Mexico - New Girls and the Challenges of Poverty
On 5th December we were able to have a comprehensive update from Sr Martha and Sr Gertrudes from the Girls school in Chalco, Mexico.
They welcomed a staggering 905 new girls into their school in June and now have 2889 girls in their care. The biggest school in the Sisters of Mary education programme.
The new girls who arrived in June are doing well but the Sisters report that approximately 60% of these girls arrived malnourished and suffering many of the afflictions of a life in poverty including problems with their eyes, teeth and stomach complaints. The priority for the Sisters has been to ensure these girls receive a good balanced diet and those girls who are particularly malnourished also receive additional medical support as well as protein shakes and supplements to build them up.
Very many of the children have also been the victims of abuse in and out of their homes. The Sisters care and nurture these girls and the psychologists at the school counsel and support them so that they can begin the journey of recovery at school and start to thrive in the safety and comfort of their new surroundings.
Learning lost and looking to a new future
Many of these new students have missed out on vital early education and speak only their local dialect. Because of this, they have difficulty in adjusting to school where the lessons are delivered in Spanish. The Sisters therefore prioritise additional classes for these children so they can learn to read and write in Spanish and get to the national level which will eventually help them to find work. This support and monitoring includes regular exams to ensure the children are receiving all the support they need to progress.
Academic progress
The older students at the school have studied hard in their academic and vocational studies. The school has developed a new electronics workshop to support teaching in this subject and the grade 12s are ready to complete their education – 303 are preparing for on the job training in April 2025. Those graduates who left school in July 2024 are already working or studying thanks to the hard work of the Sisters in developing relationships with local employers.
The Alsea group in Mexico have become a significant employer of the graduates from the SoM schools in Mexico. The company are keen to recruit our talented graduates who are regarded as fast, reliable and accurate with good English. This is wonderful news for the children and the brighter future it will create for them and their families.
Talisay, Philippines
On 19th December we were also able to catch up with Sr Fructuacia Mateo, new Superior at the girls school in Talisay, Philippines.
As with Mexico, the schools in the Philippines welcome their new children in the summer months and 783 new girls joined the school in Talisay in June 2024.
When we spoke with Sr Fructuacia, the Sisters reflected on the last six months for the youngest girls who were now just preparing for Christmas and their annual holidays.
Settling into School
The Sisters reported that when the youngest grade 7 girls had arrived into school in June they were very small for their age, under developed and malnourished with all the healthcare issues that derive from that – including skin and dental problems. However even after one month, with three good meals a day, milk to drink, medicines and new healthcare routines like teeth cleaning, these youngsters are adjusting well. They have become very responsible for their health and very happy, energetic and keen to participate in class. The Sisters had a lot of hope that they would learn very quickly.
The poorest children in the Philippines have had little access to early education and so they enter school finding it hard to understand English. To help these children to catch up some of the lost learning and get to the national level, the Sisters in the Philippines are trialling a programme called Achieve 3000 to support the children. They can already see results.
November and December 2024
During November and December the Sisters maintained their usual community outreach, visiting families in the most impoverished regions – particularly rural families. Like last year they have seen thousands of young girls desperate for a place at the school and so far will accept 650 in June 2025, but the work continues. (Last year they saw more than 3000 girls).
At the school in Talisay, the focus has been on preparing for the upcoming Christmas celebrations and the children’s holidays. Sr Fruc was herself a graduate of the Philippines programme and reflected fondly on the excitement at the school during this period. This year, thanks to our supporters, the girls will have a small Christmas gift of colouring pens, t shirts, pyjamas, some sweets each with a gift tag from our donors, as well as a day of special assemblies and shows. It will be a day of joy and the chance to make new memories to last the girls long into the future.