I took some Posada Station images
(above) before the train arrived. We rode back westbound on
the train through San Rafael to Bahuichivo where we detrained and
boarded a school bus for a 45-minute, bumpy, back-road ride to the very
small town of Cerocahui. We visited the Tarahumara Indian girls boarding
school next to the hotel and left our school supplies, motel soaps,
and money donations since the school is not state supported. The
children sang songs for us and then asked us to sing and we complied
with, "Mary had a little lamb."
I picked up an English language brochure at the
school and read:
Loss of a child is an everyday occurrence
in Mexico's Copper Canyon. Help us save a child's life.
Upwards of 50% of Tarahumara children die before age 5.
For 60 years, the Servants of the Sacred Heart
of Jesus and the Poor have labored tirelessly to protect, educate
and change the lives of Mexico's neediest and most defenseless
children. The Tarahumara children living in the Sierra Madre
Mountains meet that criteria, and they urgently need your help.
A near-decade pattern of drought has upset the
precarious balance in this agrarian culture of 60,000. The
Tarahumaras, who still live much as their ancestors did hundreds of
years ago, depend on the land for their livelihood. Devastating
crop failures in recent times have led to an increased malnutrition:
as many as 80% of the children are affected.
Some say the drought has killed more than 3,000
Tarahumaras, mostly children under five. The resulting economic
crisis has also led to increased unemployment, alcoholism and drug
addiction. It is a situation the sisters are working hard to
change.
The Virgin of Guadalupe School ('Tewecado') provides
food, shelter and education to 70 Tarahumara girls ages four
to 12 and classroom instruction for almost 250 day students.
Many are brought to the school suffering from malnutrition,
dehydration, parasites or intestinal disorders. Unable to
care for them, their parents turn to the sisters for help.
Many Tarahumara Indians still live in caves and
have no running water or electricity. The families have no
way to pay for their children's education or care. Cash is
a limited commodity in this culture.
Your tax-deductible donation will make a difference
in their lives. Mail your gift to:
Tewecado Trust, Inc.
P. O. Box 36078
Tucson, AZ 85740
For more information, please visit our web site:
www.tewecado.org
