June 27, 2008, Cont. from front page, Va por San Miguel de Allende Calendar, Giving birth to hope in outlying communities, By Jesús Ibarra, Hospice receives US$4,000 from Rotary Club Midday, By Beverly Russell

Local markets Ignacio Ramírez and San Juan de Dios, as well as most small fruit and vegetable stores, receive produce two or three times a week. In contrast, Mega and Soriana receive larger shipments every three weeks and refrigerate the surplus.

In general, smaller markets have better prices on fruit and vegetables. For instance, a kilo of bananas that costs about 9 pesos in supermarkets costs 7 pesos from a fruit vendor and even less—4.7 pesos—at Kikes. The same general cost differences hold true for pears and apples. Organic farms, such as La Trinidad in San Miguel Viejo, are an alternative source of economical, fresh produce. The Tuesday Market is another popular option for inexpensive fruits and vegetables. For example, a kilo of bananas sells for between 5 and 6 pesos.

Don Nicolas Ayala, who owns a fruit and vegetable store on Mesones, said that his sales have decreased around 20 percent since the supermarkets opened. To foster more competition, he thinks that small businesses should form a union and buy fruit and vegetables in larger quantities to get better prices.

Daniel González, administrator of Mercado Ignacio Ramírez, said that when Gigante opened in the early 1990s, sales at Ignacio Ramírez decreased about 60 percent. “However, as time passed, people realized that we sell higher-quality produce and they returned here. It is definitely not like before, but we still have customers, mainly people who live nearby and Americans, who are more demanding and prefer fresh, not refrigerated, produce,” said González.

Staples

Other groceries such as cooking oil, eggs, milk, beans and rice are usually cheaper, or at least the same price, at the large supermarkets. Comparing Mega, Soriana, Kikes and Bonanza, Mega and Kikes have the lowest prices and Bonanza the highest.

Don Pedro, who owns a grocery store on Ancha de San Antonio, said that sales have decreased 80 percent since the supermarkets opened. “I am selling between 15 and 20 percent of what I used to sell before the supermarkets came to San Miguel,” said Don Pedro, who opened his store 20 years ago. “Years ago, we used to work for a living; today, we work only to survive. The advantage I have is that the space is mine. If I did not have my own space, I would have had to close a long time ago. Many small businesses have closed because rent is too expensive.” Don Pedro sells cooking oil for 30 pesos, whereas Soriana and Mega sell it for 26. “I cannot compete with these large stores,” he said.

Drugstores and cafés

San Miguel’s oldest operating drugstore, Santa Teresita at the corner of Mesones and Relox, has seen a 20 percent decrease in sales, according to owner Manuel Nava, since Farmacias del Ahorro opened in San Miguel. “We only get by because of the special medical mixtures we prepare,” said Nava.

Guillermo Arredondo, owner of El Tenorio, said that sales have fallen off since Starbucks arrived. “We also have a bakery, and I cannot compete with the cookies sold at Mega or Soriana,” he said. “They pay much less for basic ingredients such as flour.”

Josefina Valentín, owner of Café de la Ventana, said that she has 20 percent fewer clients since Starbucks opened. “Tourists do not know that there are other places on the streets near the Jardín. They go to the places they see,” she said.

Value is only one motivation for consumers’ choice of stores; as in real estate, location is also important.

Ivette, who lives in Bella Vista, said that she shops at Mega because is closer to her home. “But it is not for the prices; I often go to León and shop at Wal-Mart, which is cheaper. I buy meat in butcher shops downtown,” she said.

Alejandra, from Colonia El Encanto, echoes this opinion. She shops at Mega because it is near her home, but prices are not the main draw. “I sometimes go to the Tuesday Placita, but I often do not have time, and I also buy organic vegetables,” she said. Ethel, an American resident, also shops at Mega because of its location.

José Luis, a father of two, shops at Mega for the sales. “When Bodega Aurrerá opens,” he commented, “I think it will be better since there will be more competition among the supermarkets, and I think they will offer better prices.”

Terra and Lulu, American residents who live downtown, said that they both shop at local stores, in the mercado and Bonanza. “I live alone and do not have a car, so I shop downtown,” said Lulu. Terra said she likes to support local businesses and thinks Bonanza offers better quality than the large supermarkets.

Antonia, from Colonia Olimpo, said she shops at Soriana because she likes it. “I buy groceries and bread. Fruits and vegetables are cheaper in the market,” she added. Yolanda, from Fraccionamiento Insurgentes, was shopping at Soriana when we interviewed her, but she said she would never go back because it is more expensive than Mega. She prefers to shop at supermarkets because it is more comfortable and “you can find everything.”

Andy, an American resident, buys organic vegetables at La Trinidad farm in San Miguel Viejo at very low prices; she also buys groceries at Mega, because it is near her home.

Lila Shaw Lash, a professional chef, said she prefers to buy meat at local butcher shops such as La Lonja, at the corner of Mesones and Pepe Llanos, or La Paloma, near Mercado Ignacio Ramírez, because the meat is fresher and of higher quality. She also almost exclusively shops at local produce stores and at Bonanza, especially for pasta, spices and imported items that cannot be found anywhere else. “If I shop at Mega, it is only because of the hours; La Lonja and Bonanza close at 4pm on Sundays, but Mega closes at 10pm seven days a week, if I desperately need something.”

Best prices at Mega, Tuesday Market (in pesos)

Va por San Miguel de Allende Calendar

Monthly public meetings of Va por San Miguel de Allende, AC, are at 7pm on the first Tuesday of the month, except in July, when the meeting is on the second Tuesday. All meetings are at El Sindicato, Recreo 4. For more information, vaporsanmiguel@gmail.com.

July 8

August 5

September 2

October 7

November 4

December 2

Last week, CASA (Center for Adolescents of San Miguel A.C.) graduated its ninth class of midwives. The 10 young women will perform community service and then begin working to help the women in their communities.

On June 20, Susana Sottoli, the UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund) representative in Mexico, visited CASA’s facilities to learn about its programs and determine whether CASA is eligible for support from UNICEF.

CASA and its programs

Founded in 1981 at the initiative of Nadine Goodman, CASA supports mothers who are single, do not have a source of income or have been abandoned by their partners.

They are generally young girls finishing junior high or in high school, between 16 and 23 years old. Daycare services and kindergartens with very low fees are among the services offered.

One of CASA’s main programs, sex education outreach, affords single, young mothers the opportunity to work and earn a salary. These young women—and some young men—are trained in sex education and travel to rural communities to talk on this topic and distribute free condoms. They currently visit 21 communities, mainly working with women and young people.

This is not always an easy task for the educators. “Sometimes we meet with opposition from people in the community. For example, it was very difficult for us to work in La Talega, where residents refused to attend the talks. We could only work in the school. In some others we face opposition from the local priest. The Church does not always agree with sex education,” said one of the CASA workers.

CASA also offers domestic violence advocacy to women regardless of their marital status. The institution currently assists between 800 and 1,000 young mothers each year through various programs.

CASA has a medical clinic that specializes in gynecology and obstetrics and a school for midwives. Women from other states, such as Chiapas, Oaxaca, Guerrero, Jalisco, San Luis Potosí and Guanajuato, attend this school—the only institution in the country that grants a professional certificate to its students.

The students stay at CASA during their enrollment.

Maricruz Coronado, head of the school and a professional midwife, explained that the midwife program lasts three years and includes subjects such as anatomy, obstetrics, gynecology, aromatherapy, homeopathy and pharmacology. “Our midwives are able to assist with any childbirth unless there are complications. In such cases the women are referred to a gynecologist,” said Coronado. “We assist women from the prenatal period through the first weeks after birth, which is the period during which the most babies might not make it.”

According to Coronado, the midwives from CASA have reduced mortality rates for women in several states. “In the rural communities, midwifery is widely accepted,” she said.

The CASA School for midwives is certified by the Secretaría de Salud (Federal Health Department) and by the CIFRHS, the Comisión Interinstitucional para la Formación de los Recursos Humanos para la Salud (Interdisciplinary Commission for the Formation of Human Resources for Health), which allows them to practice professionally in any part of the country. The midwives from CASA adhere to the requirements established by the World Health Organization.

Gloria Gaspar, 21, from Chiapas, is one of the program’s new graduates. “I live in the municipality of La Trinitaria, Chiapas, in the community of Ejido La Gloria,” she said. “In Chiapas, in some outlying communities, the level of mortality in mothers is very high. There are no medical services or health centers there. I am very touched, now that I am returning to my community to do my social service.”

UNICEF’s help

Susana Sottoli, UNICEF’s Mexico representative, visited CASA to assess the possibility of supporting its programs. Sottoli said that UNICEF has a cooperative program with the Mexican government whose objective is to support national funding to guarantee children’s rights, mainly in the areas of education, child labor, violence against children and abandoned child immigrants.

“We intend to increase support in all areas for children and youth,” she said.

Sottoli said that in addition to funding UNICEF offers support via expert technical assistance and exchanges between Mexico and the other 180 UNICEF offices in other countries.

She said she thinks it would be possible to support CASA since “UNICEF is always identifying these kind of projects, mainly if they have an impact on the issues we care about—in this case, mortality rates among women and children. We visit these projects and try to arrange some support through UNICEF or other institutions if we think they have the potential to guarantee a better quality of life for women and children.”

Gordon Logan, past President Rotary Midday, with Hospice president Lee Carter.

The outgoing president of Rotary Club San Miguel de Allende-Midday, Gordon Logan, presented Lee Carter, executive director of Hospice San Miguel with a check for US$4,000 from the Rotary Club of Walla Walla, Washington. Logan was born and raised there and is shortly returning for his 45th high school reunion. While researching his forthcoming visit, he made contact with Rotary Walla Walla and asked if they were interested in doing a project in San Miguel. They were and decided on Hospice. Gordon noted the similarities between the two cities: both have been listed in Money magazine’s “Top Ten Best Places to Retire.”

Prior to accepting the gift at a recent meeting of the club, Carter gave an update on the activities of Hospice since it opened its doors at calle Manuel Rocha in La Lejona last November. Hospice serves the terminally ill free of charge, and to date has served nine Mexican patients and four American patients. So far the organization has trained 68 volunteers, both hands-on patient care and bereavement volunteers, as well as administrative staff. Activities have also included stress and grief support for the nurses and social workers at the General Hospital and De La Fe, as well as the Cuidadoras of Dr. Gordillo.

Carter said he is particularly pleased with the inroads made with the Mexican community. “We have created a model for other Hospice centers in the US that are serving Latino communities, for example in Saratoga, Florida where there is only 2 percent Hospice use, the lowest of any ethnic community,” he said, noting the state has a 35 percent Latino population. Under the guidance of Hospice San Miguel’s caregiver Leticia Gonzalez, families are helped to anticipate grief and work through the crisis of a loved one’s departure.

Beverly Russell is author of several books on the arts and has written articles for numerous publications including The New York Times.