The Promise of Education for All: Reaching Across Borders to Build Schools & End Poverty

My journey as a tourist to Zihuatanejo Mexico in 1999 revealed another side to "paradise." Dozens of children selling Chiclets gum and trinkets on the beach eventually lead me on a journey to find their local neighborhood, and a small, rustic, struggling free school that was trying to feed and educate them. Over the next few years and repeated trips to assist this school, I learned facts about poverty, illiteracy and racism affecting the indigenous and poorest people in Mexico that keep thousands of children out of the country's supposedly "free" public education system, and trapped in the suffering cause by extreme poverty, migration, and cultural marginalization.

Since 2000 I've worked to build a US-Mexico non-profit (our 501-C3 was formed in 2005) to create awareness that, united across borders and cultures, we can create equal-access schools that welcome ALL children no matter what language they speak, or whether they have money for books or uniforms. There are 61 native languages spoken in Mexico today, by over 12 million people in a country where the national teaching language is Spanish. The extreme poverty rate is 25%: that's over 25 million people living on less than $400 to $800 USD per year. Tens of thousands of children as young as age 3 and 4 work on streets, beaches and in fields instead of going to school. They are subject to abuse, neglect, hunger and the needless ills of life in poverty.

Illiteracy and poverty are closely interrelated problems. Both are solvable with caring schools that give voice and create new social and economic choices for empowered youth, who will then help those beside and behind them - locally, and as informed global citizens.

The Netza Project is working to break the illeracy/poverty cycle, and foster a renewed respect for indigenous language, culture and diverity. We work not only in Zihuatanejo at The Netza School - where today over 450 children who speak four different indian languages (Nahautl, Amusgo, Tlapaneco & Mixteco) are welcome - but in other schools, orphanages and remote mountain villages where, together, we can make a difference with an international partnership model that delivers books and supplies, shared new teaching models, improves health and nutrition, and fosterd respect for diversity and native culture.

We invite you to visit us and volunteer, start a local Netza Amigos chapter in your school or community, collect school supplies or funds (do a Pennies-to-Pesos drive) to help us buy books; donate to support our advocacy work and for the construction of more equal-access schools and libraries for children, and adults; get your club, organization or company to match your gifts. You can support a Mexico student with a scholarship for middle, high school or college, or a U.S. or other intern to come teach, study and volunteer with us in Mexico. Invest in our women's microfinance bank, too, to help women become literate, work as empowered teams in their communities, and get their families out of poverty for good.

Please see www.netzaproject.org or call 360-967-5467, or 508-284-0078 email to: info@netzaproject.org

Lisa B. Martin, Founder & Executive Director