We at Acción believe strongly that education provides the best path out of poverty. The Mexican government offers free public education from elementary through post-graduate school. However, students are not offered transportation to public schools, and must also purchase books and uniforms on their own. Many small villages do not have schools, so students have to travel long distances to attend school. As a result, many families from small villages cannot afford to send their children to school.
The Mayan Children’s Village (in Spanish “Villa Infantil Maya”–VIM) is a residence where children can live, eat, and grow during the week while they attend schools in the nearby town of Ignacio Zaragoza. These students go home on weekends. Accion provides room and board and transportation to school and to their homes on weekends. The Children’s Village allows these children from small towns without schools to be able to attend public schools. VIM opened its doors in 2006 to 9 children and has hosted up to 30 students.
If you are interested in helping Acción educate the next generation of Mayan Mexicans click here to check out our student sponsorship program.
Villa Infantil Maya (The Mayan Children’s Village) was a dream of Rev. Oscar Dorantes (Sr.) and his son, Oscar R. Dorantes for a place where children could live and attend schools unavailable to them in their home villages, and also learn sustainable farming practices. Groundbreaking for construction took place in 2002, and has been aided by numerous Work Teams, as well as assistance from the Living Water Project and electricity from the Mexican government.
VIM was designed to have the atmosphere of traditional Mayan villages where students can learn about agriculture and livestock in addition to their scholastic education. As a ministry of Acción, VIM encourages Christian growth through education, worship and role models.
