This project will help: 350 children
Estimated completion date: July 2025
Country: Mexico
Executive summary
In the small town of Estrella de Belén, located in the state of Chiapas in Mexico, Compassion centre staff from the El buen Samaritano church serve 350 registered beneficiaries. Most families in this community are indigenous and live in poverty. In Estrella de Belén, there are only 176 homes, of which 111 do not have proper flooring. Although most homes in the area are connected to public services and have electricity, families lack access to modern technology. There are no home computers or even home washing machines in Estrella de Belén.
Most caregivers in this community do not speak Spanish, which often limits their opportunities to find work. Caregivers are subsistence farmers, mainly growing beans and corn, which they can occasionally sell for a small profit. About 300 students age 15 and over have not completed school or have received no education at all.
To address the many challenges faced by children and youth in Estrella de Belén, Compassion’s frontline partners at the El buen Samaritano church have been providing children with nutritious meals, educational support and mentorship on program days at the Joyas de Cristo (Christ’s Jewels) Child Development Centre. However, the centre lacks classrooms—currently, there are only three small classrooms to serve the rapidly growing number of students registered in the program and the centre has been forced to hold classes in the dining room and church sanctuary. In these overcrowded spaces, children can hear the classes beside them and often have difficulty concentrating on lessons. These cramped quarters with poor ventilation also make classrooms hot and stuffy; children often complain about coming to the centre because they are so hot and uncomfortable and many no longer want to attend program days.
This intervention will see four new classrooms built at the ME0128 Compassion centre in Estrella de Belén. These new classrooms will be large enough to facilitate learning for 350 Compassion-assisted beneficiaries as well as new students who may register in the program. With this safe and comfortable learning environment, children will enjoy coming to the centre, where they can concentrate on building new skills, developing healthy relationships and discovering their God-given potential.
Summary
Background
Pastor Samuel from the El buen Samaritano church in Estrella de Belén has always been passionate about serving the children and youth in his community. For many years, he ran activities such as Sunday School, vacation Bible school and youth group to help promote the holistic development of the young people living in Estrella de Belén. Pastor Samuel heard about the Compassion program and connected with a local partnership facilitator, leading to the launch of the Joyas de Cristo Child Development Centre in March 2013.
With limited resources, the church sought ways to generate enough income to build the original three classrooms as well as a dining hall, sanctuary and pastoral house. The church worked together to sell chickens and corn, earning enough to pay for the renovations needed. In preparation for this intervention, the church has once again worked together to generate enough funds to hire a local engineer, who will guide the team during the construction process.
The need
The Joyas de Cristo Child Development Centre at the El buen Samaritano church in Estrella de Belén, Mexico, is in dire need of updated facilities. Without new classrooms, the 350 registered children and youth who currently attend the program will continue to feel unsafe and uncomfortable on program days—leaving them at high risk of exiting the program early and missing out on the many benefits offered like nutritious meals; mentorship from caring, Christian adults; and educational support. Children in the Estrella de Belén community often lack basic resources like computers, clean water and nutritious foods at home, making it crucial that they remain in the Compassion program, where they receive support and access these resources.
Your generous gift will allow four new 6-metre x 6-metre classrooms to be built at the church facility, providing a safe and comfortable space for the hundreds of children that rely on the Compassion centre for food, support and education. These new classrooms will be built with the assistance of an engineer, ensuring they will be structurally sound and built with high-quality materials. With your support, registered children will have access to a safe, spacious learning environment, where they can listen to their tutors, focus on their work and feel comfortable coming to the centre on program days.
What your gift will do
Your gift will help build four new, safe and comfortable classrooms at the ME0128 Compassion centre in Estrella de Belén, Mexico, including:
-
Construction materials
- Blackwork
- Foundations
- Columns
- Walls and roof
- Plastering
-
Finishes
- Electricity installation
- Hydraulic installation
- Paint
- Tiles
- Windows and doors
- Labour
Logistics
- Local contribution: US$16,364.82
- Handling of funds: Compassion Mexico will work with the Compassion centre to ensure this project stays within budget.
- Monitoring and follow-up: The church has raised funds to hire a structural engineer, who will oversee the building process and ensure the classrooms are built to specification. Church members with masonry skills will help during the construction phase and centre staff will provide ongoing monitoring to ensure this project progresses well.