On Saturday night we had Gary and Cathy to our place. They are going back to Nova Scotia at the end of the month and time is running out. They hadn’t been over to see our place. We had a very nice evening.
We went to the shelter and they all arrived back from church at 1:30. We hadn’t quite understood that Elvia was going to come too. It was really good that way; at least one of the twins was afraid to come without her. They had not eaten so we went to the waterfront in Chapala and went to a restaurant after a walk along the malecon (everyone holding hands); I think that we made quite picture walking 6 abreast (2 Gringos, a Mexican woman and 3 little Mexican girls. The latter were dressed up as they had just come from church. After eating and walking back along the malicon, we came to our house; it was after 3 and the time the girls lie down for a nap. We had set up the little wading pool that we got for Aiden last year; they were promised that if they had a nap, then they could play in the pool. After about an hour and a half, we got them up. Well, the pool was an enormous success. They frolicked and played with great enthusiasm (see photo; Fatima is in the pink bathing suit). We then fed them (of course, finishing with ice cream) and took them back after about 6:30. It was all hugely successful. We also had lots of time to chat with Elvia; she had quite good English and we learned a great deal.
First, Elvia is a sister of Anabel, the founder and director of Amor en Accion (the photo is a bit dark; Fatima is in the center between Elvia and me; the twins are at the extreme right and left). Another sister also works there (they come from a large family of 10). On the waterfront, Elvia introduced us to her brother and sister-in-law (Barb had seen the brother at the Center also). What we also learned was that many of the housemothers have their children with them. Elizabeth (the housemother for 6 girls aged 7 - 10) lives with girls in another section of the same building where Elvia and the toddlers live. We knew that she had 2 sons living there, but there is a third as well. Thus, the mothers are given shelter with their children. Elvia does not get paid and I expect that is true of the other housemothers as well. Basically, they get food and shelter for themselves and their children. Six years ago, Anabel started simply by providing a meal for children in the neighbourhood. That mushroomed as more and more showed up. Then, she started a day care to help some working mothers. Finally, she started a shelter for children and in some cases their mothers. Right now they are scrambling to get more organized with the move and the expansion. The old place up the mountain is going to be entirely a daycare center. I don’t know if Anabel is continuing to run it or if someone else is. There is some government money for daycare, while the shelter does not get any at the moment. However, on Friday as I was passing Anabel and a couple of others talking near the front entrance, I overheard Anabel saying that they were applying for some sort of grant from the government. At the pool party last week, one of the godparents said that her 2 sons, who both belong to Rotary Clubs, were coming to collect information in order to apply for a substantial grant from Rotary International. The Center really needs additional money for basic operating expenses. The sponsorships go entirely for school and education expenses, not for basic operations or facilities. My admiration for Anabel grows as I see how much responsibility she is taking on.
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