A New Life for Girls with Experience of Violence

According to the OECD, Mexico is one of the countries with the greatest income disparities in the world. Indigenous peoples in particular are disproportionately affected by economic and social exclusion. Around 75% of the Mexican population living in extreme poverty belongs to an indigenous group. Due to economic and social hopelessness, many Mexicans migrate from the rural areas to the big cities. The region around the capital Mexico City alone has seen a 700 percent increase over the last 50 years. In addition to migration within the country, there is migration from other Latin American countries – often as transmigration on the way to the United States. This leads to rapid growth in the extremely poor suburbs around the metropolises.

Especially in a country marked by “machismo” – the self-image of men as dominant figures in the image of society and as heads of families – women are among the most vulnerable individuals in society.In recent years, an increase in violence against women can be observed, and on average in Mexico a woman is raped every four minutes and a woman murdered every two and a half hours.

Through the help alliance funding from 2018-2020, three key measures were implemented: 1. the conversion of the farm into a therapy centre 2. the establishment of a care, school and therapy programme 3. a care service for more children from the region.

Conversion and extension of the farm into a therapy centre

A significant step was the conversion of the already existing farm into a therapy centre with two residential modules to create enough capacity to accommodate and care for the girls. Since the beginning of the project, a total of 35 girls and young women from very difficult backgrounds have been admitted to the residential centre and cared for. Upon admission, the girls undergo a general medical check-up. Following the results of the check-up, they continue to receive medical care to meet the health needs of each individual. The residential home offers protection to the girls and they find a new and safe home here.

Establishment and implementation of the care, school and therapy programme

In addition, a care, school and therapy programme has been set up to provide the girls and young women with access to education and to help them come to terms with their traumatic experiences.

As part of the therapy, the aim is to teach the girls basic values, how to deal with clear rules and boundaries, and to strengthen their personalities in the long term. For example, they support the local population in community work, such as collecting waste from green areas. By living on a farm, they get additional insights into working on an ecological farm and at the same time participate in the care of the animals as well as cultivation in the greenhouse.

The fact that their school performance as well as their learning and understanding has improved significantly since the children are enrolled in school and supported with their homework is another success of the project. For the over-14s, there is also the possibility to start vocational training in other institutions to learn a profession they like. This gives the young women a perspective for the future and enables them to lead a self-determined life.

In an additional leisure programme, the girls can discover their own talents and participate in activities outside of school.

Childcare programme for more children from the region

The implementation of a further care programme (day offer/afternoon school) offers needy children and young people from the region the opportunity to make meaningful use of their free time with the various offers of the farm. In total, up to 100 girls and boys from three surrounding communities took part in the school’s activities and other community-based activities during the three project years per year. Through the care of their children at the therapeutic farm in Chignahuapan, around 75 to 90 families ultimately benefited.

Obstacles in the implementation of the interventions

The COVID-19 pandemic and the measures it imposed were also very drastic for this project. Due to the difficult situation, the Therapy Farm team had to temporarily take the beneficiary girls and young women home to their families, or, where this was not possible, to another institution in Mexico City, starting in March 2020. In addition, the time was used wisely with training and further education of the staff as well as the implementation of maintenance and improvement measures of the facility.

However, we still support many other projects in the region.
To the projects