Misioneros Maristas de Ciudad Juarez A.C. is a group of 16 college students, ages 19-26 years. These students have been volunteering their time in the Juarez periferia, the “poverty belt” to the north of Ciudad Juarez since 2003, and became an official NGO in 2005. The Misioneros Maristas volunteer with children ages 9-17 years to develop positive leadership skills, moral values, and a sense of community so that they can become positive leaders in their community. Currently, this program provides 138 children and 20-30 adults the tools necessary to overcome their problems and become better role models for the people surrounding them.
They also offer a literacy program for adults of the community that want to finish primary, secondary, and high school. In addition, they are looking to offer scholarships to high school graduates in the area to attend college so that they not only acquire character skills but the knowledge necessary to better succeed in life. The Misioneros Maristas are hoping to assist their five excelling high school students by reducing the financial burden of attending college.
The money raised through “Taste of the Border” in Las Cruces this April will pay for the first semester of college for these five students, and later semesters will be paid for by university scholarships offered for low income students. All five students have GPA’s of 4.0 and are promising leaders of the community’s future.
Future goals include creating a community youth center that would will provide free medical help, life-skills workshops, and faith support. The goal of the community center is to develop a self-sustaining group so that the Misioneros Maristas can move on to a new community in need. Currently, Juarez is going through a crisis of security and values. This group brings hope to a community that needs to rebuild itself in order to overcome these problems.
In collaboration with the Rotaract Club of Dillibazar, the Rotaract club of New Mexico State University will raise funds to provide eye vision screenings and medical services (if needed) to over 3000 students in 7 public schools. These primary schools have less funding than private schools and offer very little or no services to the children. To ensure that the students of Nepal get the most out of their education they will receive free medical eye examinations with the money accrued through “Taste of the Border 2009”.
In order for this project to be a success The Rotaract club of New Mexico State University and of Dillibazar will have to raise close to $1000.
Children should be able to learn without any preventable limitations due to socio economic status. Providing inexpensive eye glasses to a child can not only make their world clearer but their future brighter.
