Higher education for indigenous women in Mexico

Here at Centro de Compartimiento (CDC), we are celebrating a New Year and continued service to our community.  Our students have finished the first semester of their school year and are currently home with their families celebrating the holidays.  The will be returning during January depending on their school schedules.  Some have two weeks off and some up to a month.  Our programs usually go into full swing again in February.   

This past semester one of our students did her practicum at the Federal Electric Company (called CFE here in Mexico) During one of the breaks in the work day she sat talking with her direct supervisor, a longtime employee of the company.  He asked her about her life and how she had decided on her major in renewable energy.  She told him her basic story adding that she had live at CDC for the past seven and a half years and had explained our program to him.  

She told him that here is no high school near her home town and her parents could not afford room and board out of town to let her attend high school.  Through a cousin she had heard of CDC and was accepted to the program.  She received room, board, supervision, and counseling during her high school and college years, at no cost to her family.  She told him how nice our program and facilities, how they live like a family, share the chores and support each other are and how she got emotional support after the death of her grandmother and aunt.  

Her supervisor’s response was blunt.  "That place cannot exist."  He could not believe that she could get seven years of support with no cost to her family or herself and that there were no strings attached to her stay.  This is a common response when we tell people about the program and when they come and visit.  Our program is so out of the ordinary that people here find in unbelievable.  Yet we do exist.  And we exist because of the generosity of donors who support our programs.  As we do with anyone interested we have invited her stupervisor to come and visit us and see for himself. 

Today there is another young woman, graduating from college because of your support.  We are very grateful for all of you who continue to walk with our young women in their journey to dream a new life.We here at CDC, students, staff and board members want to wish you a very Happy New Year.  We hope your year is full of joy and blessing.