URGENT SITUATION YOU MAY BE ABLE TO HELP WITH

[Heather]

Dear all,

I would like to share some detail from an email passed on to me recently. It seems like something really worthwhile in Guanajuato is at risk of closing. The video went straight to my heart. Please click on the link at the bottom of the email below to see it.

Heather

Buen Pastor is a foster care facility run by the nuns of that order. There are currently 31 girls living at the facility. They come from low income families unable to care for them adequately or afford their education. In many cases, these situations are congruent with violence or abuse. The girls spend the week at the facility and go home on the weekends, although some have no home to go to and stay full time at the ?internado?.

There are currently 7 nuns in charge of the girls; one is in a wheelchair one has Alzheimer?s disease. That leaves 5 nuns, all over age 65, to care for 31 girls ages 4-16. The school that was run on the premises for these girls, and as an alternative for others in the community, was closed down this fall. The girls now attend public schools in the area. The tuition paid by the other students was a source of income for the facility. The shelter for women and children in situations of violence is under the jurisdiction of the Municipal Government of Guanajuato. It has a board and an administrative staff that has nothing to do with the internado, although the shelter occupies the same building.

There are only 2 paid positions at the foster care center, and these are paid for by outside grants. Tere is the social worker, and according to all sources, the mainstay of the facility. She has been with the Buen Pastor for around 4 years and is a driving force in the overall well being of the girls. Fernando, who moved from volunteer status to a part time position a year ago, has been integral in organizing a seriously compromised administrative infrastructure and setting up a computer lab and learning center for both the girls and their mothers; many of whom have not achieved a middle school degree.

In October, both of these positions are losing their funding ,and no other funding has been found as of yet. If the internado loses these 2 pillars, I am worried about its ability to not only care for the immediate needs of the girls, but to achieve the long term goal of seeing these girls through to college. Although there is a volunteer contingent whose work is important and effective, it is simply not sufficient for the consistent needs of the girls and the nuns. Please take a moment to watch this video to get a better picture of what I am talking about: http://bit.ly/bsj1Hk

Please consider helping us get through this crisis so that we can continue to work on the long term needs of Buen Pastor. I think you will agree that the girls deserve this chance.

Please go to http://buenpastor.weebly.com/get-involved.html to make a donation and specify that it is to cover these salaries. If you would like to set up recurring donations or inquire about volunteer work at Buen Pastor, please contact Juanita Benedicto at juanitabenedicto@gmail.com.