Tag Archives: México

Third Update on the House

Bless you all for your big hearts and your willingness to help those in need! We now have 34 donors and 63,645 pesos to build a house (cinder block room) for Juan Manuel and his father! Our core team has grown, and we hope to break ground the middle of this week. Thank you and please keep getting the word out to your friends and neighbors!

This week we were able to make substantial progress, which very much relieved me prior to everyone stopping work for the holiday season.

The final design
Front view of the home
Construction detail
Earlier, now out of date, plan
  1. Two architects, Sergio Wong and Jesús Iván Moreno Jiménez, have donated their time to produce plans for us. Please join me in thanking them for this volunteer service! Their work is important, as we want a very basic one-room home that will be pleasant and secure to live in, and the plan we put together will hopefully become a prototype for future simple homes for other needy families. The final design is 258 square feet or 24 square meters and includes an indoor bathroom and kitchen—both a change from the original plans which had both outdoors, but something we feel is important. It will be built of cinder block rather than brick, as that is both cheaper and resistant to salitre, the salt staining that is so common here. The roof will be concrete, and the flooring simple outdoor tile. The home will have front and back doors, a window facing the street and a long, narrow window in the bathroom for light. Water will initially come from a hose but will be plumbed in hopes of city water one day. The one room is a “stub” or “pie de casa” which can easily be added onto in the future if good fortune strikes. 
  2. We have found a new albañil or construction worker, Zata (real name Edward), who is very experienced, seems quite capable, disciplined and committed to this charity project. Let us hope.
  3. I invited our compadre, Jorge Hernández, who has 30+ years of experience in building and maintaining homes, to a meeting with Yolanda, Zata, Greg and myself, with the architect attending by phone. To me this meeting was crucially important. 
    • Jorge pointed out a couple of things that will cost a few pesos now but will be crucial for Juan Manuel’s future, such as running 4-inch drainage pipe under the floor that can easily be connected to a sewage system once there is one in the community; slanting the floor slightly so rain water will run off (invasions are notorious for flooding); and adding in connections for possible future ceiling fans.
    • Greg’s input was invaluable in making sure that doorways would be wide enough to accommodate a wheelchair and that the bathroom would be ample enough to accommodate turning around in one. While Juan Manuel is currently on crutches, he may someday be in a chair due to his health challenges, and if this plan is a prototype for future projects, accessibility is a key issue.
    • Jorge has kindly agreed to volunteer as project supervisor during construction. I am very grateful Jorge, with his experience and expertise, has joined the team! He is recovering from a horrible bout of COVID, so we must be mindful of his energy.

Yolanda, Zata, Jorge
Zata, Jorge and Greg
Jorge and yours truly

Sadly, we are still waiting on updated materials lists from the architects so that we can get bids and update our budget. While they told us we’d have these by Friday, now they tell us it may not be till the new year.

We have received Zata’s bid on his labor, and I post that below. I am thrilled that he is ready to start work tomorrow, Monday 14 December. He will begin by excavating and then installing the septic tank. A key issue during construction will be preventing theft. Both Zata, Jorge and Maestra Zulema, from Colonia San Antonio, cautioned us about the high degree of theft of building materials. We have planned to order only a week’s worth of supplies at a time, and to store them at Juan Manuel’s current home, so that Zata can pick them up there on a daily basis. Hopefully that will minimize our exposure to theft.

If any of you know someone who could donate cinder block, that would be an enormous help. Also needed soon will be rebar, concrete and, of course, the septic tank.

What else can I tell you? As you know, the home will be built in Colonia San Antonio, an invasión or squatter community here in town. The lot was gifted to Juan Manuel and his father. It is in the section of the colony run by Maestra Zulema, who we know well from the Chicken Breakfast. She assures us that Juan Manuel and his father have all their paperwork in order to build. However, building in any squatter community involves risk. No one owns title to the land on which they build until, at some later date they hope, the municipality awards it to them. Such is common practice for people living at poverty levels here in Mazatlán and throughout Latin America, but I want everyone who donates to understand the situation. Juan Manuel and Don Rodolfo have been paying electricity and water, which provides them legal protection for their lot, but they do not legally own it outright despite having paperwork that says they do. The colony has hundreds if not thousands of squatter homes, so there is strength in numbers.

There are several options for donating money or materials to help with this project:

  • Click the “Donate” link in the right-hand column on this VidaMaz.com website, and pay via PayPal.
  • Go to any OXXO and donate to BanCoppel account 4169-1603-7041-0699 (photo below) in the name of Yolanda Medina.


 

  • Canadians who prefer to email money can send it to Jeanette Leraand: jleraand@gmail.com
  • Contact Yolanda via WhatsApp at 669 431 4529 to arrange a time to meet and give her your donation.
  • Contact me at dianne@vidamaz.com and I’ll pick up your donation.

Merry Christmas to those who celebrate! Blessed Hannukah and Kwanzaa! May 2021 bring us much more health, sanity and joy, as well as a new and much-needed home for Juan Manuel and Don Rodolfo. No doubt you all have good karma for your help with this project!

Progress on a House

Bless you, everyone! 32 donors have chipped in 62,510 pesos plus donated ten sacks of cement, a cart of gravel, and two doors for our house for Juan Manuel! We also have a couple who have volunteered to help with finishing up the house once it’s built. Our sincere hope is to have it ready for Juan Manuel and his father by Christmas.

As I told you in my previous update, I noticed that the plans they originally submitted to us were for a very basic room and nothing more: no windows, doors or roof, no bathroom or kitchen sink or plumbing. Obviously they will not have sewage, but they can run basic electrical and also get water from a hose. The builder then drew the above basic plan.

That initial builder has gone AWOL, but it has actually been a blessing as we have an architect who has volunteered his time to design a cinder block room, updating the basic outlines above, rather than a room using the more expensive brick. Going forward we will be able to use this architectural design for other basic rooms/homes for other families as we see extreme need.

In the meantime, the pair have had to move to a new rental home, because the owner of the house I photographed them in has returned to Mazatlán. They are most anxious to move into a new room of their home and save on rent, so they can purchase diapers for Juan Manuel as well as much-needed medicines.

Bless you for your help! Please send good energy that the architect produces good plans quickly, and the new builder does his job well and speedily. We will of course pay the builder only as work is completed, and we will buy supplies directly to protect the money you have generously shared. Fingers crossed I will be able to show you photos of groundbreaking soon!

Additional money received will go towards making this very simple home the best it can be. Once building gets close to finished we may ask you for donations of basic appliances, mattress, lighting, roofing, etc. that you might have extra and are willing to part with. So, please let your friends and neighbors know about this project and hopefully we will have a wonderful Christmas present for Juan Manuel and Don Rodrigo soon!

Blessed holiday season, Dianne

Update on “A Home for Juan Manuel”

Juan Manuel Tovar Valdez

You rock! Bless you all! Thanks to your generosity we have met the budget we received from Juan Manuel and his father for a new home! But we are not done yet; please read through and do what you can. 

We have had 22 parties donate to the “Build a Home for Juan Manuel” project thus far. One person donated the 10 bags of cement and the cart of gravel, and another couple offered to help install flooring and light fixtures and help paint. You are generous! We have spoken to the albañil and are hoping he will start construction soonest. We plan to pay him directly with your kind gifts.

However, as is typical, the budget we received did not include a roof, windows, doors, flooring, toilet or sink, plumbing, paint, etc. So, we would like to raise some additional money to actually complete the house for these very deserving and wonderful men. I’d also really like to be able to build them a second room, so they’re not smooshed all day and night into one 2m x 3m room, even though they say they are ok with it.

If you could help us out by sharing the original article to your social networks with your personalized request for assistance, I believe we will be able to do this. Also, please let your friends and neighbors know so this can be a community effort. I have added an easy way for people in Canada to join in; see the payment options in the original post. If you have used but servicable windows, doors, sink, toilet, etc., we would welcome your donation! 

If you or someone you know has access to construction materials, that’s great. 

Thank you! Blessed holidays to all!

Helping During the Crisis

Collaborators

The great news today? With your help we were able to purchase 50 sets of medical grade hooded and booted coveralls, along with N95 certified medical grade face masks and nitrile gloves. This is one month’s worth of gear for two doctors or nurses, and they will go exclusively to medical staff attending COVID-19 patients in our local public hospitals! We obviously have a loooooong way to go, but it felt soooo good to purchase these today!

A group I belong to, Mazatlán Comparte, is comprised of service organizations, associations and private businesses here in Mazatlán looking to help those in need get food on their tables and looking to get effective personal protective equipment into the hands of medical staff who treat COVID-19 patients. It is an amazing team of talented volunteers working llloooooonggg hours to accomplish these goals. We are doing our absolute best to make sure that the personal protective equipment we purchase is certified and authentic; that it serves its purpose. We are scouring for the best prices. I myself have spent full-time this past week since we organized making connections, getting bids and having medical people test samples, between running our social media.

Several times a day since I joined the Mazatlán Comparte team, I get a new video from one of our local public hospitals that brings tears to my eyes. These doctors and nurses are working without adequate personal protective equipment. They are using masking tape to close their gowns. Today I received video of a COVID-19 patient being transported through the hospital and the patient didn’t even have a face mask to prevent contagion! They ask us not to publish the videos, but I glimpse a bit of what they are going through and it pains me deeply.

NOT medical masks; these are for carpenters.
NOT medical masks; these are for carpenters, though they are being sold for hospital use and are better than nothing.

As I’ve quickly learned, it is really difficult to help.

  • I’ve worked with suppliers for days, only to find out they are lying about the quality of their product once I get the sample.
  • Likewise, I’ve worked with suppliers who suddenly increase their price, or sell off to a higher bidder.
  • There is just way too much medical equipment on the market that is pirated and ineffective and knowing how to distinguish what is what is a steep educational curve.
  • There is too much equipment being sold at inflated prices, enabling vendors to profit off the pandemic. Sadly, even quite a few of our local vendors. We have tried our best to keep business here in our community, to keep the money at home. But people have to have the spirit of giving, not just profiting.
  • Worse, there are truly wonderful people sewing fabric masks and making face covers, yet many of them when donated aren’t making it into the hands of the personnel who really need them.
  • Some of the donated items even get sold.

What can you do? First of all, if you are out and about for essential errands, PLEASE wear only masks made for the average person, not medical-grade masks. At Mazatlán Comparte (Mazatlán Shares) we have been searching high and low to get certified, functionally appropriate personal protective equipment for the medical staff of our local public hospitals. The sad thing is that there is so little of it available. Now is NOT the time for average citizens to be using medical gear! Let’s save that for those working with COVID-19 patients.

Recent donation of homemade face shields from Ernesto Guerrero to ISSSTE
Recent donation of homemade face shields from Ernesto Guerrero to ISSSTE
Recent donation of homemade face shields from Ernesto Guerrero to ISSSTE
Recent donation of homemade face shields from Ernesto Guerrero to ISSSTE

Second, quite a few of you have contacted me to tell me you are making fabric masks or face shields you would like to donate. That is awesome!!! THANK YOU! Mazatlán Comparte is working closely with doctors and nursing staff at our local public hospitals: General Hospital, IMSS and ISSSTE. We will make sure your donation goes to those who most need what you have donated, depending on their patient load and current hospital supplies of equipment.

mazatlan comparte inglMost importantly, you can DONATE MONEY. Yes, I know most of us hate to part with our hard-earned money. But if not now, during this crisis, when? We will make sure your donation goes to buy NEEDED and FUNCTIONAL equipment for those who ACTUALLY TREAT COVID-19 patients in our public hospitals. Instructions for donating are below. If you want your money to buy medical supplies, donate to Hospice (information on the left). Be sure to indicate clearly on your donation that it is for “Mazatlán Comparte,” so they can distinguish the purpose of your gift, or send us a copy of the receipt. You can pay via PayPal, too; just scroll down to the bottom of the page and click the “Donate” button, adding in your comment during the process. If you want your money to go to buy food, please donate to the Food Bank (information on the right). They can buy much more food for the money you donate than you as a citizen are able to buy retail.

Bless you all! Thank you for all the help you give this community. Take care of yourself, each other, our neighbors. We will get through this. Share this post widely, if you would.

 

Altata: A Charming Weekend Trip

23004765_1891872064462693_1458402486241907964_oJust three hours north of Mazatlán is a quaint fishing village on a cove, protected by a peninsula that faces the sea. It has an older part of the town, and a newer, high-rent district with a marina and upscale condominiums. That place is called Altata, and it is just to the coast from Culiacán.

I recommend it as a nice weekend getaway. The seafood is delectable, the views are incredible, while there is only one hotel, it is new and nicely decorated, there are condos for rent, and it’s just a different vibe than Mazatlán. If you go, you can relax, take a boat ride, go sport fishing… just about anything you’d do here in Mazatlán, but on a smaller scale and minus the insane night life. Altata nightlife is more like party on the malecón or in a restaurant, at least from what I’ve seen.

Anyway, last October a group of photographers of which I’m a member, Grupo Sinaloa, was invited to spend a long and enjoyable day in Altata, to take photos and share some of them with the Department of Tourism there. We had an incredible time, eating three great meals, enjoying boat rides and bus tours, hiking and beach combing. We witnessed small planes buzz us on the beach, jet skis with parents and kids zoom by us, and dune buggies jump around incredibly scenic sand dunes. We enjoyed a marvelous sunset, a few drinks, and several bands serenading us on Altata’s malecón  before heading back to Culiacán about 9 pm. It was a beautiful day spent in wonderful company. Click any photo to enlarge it or view a slideshow.

Yesterday, Saturday May 5th, the exhibition from the day of photography opened on the malecón of Altata. It is entitled Altata: Para todos, para siempre, and was officially inaugurated by the Mayor, the state Secretary of Tourism, other political dignitaries and Grupo Sinaloa’s founders: Marcopolo Amarillas, Liduvina Vargas Romero and Juan Santana. Photos are displayed outdoors on the malecón of Altata and will be there through May 21st.

I am so glad we attended yesterday’s events. We hesitated, as we leave for our son’s college graduation in the morning, so traveling just before more traveling isn’t the smartest thing we’ve ever done. But to see the joy in the eyes of so many photographers who had their first-ever exhibition, the excitement of seeing their photos printed in large scale, having the locals tell them how much it means that people from outside Altata see the beauty in their local community and want to express it to the world… it was just a really terrific evening. We were once again treated like royalty, with a terrific dinner and open bar after the opening ceremony.

So, if you are looking for something to do this month that is a bit out of the norm, try a visit to Altata! The hotel is called Altata Bay, and you will find loads and loads of restaurants in the town along the lovely malecón. Nuevo Altata, with the marina and scenic lighthouse, is about a 15 minute drive north.