Sunday Gratitude from Oaxaca Street Children President: Ojala!
The impact of our gifts has been felt! Oaxaca Street Children president David Slaymaker wrote to tell us so and add his thanks. (See below) Yesterday, I made a personal gift to Oaxaca Street Children Grassroots to sponsor the education of a child for one year. The cost: $250. It seems like a small price […]
More Masks Needed for Oaxaca: Will You Help?
So many of you have been very generous with repeated gifts since we started the Oaxaca Mask Project in April 2020, as soon as covid-19 reached Oaxaca and started to spread. Requests for masks continue. The need now is more in the remote villages than in the city, I’m told. Will you consider us again […]
Are there enough masks for Oaxaca?
I ask myself this question every day as the level of risk reported by the Oaxaca government moves fluidly back and forth from orange to red and back again. Confusing? Yes. And, in the informal economy small shop owners and street vendors are determined to do business, regardless of the risk. Restaurants have opened. Who […]
We are still here! Covering Faces in Oaxaca
I must confess it is difficult to be away from Oaxaca for so long. I have peripheral news to give you about daily life other than what we all read. I’m in the same boat as you … depending on others to tell me what’s going on! Mostly, it’s the same story. The Orange Light […]
Covering Faces: Oaxaca Mask Project Summary*
I left Oaxaca on March 12, 2020, for what was to be a two-month return to the USA, first to visit family in California for a week, and then to check on my North Carolina apartment. I landed in Los Angeles to see my son and brother, with a plan to visit my sister in […]
A Letter and A Story: The Oaxaca Mask Project
First, the letter I sent to our most recent donors yesterday — people who made gifts over the last two weeks. Read on for a story from Kalisa Wells about giving out our masks on the streets of Oaxaca. Dear Friends, Your gifts over the last two weeks topped us off at receiving over $10,000 […]
Donors Help Send Medical Supplies to Oaxaca Health Clinic
We branched out from masking making and distribution last week by raising funds from four donors to buy a Welch-Allyn vital signs monitor for the Teotitlan del Valle, Oaxaca, health clinic. Village volunteer officials contacted me with this special need. I reached out to readers and received immediate response from Kate Rayner, Toronto, Canada; Claudia […]
Generosity Knows No Boundaries: Oaxaca Mask Project II
We put out the call on Monday, May 25, that we were starting Phase II of the Oaxaca Mask Project. On Tuesday, May 26, an article in Mexico News Daily featuring the project appeared, written by journalist Janet Blaser. Oaxaca blogger Shannon Pixley Sheppard, View From Casita Colibri, reposted our Monday cry for help. You […]
Phase II, Oaxaca Mask Project, Starts Today
COVID-19 cases are rising in Oaxaca and the villages. This week’s news reports closures at Abastos Market (Central de Abastos), the huge central food distribution center in Oaxaca city due to high rates of disease. People are testing positive in villages in the Tlacolula Valley. Concern is rising. Demand for face masks is stronger. We […]
The Oaxaca Mask Project Report #6: The Final Push
This is our final push for now to make and distribute masks in Oaxaca and surrounding villages. We need your help. Will you make a donation today to give us the means to get 300-500 more masks made this week? To do this, we want to raise $1,250 more. To date, we have made and […]
The Oaxaca Mask Project Progress Report #4: Getting Masks to Villages
Thanks to the 58 donors of The Oaxaca Mask Project, we are making and distributing masks beyond Oaxaca city, getting them into villages. Seamstresses we are working with have made or are in process of making 1550 masks. We have received $3,636 to date and all of these funds will be spent by Thursday this […]
The Oaxaca Mask Project: Progress Report #1
As of today, The Oaxaca Mask Project has raised $1,831 USD received gifts from 31 generous people ordered 300 masks for delivery in the next 10 days help from Eric Ramirez and Zapotrek eco-tours help from Kalisa Wells help from Alvin Starkman and Mezcal Educational Tours to distribute masks to San Marcos Tlapazola and help […]