Mexico
Helping moms & babies at ME0995
You are changing the lives of moms and babies at the Santa Ana Tzacuala Survival Program. Here’s how.
Mom's & Babies
The Need
Of the 5.2 million children who die around the world each year, 75 per cent die in the first year of life. Babies are at risk of death due to premature birth complications, complications during childbirth, infections, pneumonia and diarrhea. But this is preventable. With training and support, moms in poverty can be empowered to raise healthy and happy babies.
Our Response
Critical care
Your support helps secure access to pre- and postnatal care, skilled birth attendants and medical intervention when necessary.
Home-based care
Mothers are visited in their homes monthly by a Survival specialist, who offers education in prenatal care and early child-rearing as well as one-on-one biblical mentoring.
Group-based learning
At these church-based activities, moms learn skills to earn an income and gain vital knowledge including basic literacy, the importance of breastfeeding and how to prevent malnutrition and disease. These groups combat isolation through a supportive community of mothers who, together, learn about the God who loves them.
Mexico Stats
| Average number of children in household | 6 |
| Average age of first-time mothers | 16 |
| Births attended by skilled health personnel | 80 |
| Stunted growth from malnutrition | 12 |
Activities
Income generation: Packages of thread were distributed to moms to produce clothing with traditional embroidery (tlamach). One mom made a waist loom for a sash and carefully combined different colours of threads for a beautiful design of flowers, fish, rabbits and birds. Another mom worked with ribbons to craft roses and sunflowers and made bouquets to sell. Moms make these products at home and then sell them in their community to help provide for their families.
Food and hygiene: Hygiene kits containing wet wipes, mild soap, a sponge, lotion, a baby bottle, nursing pads, a comb and brush set and shampoo were distributed to each mom. This support helped participants maintain good hygiene for them and their babies and prevent illness. Moms also received food parcels containing rice, beans, oil, tuna, jelly, sugar and lentils to help them feed their families.
Literacy: The program implementer visited each mom in her home to provide personalized lessons, including literacy. Moms strengthened their writing skills and knowledge and were encouraged to exercise their minds through reading.
Nutrition: During group meetings, moms learned the importance of eating fruits and vegetables and consuming local foods such as leafy greens, beans, chayote and others for proper nutrition. They also learned about foods that provide calcium, the importance of eating protein in the right portions, taking time to eat together as a family and drinking water to stay hydrated and keep their skin healthy.
Early stimulation: Moms were given play mats so their babies could have a safe place to crawl and engage in activities that stimulate their senses and help their cognitive and physical development. Moms also learned the stages of child development so they could better address their children’s needs. Staff delivered a table and two chairs to participants so children have an appropriate space to eat, participate in activities and work alongside the implementer during home visits.
Group meetings: Moms gathered at the centre each month for lessons from the Survival curriculum in how to better care for their babies. Moms learned about nutrition, hygiene, child development, breastfeeding techniques and parenting. They also read God’s Word and did devotionals, sharing messages of hope, faith and encouragement. At the end of each meeting, moms enjoyed a healthy meal together.
Project Stats
This intervention addressed:
| Malnourished Babies - Moderately Underweight | 4 |
| Full-term births | 1 |
| Normal birth weights | 1 |
| Pregnancies | 1 |
| Malnourished Babies - Severely Underweight | 27 |
ReportA message from a pastor
We, Pastor Rafael and Pastor Ivonne, would like to take this opportunity to send our warmest regards on behalf of the Survival p at ME0995, located at the Belén church in the town of Santa Ana Tzacuala, Hidalgo, Mexico.
We would like to express our deep gratitude for the support you have given to the program and to this indigenous community, where the Nahuatl dialect and Spanish are spoken. This community has many material needs, but most of all, spiritual needs.
By God’s grace, we have come to minister in this town. Through the program, we have witnessed God’s greatness accompanying these women during pregnancy, childbirth and the raising of their babies, knowing that we can introduce them to our Lord Jesus Christ as the Saviour of their lives.
We have also observed great changes in the moms’ desire to know more about God. They have been motivated by the income-generating skills have been provided to them, with thread to make their embroidery and generate income.
As a group, they have overcome shyness and mistrust. They have been able to socialize and integrate as companions, and with God’s help, we have managed to open their hearts by talking about their personal problems and seeing how God, through prayer, transforms their lives and hearts.
Our desire is to continue impacting the families that each of these mothers represents, bringing entire families into the arms of our beloved God. We want to strengthen the source of income that has been provided to them, as it has truly been a great blessing, enabling these families to know our Lord Jesus Christ as their provider, healer and liberator.
With gratitude and in the love of the Lord,
ReportA message from those your gift helped
May God bless you abundantly. My name is Andrea, and I’m a mother in the Survival program in the Santa Anaa Tzacuala community. We’re currently a family of three: my husband, my daughter and me.
When I was younger, I worked freely to cover my own day-to-day expenses. Later, I met my current partner, and we decided to start a family together. With the arrival of our baby, our life changed completely, and our responsibilities and household expenses also increased. Now, we have to cover needs such as diapers, clothes, hygiene products, food and everything necessary for our daughter’s well-being. Right now, my attention is focused on my baby and my family, which limits my ability to go out to work or do other activities I used to do. There were times when we went through very difficult financial situations and at times, we felt worried and uncertain about how we would get by.
Thank God, I had the opportunity to join the Survival program. Several people had told me about the program and the great support it provided families. I can say with all my heart that it has been an enormous blessing for us. Thanks to the support we received, we have been able to get by little by little, always with God’s help.
At the meetings, I get to spend time with other moms who are going through similar stages in their lives; we share experiences, advice and words of encouragement. As a new mom, I sometimes feel tired, sad or uncertain, and knowing that I’m not alone gives me a lot of strength. I’ve learned so much from the classes, workshops and home visits. Now, I can understand my baby’s emotions and needs better, learn about proper nutrition, hygiene, care, family planning and many other important things to give my daughter a better quality of life. The program has also been a great support for our family’s finances, as they bless us with hygiene kits, food pantries, fruit baskets and various forms of assistance that are very helpful for my baby and our household. Every bit of help we receive brings relief and an opportunity to keep moving forward.
One of the activities that helped me the most was a workshop on how to prepare healthy baby food. Together with the other moms, we learned how to make it and understood which foods are best for our children’s healthy growth and development. That experience gave me more confidence as a mom and helped me feel better prepared to care for my baby.
In the future, I would like to start my own business to provide financial support for my family, so we can build our own home. Right now, we run a small business selling tamales in the mornings, and although it’s hard at times, we keep working hard with faith and hope that we’ll make it.
I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart. You make this program possible. Thank you for every bit of support, every lesson and every word of encouragement you give us.
May God continue to bless you abundantly.
ReportA message from a partnership facilitator
We are deeply grateful to God for the life and perseverance of the churches under our care. I am Teresa, a partnership facilitator in the Hidalgo and State of Mexico regions.
We recognize that many are going through times of division and brokenness. Our greatest desire is for families to learn to love and respect one another and to strengthen their bonds. We trust that the monthly meetings will become spaces of healing for their hearts and, above all, gatherings where they can experience God’s love in a real and transformative way.
We seek to help mothers develop the skills and talents God has given them. Through income-generating workshops, especially those focused on embroidery, they have been able to continue designing blouses, belts and napkins. These projects are not only an expression of creativity but also an opportunity to contribute to their households’ livelihood, strengthening their families’ financial stability and providing them with greater security in their daily lives.
The church warmly embraces this group of mothers and babies through constant prayer. At each monthly meeting, they are welcomed into clean and suitable facilities and provided with meals prepared with care. We also conduct home visits. These visits are not solely the responsibility of the program coordinator but are carried out in the company of the director, liaison coordinators and other program coordinators, who accompany sick mothers and babies, pray for them and offer caring support that reflects the true spirit of community.
In this way, every action seeks to strengthen both the spiritual and human aspects, creating an environment where families can grow, heal and move forward with hope. We are convinced that this joint effort is leaving a positive mark on the lives of every mother, every baby and every family that is part of the program.
Thank you so much for loving these Survival groups!
May God bless you,