The children’s limerick, “rain, rain go away, come again another day” is apropos to describe Oaxaca this summer. It has rained incessantly and our friends have said this is the wettest time they can ever remember. The ground is saturated.
This makes mountain villages like Santa Maria Tlahuitoltepec especially vulnerable because there is no where else to build except on the hillsides.
News from Tlahuitoltepec today is not good. In this Mixe village of about 10,000 people, a massive 4:00 a.m. landslide buried people inside their homes as they were sleeping.
To read more, see www.commondreams.org
The remote village is about 50 miles from our village of Teotitlan del Valle (also about 10,000 pop.), but it takes three to four hours to get there over curving mountain roads.
Our friends at the Oaxaca Lending Library (OLL) are asking for help and donations for the village. Specifically, here is what is needed:
- bottled water
- powdered milk
- easy-to-open canned foods
- disposable diapers
- warm clothing (used is okay)
- blankets
- cash donations
To help, contact Oaxaca Lending Library email: library@prodigy.net.mx Stephen and I are members of the Oaxaca Lending Library. They are an organization of local Oaxaquenos and expatriates who make Oaxaca their home. You can be assured that any gifts will get to the intended community directly — this is a legitimate organization.
Pino Suárez 519, Centro
68000, Oaxaca, México
Tel. 951 5187077
Oaxaca Lending Library — Making Connections for Gringos
A year ago my friend Shannon Pixley Sheppard left Mill Valley, California, to settle in Oaxaca. She took an early retirement from her career as a librarian and decided to make her way south where life is vibrant and a retirement income can stretch considerably. She volunteers at the Oaxaca Lending Library which is a cultural center for transplanted norteamericanos (canadienses and estadounidenses). The OLL also provides important educational support for community libraries that are dedicated to local populations.
I want to share this link with you. Shannon has just written about some upcoming events that showcase the vibrancy of social and cultural life in Oaxaca. If you are considering a vacation or an extended stay or even contemplating a move to Oaxaca, this is an excellent reference point for you.
Shannon lives perched on a hillside off Calle Crespo where she has annointed her apartment Casita Colibri. You can read her posts here!
http://casitacolibri.wordpress.com/2011/02/13/classes-tours-book-talks-spas-you-name-it/
Like this:
Comments Off on Oaxaca Lending Library — Making Connections for Gringos
Posted in Cultural Commentary, Oaxaca Mexico art and culture, Travel & Tourism
Tagged Mexico, Oaxaca, Oaxaca Lending Library, postaweek2011, Travel and Tourism, Travel Guides