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!