Mission: To provide nutritional and medical relief to children and families suffering from extreme poverty.
Projects: Provide nutritional relief, medical attention and educational opportunity to poverty stricken families and Communities within the Manzanillo area, Migrant workers temporarily located in the region who find themselves in desperate circumstances and to children suffering from extreme poverty in the mountains of southern Mexico.
Ministries of Love began March, 2003 reaching out to children in desperate situations of poverty in the mountains and hills of a semi- forgotten land. The mountains of Guerrero, Mexico, a land only seven hours east of glitzy Acapulco, but an area that time and prosperity has left behind.
The Visionary and the Vision: Dr. Guiber Nuñez M. Doctor for the Casa Hogar Los Angelitos children's home in Manzanillo, Colima, Mexico, was born and raised in the hills of Tecuanapa, Guerrero. He was abandoned as a child by his father; his mother raised him and his sister alone in poverty. His mother prayed that some day her son could become a doctor; Guiber was determined to find a way. Guiber did become a doctor, but not without years of sacrifice, working his way through prep school and on to Medical School with his machete, chopping cane 14-16 hours per day each weekend. Dr.Guiber held a dream close to his heart….the dream that he could find a way to help his people, the poor people of Guerrero.
When Guiber made a commitment to be the Medical Doctor for the children of Casa Hogar Los Angelitos, joined the board of directors and accepted the responsibility of Director of Special Education which involved Health, Vocational and Spiritual education, Guiber's life began to change. His medical practice flourished and he began to remember and share his dream to help his people of Guerrero.
This first step was to begin providing food in the poorest areas outside of Tecuanapa, Guerrero. Dry beans, rice and other basics distributed to some of the most impoverished families.
The Casa Hogar in coordination with Ministerios de Amor also maintains an outreach program to extremely poor communities in the region of Manzanillo, Colima distributing food to communities such as Asaradera de la Lima. Clothing, school supplies and medical outreach is provided through out the year. Purification water systems were set up in different communities without potable water.
The state of Guerrero lies along the Pacific Coast of Mexico. When many hear of Guerrero they think of Acapulco, a long-time favorite beach resort or Taxco which is famous for its silver production and design. However, what many may not realize is that in the mountains of Guerrero there are numerous regions where the people suffer from extreme poverty, disease and lack of economic and educational opportunity. One of those regions is called Tecuanapa which is approximately a two hour drive into the mountains off the main highway. More than 30,000 people live in the area, scattered through out villages and towns with limited transportation, primitive roads and limited food and water supply. In this part of the world it is almost impossible for families to have adequate nutrition, disease control and economic or educational opportunity.
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World relief leaders claim that to reverse the chains of poverty we must meet the challenge of the 6 basic problems associated with extreme poverty; economics, health, education, environment, politics and spiritual emptiness.
One of the most difficult obstacles to overcome is the lack of opportunity for education. Some villages have no school at all and some have a small one room school. These schools only provide education through the 5th grade. Students who desire to continue their education beyond basic elementary level must find a way to travel each day into the larger town or have the finances available for room and board in order to attend school. This option is impossible for most of these extremely poor families.
While visiting one of the villages, which is a three hour walk from the closest town, some of the youth were asked "What are your dreams and goals in life"? They looked at each other and said "We would like to go to school"... most of these youth are members of an community without resources, many times abandoned by their fathers and living without opportunity or hope for the future.
We feel that education is the key to a better way of life, providing the opportunity to break the cycle of hopelessness, poverty and abuse. Casa Hogar Los Angelitos is establishing a program that will provide youth, ages 12-18 destined to continue the cycle of extreme poverty an opportunity to live and study in Manzanillo, Colima where the Casa Hogar Los Angelitos program is established. We will provide housing, educational support through tutoring, meals, social and emotional support. This program will enable these young people to move into an economic, healthy and environmentally sound future.
The CHLA educational program will launch in 2007. The return on this program is priceless providing children without hope the opportunity for a positive and productive future rescuing and changing lives through education. We believe that each child can make a difference in their community, country and in our world Ministerios de Amor.
In March 2007 “Ministerios de Amor” will celebrate five years of service to outlying communities in Manzanillo and to the extremely poor in the state of Guerrero providing bulk food, clothing and medical care to those who are suffering from extreme poverty.
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