Puerto Vallarta, Mexico – The ‘Vallarta Abuelos,’ a group of Mexican and expat volunteers that focus on giving back to the community by helping underprivileged children, have announced the launch of their annual School Bag Project, which supports local kids who dream of continuing their studies in public schools.
All students in public school must pay fees and buy uniforms, 2 pair of shoes, and 2 or 3 different uniforms. Youth in junior and senior high must also pay for books, transportation, and lunches. The cost of education is very high here, and contributes to the 63% dropout rate.
Since the Pandemic, costs for ‘free’ public elementary school have tripled! Most of the children on our list are being raised by single moms or grandmothers who earn the minimum wage by selling tacos or cleaning hotel rooms.
The Vallarta Abuelos School Bag Project will support 700 children who dream of continuing their studies in Kinder, Primaria, Secundaria, and Prepa. For only $35 US, you can provide a low-income child with a new back pack and supplies for the first day of school.
Students in junior and senior high must also pay for books and transportation ($14 USD). A high school lunch costs 100 pesos, or $6 USD, so your donation really will make a difference!
Here in Mexico, a back pack alone can cost from 400 pesos ($24 USD) to more than 1500 pesos ($90 USD). The ‘stitched notebook’ required by the schools sells for 80 to 120 pesos ($4 USD to $7 USD), and one is required for each class. That means that a high school student needs $600 pesos ($40 USD) just for notebooks!
By purchasing wholesale & direct, we are able to make this project possible at a reduced cost.
How to sponsor a child:
- Send a tax-deductible donation through GoFundMe.com/Vallarta-Abuelos
- Send a tax-deductible donation through Paypal to VallartaAbuelos@outlook.com
- Send a US check or cash (message Anne Marie Weiss-Armush for details)
- Take a child’s name from one of our School Bag ‘angel trees’ in local restaurants.
Please help. The cost is only $35.00 USD per child. 100% of funds collected will be used for this project. The Vallarta Abuelos are all volunteers and there are no costs for overhead or staff.
The Vallarta School Bag Project is produced under the auspices of DFW International, a Dallas-based 501c3, and as such can issue receipts for use with US taxes.
