Ajijic Rotary Club: Service Projects for 2023-24:
Computers for Saul Rodiles Elementary School
The project started through a plea for help on the noticeboard at the Lake Chapala Society, and Rotarian Jo Ross' field trip to the school in February of 2023. Here is a summary of Jo's findings:
The building is in a shocking state of disrepair to the point that it is unsafe. There is a concrete stairway leading up to an unfinished classroom with no roof. The stairway has no handrails on either side and the drop from the top step is about 15 feet. This school doesn’t have money to pay a salary to an English teacher, even though it is government requirement that school children in Mexico learn English. Teachers provides their own classroom supplies. When the lightbulb burned out in the school projector it could no longer be used. The school drinking fountains haven’t worked in years. Children either bring water from home or go without. The roof leaks and some of the walls have mold growing on them. The curtains at the windows are so tattered that the classrooms cannot be darkened enough for the projector’s images to be visible.
Before class the children fill buckets from a single working faucet. This is how the toilets are flushed. Once a year the students’ fathers climb up on the roof to clear away leaves, branches and other debris . This school doesn’t have a low budget. It has no budget at all.
The school computers date back to about 1995. They run on Widows 97. The computer lab has a large crack in the wall which appeared following the Colima earthquake in Sept. of 2022. The crack is still there.
Judith Labadie is the volunteer English as a Second Language teacher. She agreed to take the position and was so appalled by the conditions in the school that she formed a committee of volunteers to help make the school safe and able to provide the learning environment that these children deserve. Thanks to this committee’s efforts there have been some improvements.
The Needlepushers at the Lake Chapala Society have recently provided new blackout curtains. A fundraiser held by the volunteers last December enabled the purchase of a new projector. A plumbing company, owned by a former student, has submitted a very reasonable bid for roofing and other repairs. An anonymous donor purchased a new refrigerator.
Our club has agreed to provide funding for 10 new computer stations. The average class size is around 30 students so this is just a start. Much still needs to be done.
Posted June 29, 2023
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EMPOWERMENT AND SEX EDUCATION FOR GIRLS IN CHAPALA, JALISCO - "THE SIRENA PROJECT"
The "Girls Education and Empowerment program" would give 12-16 year old girls free menstrual cups or reusable pads while teaching them vital life skills and information missing in most young Mexican women's education. Brisa Reyes Granados and her friend Alejandra Hernandez are the originators of this project, and Alexandra designed the attached report. Now she is creating an action plan and budget. The plan needs to include Ajijic in addition to Chapala before Linda J. will take it to the club for action.
For a complete report about this project, please click here
Posted June 29, 2023
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One of our newest Rotarians of Ajijic Club, Jeanette Monosoff, PhD, and her husband, David Haley, a honorary Rotarian, spent 14 of the last 15 years in the Adivasi tribal area of Palghar District, two hours north of Mumbai. She and her husband volunteered as directors of a small NGO, OMGMT, of about 70 staff members, mostly tribal members themselves, to address the various problems facing the local tribal people. In those 14 years, she witnessed several young adult NGO staff members, or their family members commit suicide or attempt suicide. As a psychologist, she was personally pained to witness loved ones choose this devastating solution and wondered over and over what could be done to prevent this tragedy.
Research has shown a disproportionate occurrence of suicide among indigenous populations world-wide, and the same is true for India. The scheduled tribes (ST) population in India is a marginalized community living in relative social isolation with poorer health indices, fewer health-care facilities and almost no capacity for providing mental health care compared to similar nontribal populations. The traditional livelihood system of the STs are in conflict with the forces of modernization, resulting not only in the loss of customary rights over the livelihood resources but also in subordination and further, developing low self-esteem, causing great psychological stress.
India reports the highest number of suicide deaths in the world with Indian girls and women twice the global rate. In India, suicide accounts for most deaths in the 15–39 years age group compared with other causes of death.
PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
Rotary Club of Ajijic, Jalisco, Mexico has started a project to address this great problem of suicide among the tribals of Palghar district by providing a proven solution for emotional and mental health problems. The project will focus mostly on youth and women's groups, as suicide is more prevalent in that population. This project will teach students, women's
groups, farmers' groups and government hospital staff tools for self-regulation of emotionalstates.
The NGO in Palghar District, OMGMT, has conducted an online zoom class of 16 hours teaching these skills to its staff, with over half being tribal members. The program was based on HeartMath Institute's class, “Resilience Advantage”. HeartMath Institute has been conducting scientific research for over 25 years on the power of the heart in self-regulating one's emotional state. (www.heartmath.org) All participants took the techniques into their home life and work life with remarkable results.
A study was done in Gujarat by an Indian psychologist proving that the Heartmath Institute's techniques did reduce the depression of young adults. The study showed significant changes in psychophysiological coherence, negative feeling states and positive feeling state after five sessions of HeartMath techniques.
PROJECT STRATEGIES:
An OMGMT staff member will take the online course from HeartMath Institute in Coherence Advantage. Once certified as a HeartMath Trainer, he will offer to the local elementary and secondary schools, hospitals, women's groups, farmer groups offering classes in various lengths, 2- 12 hours per group.
OMGMT currently teaches physical yoga to 2500 students each week at 13 schools. The Heartmath trainer will offer the course to same students, as well as target OMGMT's 25+ women's self-help groups (15 people each), and farmers groups (30 per group), and offer courses in local government hospitals. There are many more schools, self-help groups, and hospitals to bring this information to in the tribal belt of Palghar district. To create sustainability, it will be mandatory that teachers, nurses and managers at each school and hospital receive the training and dispense appropriately after training is complete.
REFERENCES:
"Effect of Quick Coherence Technique on Psychophysiological Coherence, Heart Rate Stress, Anxiety, Depression and Feeling State in Young Adults in India"; Journal of Psychology and Neuroscience; March 11, 2021, Dr. Shilpa Jasubhai, Consultant and Clinical Psychologist in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India.
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01.01.2023
Service Projects Chair: Santiago Hernandez Martez
The purpose of this report is to provide current information on club projects.
Funding disclaimer: Note that approval of a project by the RCOA Board, may or may not include funding from RCOA.
GREEN-Projects approved by the RCA Board
When clicking on a link you may receive a redirect message. When reviewing projects on the club website be sure to scroll down to see the entire project.
Club project #s legend: YEAR MONTH DAY/Additional # assigned if multiple projects are approved by the board at the same meeting.
Feb. 6 2023 8am - 6pm Free Breast Cancer Screening for women ages 40-69 - Plaza Interlago - in Front of ChapalaMed
(Joint effort of Ajijic RC & Jalisco Health Dept & Salvati)
Project #20170702- Harthcock-Lyle-Strong Scholarship Program Click to access
Project # 20190305B-Salvati AC Training and Internship for Physical Therapists seeking the Lymphedema certificate course. Click to access.
Project # 20190305B-Rising Stars Scholarship Project Click to access This is an expansion of the existing program.
Project #20170701-Union Soccer Ajijic. Click to Access
BLUE-PROJECTS-In Developed have been presented to the board for review
RED-PROJECTS IN DEVELOPMENT
Project #20191015-Elementary School Students Libraries on Wheels Click to access
San Juan Cosala Choir Click to access