August 30 officially marks the beginning of Cozumel’s 2021-2022 Public School year.  This will be a flexible school year that may involve distance learning, in-class options on selected days of the week and/or daily in school classes when schools are ready to accept students.  

Some schools begin today with distance learning.  Others will make decisions this week when classes may start.  We anticipate it will take several weeks after their decisions to accomplish needed repairs, cleaning, and teacher preparation, etc.  Schools have been vacant for 18+ months during covid.  Some schools need to install all new water pipes, repair damage caused by storms and/or replace items that have been stolen. 

Distributing school back packs and supplies is one of Friends of Cozumel’s major annual efforts to support education for youth in kindergarten through university.  Our goal is to support approximately 550-600 students from families in need.  We are taking a “just in time” approach to giving supplies this year so the timing will be delayed until mid-to end of September or perhaps later.  We don’t want the school supplies to be lost or families tempted to sell them to ease their economic situation.  

Distribution will follow covid safety protocols . . . require masks, safe distance, and may restrict distribution to 1 or 2 representatives from each family rather than all the students coming to receive their supplies.  

Call for volunteers:  We are looking for island residents and visitors who will be here in the general timeframe of September 17 to October 3 to help distribute supplies.  The distribution will be organized in 2 or 3 hour shifts and completed in 2-3 days.  We are now creating a list of potential volunteers.  Please send your name and contact information (phone #, email or Facebook private message info) to one of the following:  Nelly Cervantes, 987-107-2244 OR Larry Pedersen US cell: 515-249-9241 via WhatsApp or text; OR Karen Pedersen via email:  pedersenkj@hotmail.com or Facebook private message. 

Check back soon to learn about Friends of Cozumel’s scholarship program.

Friends of Cozumel volunteer Don Cox came up with a unique way to support our efforts – A two-tank dive package with Dive with Martin called ‘The Donnie’! Check out the Santa Rosa Wall and the C53, with the added benefit of helping the people of Cozumel. We are blessed to have him in our community.

Don took the video above, did the editing and voice over to produce the video – what a beautiful dive! He’s an avid diver and underwater photographer.

Book by emailing reservations@divewithmartin.com and Don Cox will donate $20 to FOC for every boatload that signs up.

We salute mothers and grandmothers on May 10 Mexico’s Mother’s Day. Mothers and grandmothers have been the glue that hold families together, especially during this past year. Their strength and resiliency is truly amazing.  

Over half of the families Friends of Cozumel supports are single mothers or grandmothers. Many lost their jobs as housekeepers, waitresses, hotel workers or assistants working in the tourism as a result of COVID. They are doing whatever is necessary to feed their children and trying to teach them at home while keeping active kids inside their very modest rooms. Other families have a father/husband in the home but due to addictions (alcohol or drugs), some of these fathers are not a reliable source of financial support or engage in caring for the children so this also becomes a burden on the mothers.  

Here are examples of two incredible women Friends of Cozumel supports. They always put their children first despite their own personal challenges.

Rosita is a spry grandmother in her late 60’s raising two teenage granddaughters both who have health issues and a grandson abandoned by their father and mother. Rosita is considered “too old” to hold a job locally so she gathered cans, plastics and cardboard daily  to recycle and received a few pesos prior to COVID. When the island shut down with very strict curfews to ensure people remained in their homes, Rosita was no longer able to gather recycling or find odd jobs. Then she was a passenger on a moto involved in a bad accident that resulted in a back injury and 3-month recovery. She’s now to a point where she can gather recyclables again and is determined to support the children.

Cristina is a deaf, mute mother who does not use sign language and cannot read or write. We have developed a unique way to communicate with her. She is pictured here with 5 year-old daughter Evelyn. Belen, an older daughter will begin high school next fall. Her husband, Victor, has a part-time job as a waiter but his addiction to alcohol impacts his ability to support the family. Through the years Cristina has been the primary stability for the family working to make tortillas and the primary childcare giver.  

Friends of Cozumel is providing small personal gifts for 50 mothers and grandmothers for Mother’s Day. Thanks to Volunteer Christian Builders Women’s Mission groups for making beautiful lined zipper make-up bags and other donors who have given us bags for make-up samples. The gifts include useful personal items like a fold-up nylon shopping bag, lotion, nail files, lip balm, a compact mirror and antibacterial gel along with this message (translated here) . . .

“On this special day, we hope you feel very dear (loved/cared for) and appreciated because you truly are.  Happy Mother’s Day.  The Lord bless you and Keep you.  ”

Numbers 6:24

Interest continues to increase among local families in having water purification systems. The systems are made with two buckets and a ceramic charcoal filter that cleans impurities from tap or well water to produce safe drinking water. This is a significant $ savings for families because it eliminates having to buy purified drinking water and encourages them to stay hydrated for their health. We’ve been blessed by two non-profit organizations that funded materials for an additional 45 systems!

Friends of Cozumel frequently receives emails and texts from visitors as well as island residents expressing a desire to “build something” or assist us in a service project.
During the past two months these volunteers have spent half-days cutting, sanding, staining or painting the wood bases and assembling the buckets and filters. As a result, 20 systems were delivered to local families in February. We are currently preparing 10 more systems that will be delivered in the coming two weeks and supplies are on the way for even more builds.

Chris staining parts prior to assembly

Rick and Steve installing filters into the buckets

Steve B. pre-drilling parts for the stand assembly

We are fortunate that most items necessary for the systems can be procured locally or purchased online. The filters are still purchased via Amazon and transported here by volunteers. Our goal is to have systems on hand and ready to be provided to families that want them.

Debi painted messages on the legs of the stands

Eight systems have filters installed and are being tested for leaks prior to delivery

Complete and ready for a new home

More information about the water systems is available at this link: http://friendsofcozumel.com/2020/12/09/water-purification-systems-help-families-stay-healthy-when-money-is-tight/

Friends of Cozumel is continuing to focus on basic necessities of food, prescription medications, baby formula and ecological diapers as well as supporting the third generation (seniors) and those with special needs. 

Families are also requesting support for these emerging needs: 

• Clothing, shoes, home goods—to fit growing children and/or replace home items
• Hygiene products—shampoo, toothpaste, antibacterial gel/soap, feminine products
• Purified drinking water to stay healthy 

The initial “Armario Comunitario” (Community Closet) held February 1-2 as a pilot project was so successful that we have opened a temporary location (preview here) to continue addressing the first two emerging needs above of clothing/shoes, home goods and hygiene products.  It is open at least once a week by appointment only.  We enforce covid protocols (masks required, limit of two representatives per family over age 12, temperatures taken and antibacterial gel at entry, only 8 families invited per hour to ensure social distance).

The Community Closet is different than Gran Bazars we hosted in past years. It is by invitation only (not open to the public) for families who have all been vetted (identified as low resource families).  Families receive credit coupons ($100, $200 or $300 pesos; approximately $5-$15USD) based on the number of people in the family.  They can purchase addition items if they wish.  The goal is to provide families the opportunity to select good condition second-hand items and/or inexpensive new items and hygiene products.  All the items are donations priced at reasonable rates (Examples:  good condition used t-shirts 10 pesos or about $.50USD; new t-shirts for 20 or 30 pesos about $1 – $1.50 USD; shampoo for 20 pesos, toothpaste for 10 pesos). 

The Community Closet is staffed by local and/or visiting volunteers usually on “Volunteer Thursdays” but can easily be open other days. 

Special thanks to the many donors who continue to give $ as well as “in kind” donations, especially during the past year when many families are out of work due to Covid. We often say “It takes a village. . .”  This all happened (opening a temporary community closet for 2-3 months) from the idea to a reality in less than 24 hours.  The owner of the property just two doors from our storage bodega deeply discounted a rental apartment as their part in supporting the community. One of our local leaders cleaned the space immediately; four visiting volunteers painted it; other volunteers transported the crates of items from the pilot project directly to the new location.  We “hired” local parents without work to help lift/haul and organize everything.  Opening a community closet was not in our plans.  However, covid has provided us opportunities and challenges to serve the community in ways we hadn’t previously imagined.

Watch for future posts about purified drinking water systems.  “Volunteer Thursday” events will continue now through April.

The Friends of Cozumel Community Closet was held in early evening with golden sunlight beaming in through the front door of Vida Abundante Church. Racks of donated second hand colorful clothing, crates of neatly paired shoes, and tables loaded with homewares and games were displayed with affordable prices for the eager participants. Some items, like blankets, were handmade by volunteers from the Worldwide Christian Scuba Divers Organization to keep prices low and support the event. All families were screened beforehand, which permitted better access to staple items for some underserved members of the community. Participants were also provided with some credit coupons to purchase basic items.

The most amazing thing was just seeing how happy people were to be choosing items for themselves. The joy of expressing yourself by making a choice is fundamental to human happiness. The curiosity of examining an object and thinking, “Is this me?” or “Can I see this in my life?” This pure and innocent pleasure is wonderful to see, particularly when it is clearly appreciated because of its rarity.

Speaking of expressing yourself, one of the younger participants wore a mask accessorized with a silver chain that was very cool.

I noticed the men immediately picked up tools. One man had a framing hammer, and I asked if he planned to use it for work. He said that it would be useful for some small projects around the home, but his actual job was servicing tires. He then asked how to say his name, Jesus, in English. I told him, “it’s Jesus,” and was met with absolute incredulity until confirmed by other, more self-assured, volunteers. He laughed and examined some of the more curious items on the homewares table. There was a football shaped device for producing soothing white noise sounds which was interesting to explain. He shook his head and said, “so you’re telling me there’s not a clock in here at all?” I agreed that it seemed like an oversight.

The ladies tended to gravitate toward clothing. Unfortunately, the goods placed in the best light were mostly women’s undergarments, forcing your humble correspondent to avoid excessive prodding with camera and questions. Suffice to say, they seemed excited.

Finally, I spoke with Sami, a young Mexican volunteer adored by the Friends of Cozumel as much for her sunny disposition as her perfect English. She lamented the changes necessitated by the pandemic which have taken a toll on her educational experience. She is a star student at a good school, but it is impossible to really participate in a virtual classroom. She looks forward to traveling again to learn more languages.

I am also eager for the restrictions to subside, but, as I looked around the church at the orderly, socially distanced, and masked participants, I felt tremendously grateful to live in a community that can adapt and take care of itself, even in extraordinary circumstances. 

Contributed by Eric Anderson, FOC Volunteer living in Cozumel

Results

The initial Community Closet held February 1-2, 2021 described above by Eric was such a success that Friends of Cozumel has set up a temporary Community Closet for a couple of months in a rented space to continue distributing clothing, home goods and basic personal hygiene products. As of February 15, 104 families have participated benefitting 453 youth and adults. Total credit provided and used is $22,600 pesos to date (about $1,200 US). Families are allowed to purchase additional items beyond their credit and those earnings are used to benefit families in other ways like school scholarships, provide food pantry boxes, etc.

If you’d like to help Friends of Cozumel host more events like this, please consider visiting our donations page and following us on social media.

The economic, emotional and health impact of COVID has taken a toll on local families. The holidays will soon be a bit brighter for 725 youth and adults representing 165 families in need. Friends of Cozumel supported by many generous donors will sponsor a holiday project December 20-24 that includes three activities:

1.Family photos will be taken, printed and given to families in lucite frames. The families cherish these photos and proudly display them in their homes.

2. Gift shop for parents, grandparents and caregivers to select two gifts for each member of their family. Gifts are new clothes, shoes, accessory items and home goods like fleece blankets, dishes/silverware, grocery store shopping bags, hand tools, etc. All are practical gifts. In many cases, these are the only gifts they will receive.

3. Food to provide a special carryout meal on December 24 when families celebrate Christmas usually at midnight. Grilled chicken dinners and a special bag of “despensas” (groceries) will be distributed from Vida Abudante Church to families for take out to enjoy in their homes. This effort includes families who do not have work and receive meals as part of the “Belen Casa del Pan” ongoing community kitchen pastors Mariela and Salomón began serving in March. Seven teams of volunteers will deliver meals and despensas to families who do not have transportation or can not leave their homes. 

Watch for photos in the coming week. Happy holidays with heartfelt THANKS to all our donors and volunteers who are bringing much needed joy and hope to these Cozumel families.

We’ve all heard it said time and again: “Don’t drink the water in Mexico.” This is a well-known fact. During the municipal water distribution process, contamination occurs due to minerals and bacteria in the water lines making it unsafe for visitors and locals to drink. The bottled water business is big in Cozumel as practically everyone relies on purified water for drinking.  What we are seeing now, especially during COVID when money is tight, is parents are forced to make very difficult choices – feed their families vs. buying purified drinking water or foregoing prescription medicine they need resulting in many health issues.

A few years ago, a donor of Friends of Cozumel introduced us to a ceramic water filter with charcoal inside that purifies tap or well water to make safe drinking water. This system uses a pair of 5-gallon plastic buckets. Tap or well water is poured into the top bucket and runs through the filter to be purified; then drips into the bottom bucket. Families access the purified water from the spigot in the bottom bucket. Our volunteers build wooden stands to provide a platform for the system. The filters are available from multiple sources including Amazon and MercadoLibre.  

The breakdown of costs (in pesos) looks like this:

$280 – Ceramic Water Filter ($14 USD needs to be replaced every 12 months) 

$200 – 2 Plastic Buckets

$40 –  Plastic spigot 

$80 – Wood and materials to build stand

$600 – Total  (At 20 pesos to $1 USD the total cost is $30 USD)

A typical family of four people use approximately 3-5 large bottles of water (garafones) per week at a cost of $10-$33 pesos each ($.50 – $1.65USD), depending where they buy it. Rather than purchasing water, families could use the savings to buy a kilo of tortillas, beans or one week of savings could equal the cost of prescription medicine to control blood pressure or diabetes. A $30 USD investment by a donor is a significant resource to provide a family safe drinking water for a year before the filter needs to be replaced.     

We recently delivered these four water systems to local families and taught them how to regularly clean the filters:

This family does not have access to city water. They draw their water by hand from a well. The system ensures that the water is safe for all 14 family members.

Assembling and distributing water purification systems is a focus for our Friends of Cozumel volunteer efforts now through first quarter 2021. The Christian Scuba Divers Organization who recently visited Cozumel is funding an initial set of water systems. 

Please contact us if you will be here in Cozumel between now and March 2021 and are willing to volunteer to help make the systems or if you are interested in donating money to support this effort.

2020 has been a year of many challenges, changes as well as unexpected blessings.  When COVID-19 caused Grand Cayman to close to tourism, the Christian Scuba Divers Organization came to Cozumel last month to dive and to serve the community. The organization’s 20+ volunteers invested parts of three days serving families in need. They provided generous “in-kind” and financial donations as well as hours of volunteer service.

Results included:

• Bought, assembled and delivered 85 “despensas” (food pantry boxes)
• Assembled 40 “mini despensas” for emergency food supplies to have on hand
• Assembled 20 first aid kits
• Made 100 fleece blankets for distribution before Christmas
• Prepared 500+ sandwiches to distribute over two days as part of the community kitchen serving meals to families without work and donated $s to fund 10 weeks of community kitchen meals
• Grilled 500+ hotdogs and provided snacks to representatives of families during showing of two sessions of Christian education films
• Painted passageway at Vida Abundante Church
• Applied finish to wood stands for water filtration systems to be delivered to family homes
• Donated gas grill, 4 griddles and two large electric roasters to use in community kitchen to serve meals to families out of work
• Donated clothing, school supplies and other items to benefit children
• Distributed 60 pair of reading glasses and donated over 240 additional pairs of reading glasses plus sunglasses for future distribution
• Donated Christian evangelism booklets 
• Donated 8 wireless microphones for services and educational programs

The impact of this group’s donations and volunteer service will benefit families through the end of 2020 and in 2021.  Helping in a large way like the diver’s group or small gestures made by an individual or family is very much appreciated. Together we CAN make a difference.  

Thank you ~ Larry & Karen Pedersen

Friends of Cozumel volunteers and members of the Worldwide Christian Scuba Divers Organization gathered at Vida Abundante Church last month to prepare and deliver supplies to the communities of San Miguel. The church was filled with despensa boxes of food and cleaning supplies. In addition, first aid kits were included in this round of donations, which were especially welcomed by recipients.

While some volunteer delivered food pantry boxes, another group of volunteers varnished wooden stands to hold drinking water systems. The extra attention will help ensure that these staple furnishings remain beautiful and functional for many years.

When the donation drop-offs were complete, we reconvened and switched into sandwich production mode. Over 250 sandwiches were prepared for the pastors to distribute as part of the community kitchen meals for families without work. It was quick and pleasant work with so many cheerful volunteers.

The hurricane season is on the way out and the skies are clearing. The need remains great, especially as the weather becomes colder (yes, even in Cozumel), so please visit our donations page or share this blog post with your network.

Jose (at right) and his multi-generation family extend their heartfelt thanks to our donors for providing food for their family.  They were eager to have their photo taken and gave us permission to share the following information with you.

Jose is a proud single father who is struggling to support all ten members of his extended family including his mother (standing next to Jose), his children, his sister (single mother; center back row) and her children.  We recently met Jose’s family through the recommendation of Elena (local volunteer at left wearing a mask).    

They live in two very modest structures.  The concrete room to the left has a partial cement floor.  The rustic wood pole structure on the right has a dirt floor.  They feel very fortunate to have electricity.  Their only source of water is a well on the side of the lot where they pull up the water they need by hand in in a bucket.  Their home frequently floods during tropical storms. 

On a recent home visit one of the visiting volunteers who helped deliver food “despenses” (pantry boxes of dry food) commented “It is amazing that everyone seems so happy and appreciative despite their living conditions”.  

How are we helping Jose’s family?  Through generous giving by donors, we are providing them:

• Food box monthly that will last this family one meal a day for about a week.  Jose is the only wage earner so the food supplements his earnings.  
• Next week they will receive a simple water purification system made by Friends of Cozumel volunteers. The carbon filter will purify the well water so they will have safe drinking water at no cost.  
• Basic school supplies for the school age children.  
• A set of ecological (cloth) diapers for the baby.

Jose’s family is just one example of many who are benefitting from donor support.  Thank you! 

Enabling students to continue their education this year despite families being out of work is critical for them, their families and the community.  

• 650+ Students from families in need received “becas” (scholarships) of basic school supplies for distance learning this fall.  
• Additional supplies (backpacks, paper products and specialty items) will be distributed when classes resume in schools.

Friends of Cozumel offers a financial scholarship program to assist selected students in prepa (high school) and universidad (college). 37 students received scholarships; 21 prepa (high school) and 16 college students.    

• All high school and public university students are required to pay tuition of approximately 1,300 pesos ($65USD) per semester, plus books, copies, etc. 
• Private schools are significantly more expensive.    
• On-line learning is an additional expense this year.  Most families did not have home internet access.  However, scholarships are being used to purchase internet service.   
• Nearly all the prepa scholarship recipients will be the first in their families to complete high school.  It is a key milestone that improves their employment opportunities and helps families become self-sufficient.
• We have seen a significant increase in the number of young women continuing their education over the years.  This year the number of girls in high school is greater than boys.  
• University scholarship recipients are equally split between young men and women.  They are pursuing careers in medical forensics, business, teaching, psychology, nursing, vetinary medicine, physical therapy, food service, archeology and architecture.

Special congratulations to Dr. Nuri Caravajal, who graduated from med school and recently completed a year of serving communities in the Yucatan. Dr. Nuri is studying for entrance exams for her residency and plans to pursue a specialty in pediatrics. She was one of the initial scholarship recipients and is a long-time Friends of Cozumel volunteer.  

Scholarship recipients are encouraged to serve as volunteers giving back to the community.  Pictured above are three scholarship recipients who served as volunteers distributing school supplies in August:  Salomón (left-secundaria/middle school), Jefte (center—architecture university student) and Jessica (right—prepa/high school). 

Interested in learning more or giving to the scholarship program? Contact Karen or Larry Pedersen; pedersenkj@hotmail.com or pedersenll@hotmail.com   

Food distribution teams completed deliveries to vulnerable families already suffering from the effects of two major storms and the coronavirus pandemic. Friends of Cozumel continues to channel donations into vulnerable communities to alleviate food insecurity and to improve childrens’ education outcomes. 

Pastors Mariela and Solomon splashed through ankle-deep water last Wednesday afternoon to greet the gracious recipients. “It is a big help,” one man said, accepting the donation box. “Ever since the virus, work has gone down,” he explains. “There is sometimes work as a cleaner, but that’s it.” As we leave, the pastors explain that this man walks several miles each morning to eat breakfast at their church. 

All of the volunteers are happy to do their part, but the need is only increasing as disasters pile up. Each delivery was met with hungry neighbors asking for information about the program.

Thank you for your interest in our charitable efforts on the island and please consider making a donation on our page how to make a donation or via PayPal.

– Eric Anderson

Thanks to a small group of generous donors, Elena’s family is working furiously so they can feed everyone in their family of 11—at least for now. That wasn’t always the case for this family and it still isn’t the norm for everyone in Cozumel. 

Elena recently shifted the focus of her home-based sewing business to make beautifully embroidered cubrebocas (face masks). But even though wearing masks is required in Cozumel, few people can afford food, let alone the purchase of anything else. So Friends of Cozumel volunteers helped widen her market. They told her story to some kind hearted folks willing to purchase a mask. Elena’s business has ramped up and now her entire family helps make masks to keep hunger at bay. They’ve even been able to purchase more fabric to keep their business going.

Why has hunger become one of the most pressing issues in this beautiful vacation destination?

It’s because Cozumel’s economy is dependent on tourism. In fact, the island typically welcomes dozens of cruise ships with up to 80,000 visitors each week in high season. But the visitors stopped coming with the onset of the pandemic. Jobs were lost and people soon grew desperate for food. 

Several community kitchens were started by local volunteers, offering as much food as their donations could buy. One of those efforts is sponsored by Friends of Cozumel—the community kitchen based in Vida Abundante Church. They provide a meal to up to 200 people three days a week. Friends of Cozumel also provides despensas for families in crisis—boxes of essential food such as rice, beans, pasta and soup. In some cases, mothers cannot produce enough milk to nurse their babies due to their own meager diet, so cans of formula powder are also provided by Friends of Cozumel. Elena’s family has three babies that require formula.

The recent effort to sell Elena’s masks also stimulated enough additional donations to Friends of Cozumel to provide about 600 meals at the Vida Abundante community kitchen, 43 despensa boxes—each providing enough for a family of four to have one meal a day for a week, and three large cans of formula for hungry babies.

The moral of this story? Your one small act of kindness matters. So wear your mask, and reach out your sanitized hand to help someone else. Whether it’s in your own community or in one you hope to visit one day, you will make a difference. 

– Phyllis from Nebraska