Yucatan Living

Yucatan News: Health and Education

Health Care for Undocumented Migrants

A new program will begin in March of this year, designed to provide healthcare for 30,000 undocumented migrants in and around the San Francisco and San Rafael, California, areas. The actual work will be undertaken by the University of El Paso, Texas, UADY in Merida, and the San Francisco Mayab civil association. The project will be financed by the Mexican Research Program on Migration and Health (PIMSA). The initial goal will be to provide home health and health education, with particular emphasis on psycho-social problems such as stress and depression. Many of these individuals are young people who have grown up in the U.S. and simply want to continue their educations. This leads to an additional goal of this program to assist these individuals as they enter mainstream American society. We wish everyone associated with this project all the best.

Invitation to Friends of The English Mass

There is a new group forming with the goal of getting together mid-week to explore the Bible in a more personal way. The intention is not to find one meaning in the text, but to share the meaning that each individual finds there. Good listening skills will be helpful. If this idea is of interest to you, please get in touch with Matt by e-mail at c76319@yahoo.com

Neither Heat nor Rain nor Cold can Affect the Muelle Market…

On a day when local school absentee rates hit nearly 90 % because of heavy rains and cold winds, the organizers of the Muelle Market, which is held at the Bamboo Beach Restaurant in Chicxulub, were certain they would have to cancel this month’s event due to weather. Not so! All of the vendors and customers showed up and they had an amazing market! Remember to save every third Thursday for this amazing Artisan and Crafters’ market.

Eleven Free Books by Jim Conrad

101 Yucatan Trees and Shrubs. For those who are meeting Jim’s work for the first time, we invite you to spend plenty of time on Backyard Nature, and be sure to make a donation to help fund Jim’s websites and work. Don’t forget to sign up for his newsletter while you’re there, too.

Municipality of Progreso: Fine for Littering / Illegal Dumping

A new fine for littering is in effect for the Municipality (county) of Progreso and it is already being enforced. The amount of the fine is $3,683 pesos (60 times the $61.38 peso minimum wage), so the dumping of trash in illegal and/or clandestine dumps can result in fines of several hundred dollars per incident. Please be aware that this new fine has been in place since the first of January and will continue.

Nery Triay Lucatero Leads Cattle Breeders Association

Nery Triay Lucatero owns “The Stallion” (Rancho El Garañón ) Ranch, in the Municipality of Tizimin , where she has become Yucatan ’s premier breeder of Beefmaster cattle. She has also recently become the first female leader of the Association of Cattle Breeders Registry. Her current position comes after 20 years of dedicating herself to the commercial production of cattle and 10 years of specific focus on the breeding of fine Beefmaster stock. With all of this, she seeks to raise her livestock in as environmentally protective a manner as possible. Adding to her accomplishments, Nery Triay Lucatero is also a producer and breeder of sheep, as well as a grower of Persian limones. As the leader of her guild, she seeks to design projects that support farmers and preserve the environment. Yucatan is well known for providing opportunities for women and Nery Triay Lucatero is a wonderful role model for young ladies throughout the state.

Women Entrepreneurs in Yucatan

In the not too distant past, women entrepreneurs were not taken seriously in much of the world, and certainly not in Mexico. That kind of thinking has had it’s day and is gone for good. Today, the Yucatan Chapter of the Mexican Association of Women Entrepreneurs (AMME) provides women business owners with all of the support and education they need to be successful in whatever business or industry they choose. We are pleased to pass along the announcement that representatives of Yucatan’s AMME will be attending not only the annual Mexican convention for women entrepreneurs in Baja California, but that they will also be attending the global convention in Morocco in the Fall. The ladies of Yucatan excel at everything they attempt and deserve all of the accolades they have received.

Carlos Slim to Fund Online Classes in Spanish

The goal of the Khan Academy is to make a free, world-class education available to everyone. In order to accomplish that, the founder, Salman Khan, currently offers thousands of free video lectures on YouTube in subjects such as mathematics, physics and art history. Carlos Slim not only supports this idea, but puts his money where his intentions are. Over the next three years, $315 million dollars will be invested to expand internet connectivity in Mexico and to effect the translation of the Khan Academy videos into Spanish. As of now, over 500 Khan Academy videos have been translated into Spanish by Mexican university professors. Carlos Slim doesn’t intend to stop there. As an addition to the project, he will also fund online classes about Mexican history. As the world grows smaller, Mexico is moving ahead faster than ever because so many wealthy Mexicans do have a vision for the future of their nation and the resources to make their visions come true.

UADY Signs On for Social Programs

UADY has signed six new agreements to develop social programs for the benefit of the state. The UADY Foundation will contribute to the United Nations' Small Grants for Development Program. The university will also develop projects to promote the sustainable use of natural resources and the preservation of culture in nine communities in seven Municipalities in the Yucatan. The W.K. Kellogg Foundation will also be contributing to the year-long projects in Chimay, Yaxcabá; Comunidad de Plan Chac, Sacalum; Oxcum, Umán; Nolo Tixcocob; Canicab, Acanceh; Ixil and Tzucacab. UADY has the talent and the resources to bring fresh new eyes to old problems. These municipalities have been growing on their own but, after this shot in the arm, look for every one of them to become a destination for tourism and/or retirement communities.

Merida Lions Club News

The Merida Lions Club is seeking to make their cataract screening and surgery program permanent. It is common knowledge that the goal of Lions is to serve, and their eyeglasses for the poor programs are successful all over the world. But Lions don't stop there in their quest to end blindness worldwide. Here in Yucatan, the Lions' cataract screening and surgery program has grown every year because those most at risk for developing cataracts are individuals who work in the sun. This means that, as agriculture and masonry grow, so does the risk for cataracts. Since this program serves the entire region to which the Merida Lions Club belongs (Yucatan, Quintana Roo, Campeche, Chiapas, Oaxaca, and Tabasco), there is enough need to make the program permanent. In 2013, they plan to add the donation of hearing aids to 500 individuals to the current donation of 250 pairs of eyeglasses per month. For more information on the importance of this program and how to contact the Merida Lions Club, please refer to Yucatan Living's See Well, Live Better.