Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico - In order to prevent and address the risks of social exclusion arising from teen pregnancy and unplanned adolescent motherhood, the System for Integral Family Development (DIF) of Puerto Vallarta recently delivered baby items to the girls who participate in PAIDEA (Comprehensive Prevention and Response Program for Adolescent Pregnancy).

The baby items were collected through the "Your Heart, Your Best Smile" campaign at participating schools, which included Colegios Ameyali, La Marina, Vancouver, Abraham Lincoln, and Juana de Asbaje.

Upon receiving the baby items, PAIDEA group members Guadalupe Cervantes Palomera and Claudia Lizbeth Séndiz Palomera talked about the experiences they had while participating in the group and thanked the institution for the support they received, which has helped them to succeed.

Speaking in front of the girls who participate in the program, DIF Vallarta President Magaly Fregoso Ortiz emphasized that attention to this segment of the population (children and teens) is the foundation of the institution.

She also thanked the five schools that joined in the cause for being part of the team that helps improve the lives of teen moms. In particular, she thanked María del Carmen Vargas, who teaches at Colegio Vancouver and teacher Fernando Ramos Robles of La Marina, who along with their students, made a space in their classrooms for participants and the delivery of the baby items.

Fregoso Ortiz invited the young people to avail the support of the programs offered by the DIF's 33 welfare programs, but stressed the importance of studying and being prepared to move forward. She said that the year 2014 will be focused on women heads of household, so single mothers can expect more support programs that will help them become self-sufficient and to acquire a job.

PAIDEA program coordinator Alma Delia González García reiterated to the girls that they need to conceptualize a life plan and prepare through study, since the DIF provides support through their Training Center and scholarships.

In accordance with their characteristics and under a gender perspective, this program provides girls with adequate and comprehensive care and guidance that promotes a responsible attitude to their sexuality, encouraging its incorporation into a full and productive life.

About PAIDEA

La Programa de Prevención y Atención Integral del Embarazo en Adolescentes provides counseling and education to pregnant teenagers and teenage mothers from 11 to 18 years and 11 months old in conformance with the care they need. They also manage integration into the PROMAJOVEN Scholarship program awarded by the Ministry of Education to help these teenagers continue their basic education. PAIDEA operates under the Department of Child Protection (IPR), along with programs like Child Sexual Exploitation, Child Workers, Psychosocial Risk Prevention, and the promotion of children's sports, among others. González García said that, in addition to working with educational institutions, the groups they work with are those in the most vulnerable colonias and the furthest away from town, such as Mojoneras, Coapinole, Volcanes, Remanse and Progreso.