By: Carol Romain, Executive Committee, Por Los Niños Educational Charity, Zihuatanejo, Guerrero
I’m A Grandma – What’s Your Super Power?
If You Can’t Afford Clothes, “Undies” Are Often Forgotten
When you can barely afford clothes on the outside the stuff underneath is often forgotten. But, if you tell a few grandmothers that there are little girls out there who are not wearing underwear, they go shopping! Grandmas always want you to have clean underwear!
Little girls without underwear! GRANDMAS take action!
My favorite story is when I told a friend in Alberta, Canada about the low-income kids who attend Casa Para Niños in Zihuatanejo. The school was started 17 years ago by some forward-thinking people at Pacifica Resort in Ixtapa Zihuatanejo, Guerrero, who felt that the bright, but poor primary school children deserved a chance to change their lives and the lives of their families through education.
So, I was telling my friend that many of the kids at this school don’t have underwear. “What do you mean no underwear?” she replied. It’s just one of those things you don’t think about. Poor kids often struggle just to have clothes on top – underwear is a luxury.
Grandmas to the Rescue!
Well, my girlfriend told her 90-year-old mother about this – and GRANDMA went into action! Her mother INSISTED that they go shopping immediately to buy underwear for these kids. You know how grandmas are; they are experienced “clean underwear” checkers!
That was the start of the “Grandmas and Underwear Program.” For the past three years, international tourists and friends of the Por Los Niños of Zihuatanejo Educational Charity have bought underwear and school shoes for our kids.
Now, Kids Get Underwear on Children’s Day
Now every April 30th, which is Children’s Day in Mexico (Día de Los Niños), each of the 100 kids at Casa Para Niños School gets 3 pairs of underwear!
THANK YOU, GRANDMAS OF THE WORLD!
About Casa Para Niños School
Supporting this school is one of the many projects of the Por Los Niños Educational Charity of Zihuatanejo. These bright but low-income kids attend their regular local school in the mornings and then go to extra classes at this school in the afternoons. The children must maintain an 8 point grade average out of 10. At Casa Para Niños, they receive food, counseling if needed, school supplies, English classes, computer classes, and Values and Ethics, which they would not receive in public school.
For more information about our little treasure, visit www.porlosninos.com.
And, bring some underwear when you come for your next visit! The kids look forward to getting a new pair each year!
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