USLA has develop partnerships with various groups in the El Paso and regions of Northern Mexico. In February and May of 2009, we were able to provide the Rotary Cub of Cuatemoc, Mexico with 10 computers to schools attended by the Tarahumara Indians of Chihuahua, Mexico. The Tarahumara live in extreme poverty in the mountains of Chihuahua. Some have also moved to Juarez in order to find work. The November 2008 issue of National Geographic featured an article about this group of people. It can be viewed online at National Geographic
In June of 2009, I was able to establish a partnership with the University of Texas, El Paso Center for Inter-American and Border Studies to develop a virtual internship through USLA. This was facilitated by Dr. Moira Murphy, a professor at the university. Through this partnership, USLA was able to donate roughly 200 books and 14 computers to after-school programs in Juarez, Mexico. These programs also largely work with at-risk Tarahumara children and bolster their educational opportunities. The computers were installed with free learning software in Spanish using Edubuntu and a Linux computer operating system.
Although I have been to Cuatemoc, I have not been able to visit the projects in Juarez. Unfortunately, I am unable to travel to Juarez due to the level of violence in that city. Traveling with computers would only compound that danger. At this point, we are waiting on photos of the computers or books in use at those projects. This has been a bit tricky, as some individuals who run projects don't answer their phones. Basically, if people answer their phones, they open themselves up to threats. They confirm to whoever is trying to make this threat that they have the correct contact information. Or if they avoid hearing a threat, extortion, or whatever, they can passively avoid having to make a decision about a course of action. Regardless, progress with these projects will likely be a slow but necessary undertaking.