Give school & love to abandoned girls in Mexico

Dear Donor,

OUR GIRLS ARE LEARNING TO RESOLVE AMBIVALENCE

The sense of belonging is formed through a series of memories that leave a trace within us to form our identity. 

When our experiences or memories are very painful or ambivalent, the tendency is to try to repress them or change them, thereby making the acceptance of these events and memories especially difficult.

The young women in PA continue to live with this ambivalence, sometimes wanting to go back to their families (forgetting the threats and dangers that made them leave in the first place), while at the same time realizing that PA offers them a life with peace and security (knowing that their integrity is not constantly endangered and where they can envision a promising future full of opportunities).

These ambivalence is even stronger for these young women because despite the fact that in PA they benefit from the love and acceptance of the adults, as well as enjoying the camaderie among their peers who have had similar experiences, they still are confronted with that dilemma of wanting to go back to their roots.

PA´s function, in part,  has been to help the residents understand and accept the dilemma they are experiencing, by giving them the necessary skills and strategies to priorize their interests and be clear about their feelings.With these skills and strategies they will be able to make decisions with which they can be in peace. 

In PA we work with these young individualsto help them discover the potential they possess in order to facilitate a healthy development. In this way we hope that they will be able to heal the wounds throughout their different stages of development. 

As adults and caretakers in PA we have to accept the decisions our residents make, even if they do not agree with our point of view. This attitude of acceptance and unconditional positive regardis a fundamental aspect of the working philosophy of Puerta Abierta. One never stops to learn and grow.

We are gratefull to have you as our donor,

Puerta Abierta

Links:

• Web page

Puerta Abierta believes every new family member is always a gift, a challenge and a great opportunity to think about what we can expect and what we can do.  

Kimberley has just arrived!  At 10 years of age, she has never attended school, and as such her knowledge and mental potential do not correspond to a girl her age. Nonetheless despite these conditions, she is now going to school, where her condition is accepted, handled and where we are working to make the best of it.

She has been accepted in a Montessori school, where the teachers will work on adapting and integrating her. She has a very positive disposition to learn and takes advantage of this opportunity. She is also learning other new skills as swimming, art, special learning skills and going into emotional therapy, all under the Puerta Abierta umbrella.

Fortunately, she is integrating well in the family and the other girls, older and younger, have welcomed her.

Kimberley recognizes and accepts her new family structure, rules, security and safety. Seeing other girls who have gone through a similar adaptation process, gives her peace of mind, and reinforces her will to take advantage of the new opportunities and experiences before her. 

It is never too late to learn, and our girls as well as our adult tutors know this well. Every personal experience is different, and it is only with an open heart and mind that we can make our daily living easier and happier.

We should always be open to new challenges present every day, and together we will be able to solve them, no matter how difficult it could be. As always we keep looking on for better ways to handle these challenges and maintain our family’s spirit.

We will keep infomring you about her progress,

Links:

• web page