One Pueblo

One Pueblo is a group of volunteers that has expanded the village of support for Mexican girls without families. We run outdoor camps that encourage the girls to overcome physical and psychological limitations through challenging outdoor sports and other activities. The many volunteers at One Pueblo camps make each girl feel individually valued and loved. One Pueblo is located in a rural area of the Mexican state of Michoacán.

Background: Some of the girls served by One Pueblo are orphans who are difficult to place in adoption because of emotional or physical impairments. The others are in institutionalized foster care for an indefinite time while child welfare courts determine if and when they should return to their unstable or highly dysfunctional families.  

All of the girls live in institutional settings where they receive the basics of food, shelter, and education, but they enjoy little individual attention in support of their emotional and social development. Additionally, many of the girls come from homes in which physical and/or sexual abuse was prevalent. Those with resulting low self-esteem are particularly vulnerable to becoming runaways and falling victim to further exploitation. One Pueblo’s emphasis on raising self-esteem and mentoring girls to feel their self-worth counteracts this harmful tendency.