Holiday Updates From RISE Shelter for Infants and Children Refugio Infantil Santa Esperanza
go to original December 24, 2023

This is a wonderful time to reflect on all that RISE has been able to achieve throughout the year and we are ever so grateful to all of you who have helped us do so.

Education and Psychology

This year we were committed to improving our children’s reading and writing skills. As you are aware, our children come to us after experiencing extreme trauma in their lives. This trauma blocks a child’s ability to learn and requires both psychological and educational development.

We are grateful to have Carl Welder as a volunteer and veteran child trauma psychologist to develop programs and further our staff psychologist, Elizabeth Vazquez, to address these issues.

Our Director, Claudia Vizcarra, has worked closely with the Office of the Protection of Children and Adolescents, PPNNA”, to obtain resources and manage pedagogical psychological evaluations, sensory therapies, medicine, and language therapy. Claudia requested special training for employees on how to properly manage the emotional outbreaks of children. As a result, all the shelters in Puerto Vallarta were trained to bring consistency in childcare based on healthy parenting criteria established by DIF while educating and respecting the Rights of Girls, Boys and Adolescents of Mexico.

The results are showing! The children’s grades have greatly improved from one year ago. In fact, last year the teachers expressed concern in keeping RISE students in class because they were so far behind. RISE has also received recognition for the progress that the children have made because of the focused attention on the children’s school issues, as well as working to strengthen their self-esteem, motivating them with praise and privileges at home.

A shout out and thank you to our Homework Volunteers who come daily - you are making a difference!

We have made great strides, AND we will be introducing a literacy program in January to the kids. The program is an online program with a cost of $500 US and we are hoping to find a donors to help support it.

Proud Moments

This semester a local school chess tournament was being held and 2 of our children decided to participate. They took the initiative to practice with our volunteers and ultimately one of them won the 3rd place prize! Additionally, we had some of our children participating in the school sports tournament where they pushed themselves to the finish lines, resulting in one of them bringing home the 5th place prize in athletics.

We continue to encourage good behavior monthly through our “Child of the Month” program, where children strive to earn this privilege and be recognized. In addition to the recognition, they are given a given a gift and treated to a day of fun in Puerto Vallarta.

Read more at the RISE Holiday Newsletter

  Learn about Refugio Infantil Santa Esperanza (R.I.S.E.)