Season's Greetings!!

The Isa Mundo Foundation would like to wish everyone Happy Holidays and to thank you all for your continued support, advice, ideas and time given to us throughout the year.  Isa Mundo would not have had a successful 2014 without our members, funders and volunteers.

Each year brings new challenges but with support we receive from each of you, we always find a way to complete our initiatives, one project at a time.

We look forward to working with all of you in the coming year in completing new projects that will improve the lives of those less fortunate in the world.

From all of us at the Isa Mundo Foundation, we wish you all a happy, healthy and peaceful New Year!!

Muchas Gracias to Volunteers

During the month of November, a number of travelers from Vancouver heading to Mexico have volunteered to take laptops to the Volcanes Primary School.  Mexico customs regulations only allow 2 laptops per person upon arrival to the country which limit the number of laptops we can bring during our travels.  With the help of travelers willing to take laptops with them, we have sent an additional 10 laptops to support our IMEC at Volcanes.

We are currently in discussions with local organizations in Mexico and Latin America on how to efficiently expedite the shipping of electronic, laptops and educational supplies to schools and child centred facilities we partner with.  This would require us to communicate with organizations, embassies and customs to find ways to work together.

Thank you again to all the travelers who volunteered to take supplies to Mexico and beyond. Your contribution is making a difference in the lives of students and communities.

Electronics Recycling Association

During our last project site visit of the year in Mexico, we were able to bring additional laptops to our Isa Mundo Education Centre in Volcanes.  Since the Electronic Recycling Association (ERA) donated laptops to us this year, we have been bringing them slowly during our trips to Mexico.  We are inviting volunteers who will be traveling to the Puerto Vallarta region to bring laptops with them if possible.

We would also like to thank ERA for all their help and support. The students at Volcanes IMEC are grateful for the opportunity to access technology to improve their education.

Visit to CASA Connor

Yesterday, we were able to travel with members of the Caring Abroad Society of Alberta (CASA) who are committed to build a new facility that will provide support to children with disabilities. It is currently being constructed on donated land.

We met with Peter and Teena Oudman (two of the founders of CASA Connor) at Pasitos de Luz before driving to the facility.  As most of you know, Pasitos de Luz is a day care centre supporting more than 120 children with disabilities - most from low income families living around the Puerto Vallarta area.

CASA Connor has partnered with Pasitos de Luz in building a larger facility to accommodate the demand, as well as overnight respite services and accommodation for volunteers.

Since our last visit in February, the build is progressing and additional fundraising was just completed to begin the new phase of construction.  We met with Peter and Teena to continue the discussion on how to support CASA Connor and the possibility of adding solar panels to decrease electricity costs.  The concept of pursuing grants that could fund the on-going  operations and maintenance of the facility is an option that could be very helpful in the future.

To learn more about CASA Connor, you can visit the website at www.casaconnor.org

Volcanes Primary School

We made it back to Mexico for a second visit this year. Today, we visited the Volcanes Primary School and our only IMEC in Mexico. Since it is the rainy season in Mexico, we experienced the challenge of driving in unpaved roads that have been washed away by the rain. We also had the chance to see the community and the lush mountainside this time of year.

It was a great opportunity to see first hand the work completed by the 180th Pacific Coast Rovers back in May this year.  They spent many hours to build a bodega for the school in order to feed the children along with constructing a storage facility and office space.  The Rovers also had a chance to interact with students and provide lessons at the school.

We hope to continue to support the IMEC in Volcanes by providing funds to teachers and developing the Isa Mundo Life Skills Program which we hope to launch in the near future.

We would like to thank the Rovers for all their hard work and we look forward to working with them again in completing another international project.

Mexico Project Site Visits

The Isa Mundo Foundation will be doing its last project site visits of the year in October 2014.  Isa Mundo representatives will be returning to the State of Jalisco, Mexico to visit current and potential new projects and meet with various organization members to evaluate how to improve relationships and develop new partnerships.

We will be visiting the Volcanes Primary School to donate additional laptops to the IMEC and to get an update on the construction projects completed by the Rovers earlier this year.  We will be visiting Pasitos de Luz and the future location of the facility, Casa Connor, to continue the discussion on how to support the organization. We will also be meeting with our education partners to assess when to launch our proposed Life Skills Program in our schools.

We will be providing updates on site in October and we are looking forward to a successful project site visit.

International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples

On August 9th each year, the world celebrates and promote the cultures and contributions of indigenous peoples to improve our environment and society. This year's theme is Bridging the Gap: Implementing the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. According to the United Nations, this year's theme will highlight the importance of implementing the rights of indigenous peoples through policies and programmes at both the national and international level working together towards this common goal with Governments, the United Nations system, indigenous peoples and other stakeholders.

The Isa Mundo Foundation and its volunteers have completed projects in various indigenous communities and we continue to support initiatives that help improve the lives and situations of indigenous peoples worldwide. 

To learn more about this year's theme, visit the United Nations' website at: Indigenous Day