Mano Amiga Schools | Ricktravelblog

Mano Amiga

Sta. Catarina

Mano Amiga La Cima

6 Mano Amiga Schools visited in 7 days

How do you run a school when gangs vandalize your school constantly? With perseverance! You think about the hundreds of school children and their future. You are continuously inspired by students who have graduated in the past. Mano Amiga La Cima is a fantastic school with lots of beautiful and hard working school children. The Principal and his staff are dedicated to providing students with opportunities for a bright future. Mr. Gilberto Garcia Valenzuela was so proud to show me the video of the school's recent festivities. He was also proud to tell me about the many success stories of their graduates. Unfortunately, he is in the midst of a serious problem. The school's protective fencing was damaged by hurricane Alex two years ago. Now the school is exposed to gangs vandalizing the school constantly. They have made tremendous progress since the school was opened in 1990. The success is threatened by their current predicament. See their story in the Pictures gallery of this travel blog.

What a welcome from the school of 850+ students! Wonderful presentations by the school. I met students who have received scholarships to further their studies in the U.S. I was greeted by parents and the entire community. I also met a parent who spoke about how the school has helped their family. Javier and his wife now has two children that are professionals (one is an industrial engineer, the other is a psychologist). They still have two more children at Mano Amiga Sta. Catarina. The 3rd oldest wants to be a mathematician. Traveling 3 miles daily to go to school was worth it for his children. So is the 2 year wait to get their children accepted at Mano Amiga Sta. Catarina!

Ms. Lourdes "Lulu" Reyes, the school Principal says they could use an additional bathroom for the school. One bathroom for girls, and for boys for a school of 850+, not including faculty, is a challenge. See the pictures of the school and learn how you can help.

Two hour drive from Mexico City but was well worth the trip. I was happy to give out more full-year scholarships to children. Met a widowed mother of two who was supported by the school and generous donors such as you. Learn how her life was transformed. They need electricity in their classrooms, and maybe finish the roofing in a chapel so they can have a proper place for worship. The school has a high percentage of 'special needs' students. They are finding creative ways to help themselves such as having a "wrestling" match but the needs are great. See their inspiring stories in my picture gallery.

Mano Amiga Chalco

Mano Amiga Puebla

Mano Amiga

Sta. Catarina

Mano Amiga Chalco is one of our model schools. Our other Mano Amiga schools strive to be like M.A. Chalco. I am pictured here with Mrs. Lilia Garelli, school principal. She has been with the school from the very beginning when they broke grounds in 1993. M.A. Chalco started as a beacon of hope for a few students. Now it is the source of much pride and success in the community. The school serves almost 1,000 students, with parents actively involved in the school. They have a medical clinic that serves not only the school but also the community. They also provide educational training for small-scale businesses for parents of school students. Mrs. Lilia has ambitious dreams. She wants to build a "Technical" school on the school grounds for students graduating from high school who could not afford to go to college. She also has modest dreams. She wants to upgrade their computers, get updated Microsoft Office products software, and raise enough funds to send more of her teachers for technical computer training so they can in turn train the students. See how M.A. Chalco has become a model school with the support of our donors and one dedicated school Principal.

Can you spot me in the picture? That's right - it probably reminds you of the game "Where's Waldo?". I had to take several pictures with school children (the picture is just a portion of all the school children) to give our loyal donors a sense of what it means to have nearly 1,000 students share 1 bathroom! During my visit I met a young man who has a scholarship in college - thanks to the excellent education received from M.A. Monterrey. Another young man took time off from work to present to me and tell me how grateful he is from the scholarships provided by our loyal donors. He currently works for a telecommunications company in charge of an entire department. M.A. Monterrey continues to provide a well rounded formation of children in school, which in turn, transforms the 23 neighboring 'communities' they serve. People have given back to the school. With graduates and the community giving back they have reduced scholarship assistance needed by students from 90% to 50%. The need is still great but you can see how lives are transformed. How can we help? I would start with helping them build another bathroom! The little kindergartners are always disadvantaged against the high schoolers when "nature" calls.

Mano Amiga Monterrey

I was inspired by my visit to Mano Amiga Zomeyucan. The glaring thing that caught my attention was how serious the school Principal was with giving her students the "best" education. She was proud of how high the school placed in national level competitions even both against all public schools, and especially against very expensive private schools in the entire country! I am pictured here with the school Principal (left of picture) and the assistant school principal (right of picture. He graduated from M.A. Zomeyucan). We also have a student who earned so many awards in national competitions! The school Principal has ambitious goals. She wants to build another building for high school students. The school does not have enough space to accommodate high school students. Their solution for now is to teach the high schoolers in the afternoon session. This means starting school at 2:30 p.m. and not finishing until late in the night. Kids and their families really want the integral formation they receive at M.A. Amiga Zomeyucan but they are left with the choice of going back to problematic public school systems or late (and potentially dangerous) hours going to the afternoon session at M.A. Zomeyucan. Perhaps a generous donor will hear their flight and help.

Mano Amiga Zomeyucan