Generosity in Motion

Gearing up to roll out

Dear friends of Atzin and Tlamacazapa, we gear up again to assist 50 children learn to read and write, improve the 28 kitchen gardens and support the most vulnerable with special needs. To get an idea of how we roll, read on about the healing of Alejandro’s fractured hip and the help of Atzin volunteers and donors. 

Tihueliske Education for Children photos:

Top left: Educator Gaby works with children learning the alphabet

Top right: A young boy masters vowels

Bottom: The July celebration means outdoor games for all

When Alejandro was 12 years old, he fell from a tall fruit tree and was unconscious on impact. His parents placed him on a makeshift bed on the dirt floor of their small palm house and hoped for the best.

Weeks later, when it was clear that Alejandro could not walk, his parents took him to a village bonesetter but to no avail: Alejandro’s injury was too difficult for the bonesetter to manage. Months passed and he could only hobble in his yard using a stick for support but his left hip was increasingly painful.

 
Hearing about the accident two years later and visiting Alejandro at home, we arranged for him to be seen at the municipal hospital one hour away. His case was also beyond the capabilities of the hospital physicians, “There is nothing we can do,” they said, and sent him away with nothing – a total dismissal.

The Atzin team rolled into motion – we knew this drill: figure out options and a new plan, make contacts, raise money for treatment, ask a volunteer to accompany Alejandro to appointments for tests, x-rays and assessments at the National Institute of Rehabilitation in Mexico City. Alejandro had surgery to fix his pelvic fracture later that year, followed by rehab therapy.

In six months, Alejandro walked without even a cane. With a big grin and a swagger, he showed up at our centre in Tlamacazapa to say thank you - that delighted everyone!

An unexpected event can strike at any time and plunge a family into crisis. This large family had little experience outside of the village, lived in acute poverty and relied on the familiar measures of rest and if pressed, the village bonesetter. Outside financial support can help put things right. But the personal accompaniment really counts – people who can provide guidance about what is what and how it all works: identify options, interpret lab results, manage taxis, medications and hospital systems, and offer a hand to hold when everything is unfamiliar, especially to a child.

This one-on-one work may not seem like “community development,” after all, it concerned just one teenage boy who took a chance on the help of strangers. But the fact is that Alejandro could walk with just a slight limp and no pain, and the whole family witnessed this happen. Therein lies the building of trust and a resolution of incapacity.

Please know that Atzin relies on financial and moral support from individual donors like you who share a vision of development with dignity - your generousity is our work in motion!

With warm regards as always,

and the Atzin team