Mexico

World Vision is committed to partnering with the people of Mexico to improve their lives today and to help enact sustainable solutions for the future of their children, families, and communities. World Vision's child sponsorship program plays a vital role in this partnership, with donors from the United States sponsoring more than 24,000 girls and boys. In addition to sponsorship, World Vision operates other programs that benefit communities in Mexico. Highlights include:

• Increasing children's school experience by empowering students to extra courses in school and providing scholarships.
• Helping children who live and work on the street with addiction rehabilitation, drug awareness education, and school enrollment assistance.
• Improving well-being of households by helping families start their own farms or orchards.

World Vision child sponsorship in Mexico dates back to 1963; the current office was opened in 1982. Since then, some of World Vision’s major accomplishments have included:

• Drilling wells and offering vocational training for communities in the 1960s.
• Increasing rural communities’ access to clean water and assisting people affected by an earthquake in the 1970s.
• Providing children from disadvantaged families with daily meals, clothing, healthcare, and educational opportunities during the 1980s.
• Supplying food, blankets, tarps, and shovels to people affected by flooding and mudslides, as well as helping survivors of major earthquakes during the '80s and '90s.
• Helping children and families affected by Hurricane Marty rebuild their lives and houses in the beginning of the 21st century.

Geography and people

Mexico, the world’s most populous Spanish-speaking country, borders the United States, Guatemala, Belize, the Pacific Ocean, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Caribbean Sea. Mountains fill the center of the country while sandy lowlands lie along the coasts.

Natural resources include petroleum, natural gas, silver, gold, copper, lead, zinc, and timber.

Over half of the people living in Mexico are mestizo—a mixture of Amerindian and Spanish ancestry. Most Mexicans speak Spanish and consider Spanish as Mexico’s national language. They primarily use English in business and commerce as well as in border towns. Mexicans also speak regional dialects.

Mexico City, the capital and economic hub of the country, is the third largest metropolitan area in the world behind Tokyo and New York.

In Mexico, most families maintain strong ties to their community and live near aunts, uncles, and cousins. The young respect the elderly, and older relatives receive care from their children and grandchildren.

History

Mexico declared independence from Spain in 1810, but Spain did not recognize Mexican sovereignty until 1821 after over a decade of war.

After losing the territory of Texas in 1836, Mexico also lost the area that is now California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico. In the mid-1800s, President Benito Juárez instituted economic reforms and championed equal rights for the nation’s indigenous people.

Following the decade-long Mexican Revolution (1910-1921), President Venustiano Carranza established a new constitution that still governs Mexico today. The rest of the 20th century brought economic fluctuations, a growing illicit drug trade, border immigration controversy with the United States, and insurgency in the southeastern state of Chiapas.

More economic and social concerns, such as unemployment and unequal income distribution, have occupied the government in recent years.

Please pray for:

The safety of children and their families as they face drug violence every day.

Peace and stability within the government.