2020. Restored, Responsible & Reinvesting: 3R-Program

The 3R-Program. Enabling new beginnings for families in challenging situations

The global situation of COVID-19 came to aggravate a latent problem in the Mexican society: the violence against women.

According to the United Nations, Mexico rates as one of the most violent countries for women in the world. The National Institute of Statistics and Geography in Mexico (INEGI), reports that 66% of all women age 15 and older have experienced some kind of violence in their lives (emotional, physical, sexual, and/or mental abuse).

Our understanding is that the wellbeing of children and their school performance depends not only on them, but on the balanced emotional and mental state of their mothers.

Bearing this in mind, in the middle of the pandemic we started the 3R-Program, aiming to support the participants to RESTORE their psychological and emotional health, to help them acknowledge RESPONSIBILITY for their own lives, and to empower them to REINVEST into their children’s lives.

The duration of this program is three years. During this time, the participants (mothers and their children) receive individual and group support from the onsite psychologist. They also receive a grocery card every two months to buy healthy food for their family.

The group attended is selected by the director and teachers at the primary school depending on the behavior of the students, as we part of the hypothesis that the root of problems presented in the conduct and learning of a child could be related to challenges faced by the mother in everyday life.

Currently the project focuses on 16 different families in distress, part of which were also gifted with a smart phone and internet, so their children could access the school program during COVID-19, as Mexican schools closed in March 2020 and only reopened in the school year 2022.

The return on investment of this program is very satisfactory, most participant WOMEN:

· Had the courage to move away from lifelong destructive and abusive relationships

· Are taking ownership and responsibility of their lives and decisions

· Came out of depression and in some cases, even suicidal attempts

A good number of CHILDREN:

· Improved their performance at school

· Started to turn in homework

· Have significantly improved the relationship with their siblings

The 3-R Program is happening.

We are thankful for all the local engagement, the new partnerships, every participant, and every donor who makes it possible!