The ButterFlyer - Mariposas Mexico

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The ButterFlyer
September 2014
We at Mariposas are so thankful you are part of our growing community. In two short
years we’ve had a direct positive effect on over 50 young women and 3
communities. We could not have done this without your support. Together, we are
bound by our vision to empower young women and provide a path out of poverty and
break the cycle of poverty caused by lack of educational opportunities and access to
educational services.
I am very excited to announce that Mariposas has officially received our 501(c)(3)
IRS designation. We have had a busy year and there is lot on our plate for the
upcoming year. I am happy to report that the 2014 Camp Mariposas was a great
success, we have three new scholarship recipients, and fantastic results from the
Club Mariposas. The Team is working full steam ahead on planning the 2015 Camp.
On behalf of the Mariposas Board, Volunteers and Participants, I thank you for your
support!
Thank you! ¡Mil gracias!
Tessa
Camp Mariposas 2014!
In March of 2014, Mariposas held their second annual Camp. Twenty-four girls,
ages 13 -18, from three marginalized communities in the states of Puebla and
Tlaxcala participated in the weeklong camp held at the National Institute of
Astrophysics, Optics and Electronics in Puebla.
The camp was a blast! Just like the inaugural camp in 2013, each day of the
camp had a different theme, encompassing a wide variety of interests including
environmental stewardship, health, opportunities and goal setting, healthy
relationships, and self-discovery. A few of the workshops included:
Composting
Gender roles
First aid
Healthy eating
Domestic violence
Self-esteem
Climate change
Academic opportunities
Each day of camp began with some type of exercise like yoga or Zumba, and
ended with an environmental tip and career talk from a local professional
woman. During the last full day of camp we had a talent show with plenty of
happy tears as everyone had grown close as a group.
One girl’s story that really touched us this year was Lizbeth’s; she was the only
girl to attend from her community and this was the first time she had ever been
apart from her family. On the first day of the camp, she was feeling isolated,
upset, and wanted to leave. The other girls rallied around her to reassure her
and make her feel included. Lizbeth stayed for the remainder of the camp, and
she grew in her self-confidence and independence. Back in her community, she
has actively recruited other girls to participate in Club Mariposas and together
they tackle community issues.
This years camp would not have been possible without the generous donations
from individual donors and corporate donors such as the UPS Foundation,
Holiday Inn: La Noria-Puebla, and the National Institute of Astrophysics, Optics
and Electronics.
The camp always inspires our great team of Peace Corps Volunteers, who can
not wait for Camp Mariposas 2015 which we are already in the process of
planning.
Our scholarship program is one of the major components of our mission. The goal is
to provide continuing education opportunities for young women living in rural
communities. All camp participants are eligible to apply for a scholarship. Mariposas’
first three scholarship recipients finished their first year of university and are about to
begin their second year. We are so proud and want to share a little update from each
recipient.
Berenice Garcia Larracilla is from Atzitzintla, Puebla and is
working towards her bachelors in Business Administration at
The Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, Puebla’s
oldest and largest university. With this degree she hopes to
return to her town to help her parents and community improve
their futures and quality of life. More specifically, she wants to
work in finance and human resources. In her spare time, she
takes English and German classes and exercises for her
mental and physical health.
Araceli Lopez Sarmiento is from Atzitzintla, Puebla and is the
only daughter of 5 children in her family. Her parents support
the family from the crops they sell from their small farm. She is
into creative design, business, and socializing with different
types of people. To bring all of this together she decided to
study Marketing. She is currently studying at the Technological
University of Tecamachalco in the state of Puebla.
Patricia de Rosas Flores is also from the city of Atzitzintla in
Puebla. She considers herself to be an intelligent person who
fights everyday to learn more. Before going to university, she
was living with her mother and 5 siblings, unfortunately her
father died 7 years ago leaving her family with no source of
income. The decision was hard leave her family, but she has
successfully completed her first year of college studying
Industrial Process in Manufacturing. She is happy to be given
this opportunity as it will allow her to provide a better future for
her family and is allowing her to be an example to her younger
siblings. She is also studying at the Technological University of Tecamachalco in
Puebla.
THREE NEW RECIPIENTS!! This Fall Mariposas’ is excited introduce three new
scholarship recipients! Stay tuned on Facebook and our website to stay tuned for the
news. Good luck ladies!
HOW CAN YOU GET INVOLVED?
Donate a Working Laptop! We’re looking for functioning laptops to give to our
Mariposas scholarship recipients. Your donation of a working laptop will help
these girls excel in school. If you have an outdated, but functioning laptop,
please contact us about donating today!
Become an Ambassador! Raise money and awareness by hosting a party for
Mariposas. Bringing friends and family together to share the causes that are
dearest to us is a great way to join the movement. Whether you raise funds or
just spread the word about our good work, we’d love to have you get involved!
Like Us on Facebook! Follow us on Facebook and keep up to date on all of
the Mariposas’ happenings.
Volunteer! Are you looking to make a difference and directly impact a young
woman’s life? Did you know that Mariposas is a volunteer run organization and
is consistently looking for talented dedicated individuals to help us grow?
Contact Tessa at [email protected] to find out how you can
volunteer and support Mariposas.
Donate!* Our mission and vision continues to drive our work in Mexican rural
communities. Girls continue to need support in rural communities, and we need
your help! Scholarships are 100% funded by private donors, which means that
Bere, Patty and Chely have the opportunity to break the poverty cycle by
attending university thanks to donors like you. Please consider donating
today to support future female leaders achieve their goals.
As a requirement for attending camp, the participants have to start a club in their
home communities to pass along their new skills and the information they have
learned. We are happy to report that the clubs in all three communities have started
projects and attended workshops to effectively implement those projects. The clubs’
projects include: square-foot gardens, a monthly community clean-up project, and a
community reforestation project. In order to build confidence as leaders, 15 girls from
two communities volunteered to lead activities at two fairs outside their communities
- these fairs were attended by over 1,000 people! Through the formation of these
clubs the girls are learning how to fundraise, manage money, and conduct
community outreach - all of which are skills that will serve them throughout their
educational and professional careers. The parents of the participants have even
commented on how the clubs and the camp have benefited and changed their
daughter’s lives. We are incredibly proud to see these on-going demonstrations of
increased leadership abilities and improved self-esteem. See what the Clubs have
been up to via our Facebook page and on our website!
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Copyright © 2014 Mariposas: Mujeres Cambiando el Mundo, All rights reserved.
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