End Poverty and Empower Women Through Education

My name is Alejandra.  I am a young woman from the Indigenous Otomí community of Santiago Mexquititlán, Municipality of Amealco, Querétaro. Neither of my parents finished primary school.  My father passed away last year, and my mother is an artisan of the Otomí doll.  The average monthly income for my family is 200 dollars.

I am the first woman in my family to finish high school, and thanks to the generous donors that support the Gibson Soto Foundation, I am the first woman to graduate from university.

Before arriving at La Cima - the Gibson Soto Foundation's facility in Mexico -my life was complicated.  I lived alone, felt emotionally alone, and had financial problems.  I didn't have enough food, had very little money, and preferred to save the money for bus tickets to go to school than buy other things.  La Cima offered me the opportunity to have a roof over my head, three nutritious meals a day, a full college scholarship, economic support, emotional support, and social support.

Before La Cima IAP, I was already considering dropping out of college and returning to my hometown.  La Cima IAP helped me continue my studies and feel protected and supported.  At La Cima, they supported me in all aspects of my well-being; for example, during the pandemic, I felt their great support despite the distance; they gave me the tools I needed to grow, and the program helped me continue my dreams.

I thank La Cima for giving me all the necessary support to continue with my studies.  Above all, I appreciate the extracurricular courses and workshops they have given me to help me grow in different areas.  Participating in the human development workshops that La Cima offers has expanded my vision of myself and others; it has opened my mind to think about things I never asked myself before. 

Now, I direct my thoughts and actions to give my best, forgiving myself, forgiving others, loving myself, and loving others.  I do not question the behavior of others and do not judge their actions.  I can't always do it; when I don't, the simple fact of being aware that I am doing wrong with myself and with others makes me reflect again on how we all have a reason for being, a known and unknown past, things to heal, things to discover or learn, and that makes human diversity beautiful.  Participating in La Cima workshops has improved my relationships with others, especially with myself; I still have a lot to learn and practice, but I am totally willing to do so.  I want to be able to feel free.

Thanks to the support of La Cima IAP, I am fulfilling my greatest dream: I graduated as an Industrial Engineer this August.  This same month, I was hired as a Process Engineer in a company in Querétaro. Now I have enough income to support myself and my family.

 Thank you to all the generous hearts that have transformed my life

As part of the integral program of La Cima IAP, Alejandra developed a community project to improve the income and working conditions of Otomi artisans from communities in Amealco, Querétaro, offering training in management tools and standardization of doll production processes.

VIDEO of her community project.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNzyJtALg3A