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Click here for "Ongoing Updates and Events"
- Updated 3/27/08
La Casa Indigenista
La Casa is a charity for homeless children and their
families in Tijuana that many of our Subud San Diego
members support by sending school supplies, used clothing
and food items such as rice, beans, chickens, etc.
over the border with one of our members, Mikail, who
works in Tijuana.
The
full name for La Casa is "Casa de Atencion Indigenista
Principe de Paz A.C." The founder, Martha is
a woman with a face full of love and light, who always
makes us feel very welcome. Her goal is to help the
homeless children of Tijuana and their families--mostly
indigenous families that migrate to Tijuana from the
economically depressed rural areas. They're unprepared
for urban life. La Casa is a kind of temporary crisis
center, providing food, helping them obtain the necessary
documents for the children to attend school and permits
for the families to sell items on the street, etc.
La Casa also provides some interim classes for the
children. These children are our close neighbors.
It takes about 20 minutes to drive from the Subud
hall to the border crossing, and then another 5 or
10 minutes to walk to La Casa.
During this past year, Subud obtained a community
grant from Deseret Industries Community Partnership,
a charity affiliated with the Church of Latter Day
Saints. Deseret has many programs but the grant enables
us to go to the Deseret thrift store in Chula Vista
to use coupons to get clothes and household goods
for La Casa families. Last Christmas, we donated hundreds
of toys and stuffed animals for the children. It is
a fun and rewarding project for the Subud member volunteers
and we have spent almost three quarters of the money
for the year. Mikail works happily to get all our
member donations and Deseret goods to the families.
Rashima
frequently sponsors Thursday evening dinners before
latihan, donating the proceeds to La Casa in the form
of purchased goods for the children. Because of her
recent health challenges, the dinners have been less
frequent but we continue to welcome donations of clothes,
household goods and money.
Subud
members try to attend some of the La Casa celebrations.
One example is the Christmas celebration which took
place in the large plaza in front of the La Casa quarters.
There were hundreds of children and their families
attending. Games of all sorts were organized but we
especially enjoyed the piñata games which brought
great delight to all ages of children and observers.
Music was playing and presents were given out to all
ages of children. It was quite an organizational wonder
and volunteers served everyone large bowls of delicious
soup cooked in the small kitchen to everyone. There
was joy in the air and we left feeling quite uplifted.
A Christmas miracle occurred when we all crossed the
border in twenty minutes.
La
Casa's quarters consist of two properties facing the
plaza only a couple blocks from the main tourist strip
of Tijuana. The facility resembles an extra-deep garage.
There are a sink and stove at the back, and a flushing
toilet behind a curtain. Children's drawings line
the walls. There are tables and chairs, signs of activity
all around. Marta wants to use the second property,
just across the plaza, as a dormitory for the children
so they won't need to sleep in the streets at night.
The cost of renting these 2 facilities is $200/month
each. Prior to this, our donations have all been in
the form of donated goods. However, thanks to a generous
grant of $500 from Susila Dharma USA, we were able
to give La Casa some money to help pay the rent of
their new quarters as they transition.
Please
continue to send your contributions to Casa since
everything is used by the families. There are collection
boxes in the social hall under the table and there
will be periodic fund raisers. We enjoy wonderful
food, each other's company, and get to help the La
Casa children at the same time!
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