Our projects

In San Antonio de las Huertas

San Antonio de las Huertas is a village 9,842 ft. above sea level in the State of Mexico inhabited by the Mazahua indigenous people. Agricultural production is limited due to the poor soil and harsh climate. For this reason, the majority of young men and women emigrate to Mexico City or to the USA in search of better opportunities, which often leads to family break-ups. The supply of both water and electricity is inadequate. Firewood is still used in most households for cooking, which only worsens the deforestation problem in the area.

In order to combat this problem and offer a source of free energy, the Delfino del Angel Melo Foundation introduced solar technology to a group of the village women. More than 30 families now use solar stoves and/or solar water heaters, which they acquired at a very reduced price with easy payments through the Foundation.

In addition, following the principle of helping others to help themselves, the Foundation assists the Mazahua women with the marketing of their handiwork, The Foundation also succeeded in putting some of the village people in contact with the La Venturosa Farm, which grows mushrooms. The owner of the farm offered them extensive instruction and, with his advice and the financial support of the Foundation, a large barn was built in San Antonio for the commercial cultivation of mushrooms. This project, welcomed with great enthusiasm by those involved, offers a new basis of livelihood for several families.

Special cases

Omar Garduño was born with a severe form of spina bifida, which left him unable to walk and hindered his physical and mental development. For this reason, the local school would not admit him and he was condemned to vegetate in a corner of his house. The Foundation successfully placed him in a child rehabilitation center run by the Sisters of St. Vincent in Mexico City where he attends school and is showing substantial advances in both his physical condition as well as his academic performance.

Maricela Sánchez is a teenager who was suffering from terminal kidney failure, without much hope of receiving a life-saving kidney transplant. The Foundation furnished the resources so that her relatives could construct a hygienic room with its own bathroom and water supply connected to the very modest family house. This was the prerequisite before a transplant could be carried out, with the subsequent need to suppress the immune system.

At last, the Foundation succeeded in establishing contact with the Ale Association, dedicated to helping patients in need of transplants, and with the financial support of this association and of the Foundation, in April 2010 Maricela received a kidney from her mother. Subsequently, until Maricela could finally be enrolled in Social Security, the Foundation has helped her with the costly medication that she has to take for life in order to prevent rejection of the transplanted organ. At present, we continue to assume the cost of tests and special consultations, in order to assure the future supervision of her treatment by the doctor who did her operation.

It is with pleasure that we have observed that after the operation, the apathetic and weak little girl became a vivacious and happy teenager, as she should be at her age. She was also able to return to her studies and in August 2012 she entered the second year of Senior High.

Dr. Gustavo Baz Prada Hospital for the chronically ill, Tepexpan

It was in this hospital that Delfino del Angel lived for many years and thanks to his initiative, some 20 of his companions formed themselves into a mutual support group. It is for this group and the rest of the hospital patients, that the Foundation helps obtaining motorized wheelchairs (most of which are used equipment donated in Germany), special mattresses for preventing bedsores and other equipment, and helps organize recreational activities for them such as visits to museums, factories and sporting and cultural events.

Since some years ago we support  the work of the Sisters of St. Vincent in remote idigenous communities of the Sierra Tarahumara, in the Northern state of Chihuahua. For the extremely cold winters, we send them warm clothing and fleece cloth, which the women use for sewing warm clothes for their children. With the money we send them, the Sisters buy seeds and distribute them among the families who are happy with the harvest.

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