Steps of Love

Before COVID-19 education was the best chance the hundreds of students we support in Mexico had to escape poverty. It still is. Unfortunately, the pandemic has left them facing unprecedented barriers to education. Tragically a lack of access to remote learning means no hope for a better future for these young people. During this crisis, we are providing students with access to technology as well as daily hot meals, academic support, and educational materials.

Lack of access to education prevents many children in Puerto Peñasco, Mexico from reaching their potential. The students in the program we support come from families where the parents do not have the resources to send them to school, leaving them unable to escape the cycle of poverty.

This program was developed by one of our founding board members, Kathleen Duncan, and is operated by a local team employed by her Mexican non-profit organization. Our organizations work together to support young people who have have the dreams, potential and will to create lasting change in their lives but are not able to due to lack of resources. Students enrolled in this program receive the ongoing tools and support they need to transform their lives through education.

Our organizations do not take a one-size-fits-all approach to helping young people go to school and succeed academically. We understand the need to constantly adapt and change depending on a student's age and their family's situation. As needs change, so does the type and level of support students receive. We begin by helping to cover the cost of a young person's education related expenses including registration, tuition, exam fees, uniforms, books, school supplies and transportation. Then, to provide students with the daily academic support and materials many of them lack in their homes, our local team operates six homework clubs located throughout the community. These clubs are staffed by certified teachers and offer homework help, tutoring, and a safe place for students to spend time before and after school. Finally, because we understand that children worrying about their next meal, safe drinking water or physical pain are unlikely to succeed in school, students may receive help with basic needs such as food, clothing, medical and dental care, and shelter.

We currently provide support for more than 600 students from kindergarten through college. The young people served come from a variety of family situations but the one thing they have in common, is a strong desire to use education to help them change their outcome in life and reach their full potential.

Testimonials

When we first met Jesus Daniel in 2016, he had just graduated with honors from middle school and dreamt of one day becoming an engineer. Unfortunately. the money his single mother earns working 12 hours a day in a tortilla shop is barely enough to meet her families basic needs. Because she had no way to pay tuition, registration, books and other fees required for Jesus to attend high school, he was faced with dropping out. Fortunately, just as he was about to give up hope for a better future, Jesus was accepted into the program run by our partner in Rocky Point. Thanks to the generosity of our donors and consistent support from our local team, Jesus has now graduated from high school and is in his second year of college studying engineering.