrum
Roger Hind
Mike Lambert
Peter Leventhal
Charles Miller
Gary Mitchell
Edgar Soberón
Bev Spiro
Dr. Harold Weicker

Editing & Proofreading
Darryl Clifford
Kendal Dodge Butler
Robert de Gast
Jack Najork