Christmas was full of a lot of fun for the kids. Before Christmas come the posadas in Mexico, which are known by all children in this country for their seven pointed piñatas, filled with jicamas, oranges, peanuts and sweets. This year, the kids were invited by one of our Mexican sponsors to a horse ranch for a great party, pony rides and piñatas for the last Christmas posada of the year. All the kids had a fabulous time and couldn’t stop talking about the dancing horse show, and the exotic animals running around freely on the ranch, as well as the horse riding.

On Christmas Eve we had a late night Christmas dinner for the older children, teens and friends, many of whom were our current live in volunteer community. Misha, Tanya, Liana, Sherise and Aria started off the dinner with a funny Christmas play and dancing and everyone brought a healthy but delicious alternative to the traditional Christmas fare.  

But the best event of the holiday season came just before Christmas eve, with the arrival of our two new children, Aleya, who is seven years old, and her little brother Robin, who is two and a half. Aleya is a survivor of serious physical abuse from the time she was just a baby, which left her with severely deformed legs. She has already had one operation (to straighten them so she can walk), and another is still pending. For now, she uses crutches but her struggle for normal mobility doesn’t get her spirits down. We believe this is the first time she has ever been in a place where she doesn’t have to defend herself against taunts about her legs and she is very wanted. Her whole childhood to this point, she has just been passed off by her birth mother from one person to the next, none of whom wanted her anymore than her mother did, and all of whom abused her.

Robin is a strongest, most robust 2 ½ year old we’ve ever seen. He doesn’t speak yet, except with a few almost words, but he’s incredibly adept with his hands. He has the most uproarious laugh, and has the cutest way of getting to laughing so hard that he doesn’t make a sound at all. The other 2 ½ year old boys (Jordan and Kaisha’s Nathael), both love and fear him, as he has a quick fist and sometimes clobbers them without hesitation if he’s not in the mood. He is mostly happy though, and absolutely loves playing with only boyish things like cars and action figures. We don’t know so much about his past, but he seems to have fared better than his sister.

Just before New Years Eve we received another wave of volunteers, a new group of girls (and some returnees from last spring) from the Muslims without Borders organization. It was an activity packed week for all, but we’ll have to save more about that for next month’s newsletter!

These days the new kid fad is hammock hangouts which they have erected by tying a multitude of old blankets into the trees. They look like a band of gypsies that tie up and then take down their tree-born town of hammock houses every afternoon after school. There are also some more durable structures going up, replete with surrounding stone walls and pathways, which the kids arduously tie together with bits of string, cardboard and everything else they can find.

There’s been so much going on, we can’t fit it all in, but next month we’ll be updating you on all that is going with our agricultural and self-sustainability projects!

With lots of love,

Tashirat staff and kids

What do you want to be when you are big?

Dovin (Oscarito) – Eat cheese.

Abundio – I drive machine (he means a big bulldozer).

Tanisha (Lupita) – I help Elbia (our cook) and work hard to make cookies and EVERYTHING.

Alexan – Be a fish, to swim in the water… and that’s it.

Joli – A fish, a really big one… and I will eat the little fish! Or….a ball so I can play all the time.

Stephanie – I’M ALREADY BIG! (Cracks herself up and can’t stop laughing.)

Isabel – A chicken… Take care of chickens.

Ani – A princess because I’ve never been one in my whole life!

Do you want to get married when you grow up?

Abundio – Ay, no! (Looks at me with absolute disgust, like he is so offended I could ask such a thing!)

Cara (Angie)- No,… I don’t like that.

Stephanie – With Dovin!

Isabel – Yes and I’ll wear a big dress!

Why not Abundio?

 Because no! Just want machine (bulldozer) and music!

What do you want your husband or wife to be like?

Tanya – Nice, sweet, handsome and STRONG. Also I would like him to be a hairdresser so he can do my hair!

 Mikael (Atair) – Blonde and she will wear high heels and dresses.

Julio – I want her to learn to express and say what she feels.

 Alexan – Just like my Poppy. (He is referring to his Tashirat dad, Jonathan.)

How do you want your wife to be like your Poppy?

He loves me so much and takes care of me.

Do you want to have children?

Dovin (Oscarito) – Yes, lots and lots, because I want to. Girls because I like them. Boys no because I don’t like them so much.

Abundio – Yes. Wife no! Just a few, I like kids… but just a few.

Isabel – Yes, lots. I’ll give them kisses so they know I love them.

Josh – Yes but just 2 though because you have to feed them.

Ani – No, they are naughty! Or maybe just one daughter because girls aren’t so naughty and when she is big she can help me clean the house.

Oscar – Yes, a boy and girl would be good. That way they would remind me of my brother and my sister when we don’t live together anymore and everyone is in their own lives.

Tanya – Yes, but just two though because they can be a lot of trouble.

What do you want your life to be like when you grow up?

Dovin (Oscarito) – Music, house, tons of Band-Aids for my kids’ boo boos. Lots of little dogs, but just the ones that stay little forever.

Stephanie – Have babies and babies and babies and children and babies.

Isabel – I’ll touch trees, I’ll go up stairs (we have a few really steeps stairs that the kids aren’t allowed to go up) and that’s it. I want to go upstairs!

Josh – I want to be rich so I can help people that don’t have food, I want to be nice and fix cars for people. Oh and I want to study eagles so I can know how they fly with such skinny wings, and I’ll make big toys for kids like cars and stuff and help people. Oh yeah and I want lions.

Sami – Work, go to concerts, build a house and live in Italy. It’s a nice place.

Ani – Help people like abuelos and abuelitos, cut flowers, go to school, learn letters and sumas.

Aria – I’ll go to school and learn to ride horses and how to read in my head without making sound. My house will be in Tashirat and I’ll help with the kids.

What is your biggest wish?

Dovin (Oscarito) and Alexan – A house!

Tanisha (Lupita) – Play with big balloons, lots!… and have magic.

Cara (Angie) – To buy a motorcycle and a dog. I’ll drive my motorcycle and my dog will run with it.

Joli – A fish probably.

Stephanie – A bracelet and a pocketbook.

Isabel – Everyone in the whole world love me… lots.

Mikael (Atair) – That I will always see everyone in Tashirat all the time when I’m big.

Ani – A planet that is close to us and that we can look at with those things you put on your eyes like this (she make binoculars with her hands)… and that´s it!

If you could have a wish come true for someone else what would you wish and for who?

 Abundio – Roses my friends.

Mikael (Atair) – That everyone is nice in the world and that everything everyone wants falls out of the sky.

Misha (Maria) – I would wish that Tashirat is always here and that everyone is happy the way we are. Give food to the homeless people and give them a home so they don’t live outside.

Ani – Stuffed animals for everyone… (she started listing all the adults in Tashirat, I thinks she feels bad for them because they don’t have stuffed animals).

Josh – Gold houses for everyone and pretty lamps… and that I can do some of my Mom’s work so I can give my Mom a break. (He is referring to his Tashirat mom.)

Aria – That everyone is happy and that the world is beautiful with a lot more animals and the people can’t kill the animals because there are rules.

What is the funniest thing that has ever happened to you?

Dovin (Oscarito)- Homework.

What is your favorite song or music?

Stephanie – Some birds sing. I like their song.

Mikael (Atair) – Michael Jackson. (He LOVES Michael Jackson and often says how much he misses him so much even though he didn’t “discover” MJ until after his death. He pronounces his name “my-cool-jack-shawn” no matter how many times we practice!)

What is your favorite part of the day?

Cara (Angie) – Night time because I have time to snore.

Tanisha (Lupita) – Cold, sunny and flowers growing and there are oceans. (I don’t know what she thought I was asking but I thought this was cute and she said it so dreamily.)

What is your favorite animal?

Tanisha (Lupita) – Unicorns, pegasus, dinosaurs with wings (dragons), cars that fly, elephants, zebras… and that’s it!

Joli – Fish… fish, sharks and… fish.

Isabel – Cows, elephants, chickens, and rain.

Liana – Elephants because they are funny and if you are hot they can wet you.

If you could travel anywhere in the world where would you go?

Tanisha (Lupita) – The circus.

Joli – To be in a tree.

Stephanie – To see monkeys with my children.

Sami – Brazil. It’s big and I like their flag.

If you could change one thing in the world what would it be?

That everyone is nice and that they don’t cut trees, just make beds from metal or cotton or something so don’t need wood.

What kind of mischief do you get into at home?

Tanisha (Lupita) – (Big naughty grin)I play with the spray bottle and get Alexan (her brother) wet. Sometimes I get up when it’s still dark and I get the kids up to play but then I get in trouble because I’m supposed to be sleeping.

Alexan – Make ugly faces at the kids! I wet Tanisha’s (his sister’s) face with the spray bottle (he breaks into hysterics just thinking about it). Oh, and I put stickers in the books I got from the library (huge naughty grin).

Stephanie – I’m good! I sweep… and mop!

You don’t do anything naughtyStephanie?

Mmmmm, no.

What are you learning in school?

Dovin (Oscarito) – (He started singing…) Sunday, Monday, Tuesday…

Joli – To sing… and think.

Stephanie – Seaweed!

What ingredients did God use to make you?

Joli – (Long time thinking)… Warm stuff.

Stephanie – Braids and cheeks.

Mikael (Atair) – A brain, a lot of bones and magic.

Isabel – Glass! (She thinks that is hysterical and can’t stop laughing.)

Ani – Bananas

Liana – Fairy dust.

Tanya – Sugar, chocolate and vanilla!

What is your best memory?

Mikael (Atair) – Coming to Tashirat, because everyone took care of me.

Ani – I got here y ya!… Oh and we got flowers in my house from a wedding!

Julio – When I was 10 and we went to do go-carts for my birthday. It was the first time I ever drove and I loved it.

Sami – When I was naughty when I was little!

What is your funniest memory?

Julio – When everyone in my house was chasing each other and we caught Josh and put honey in his face!

What would you like people to know about you?

Josh – I am the best cook in the world… (sings) din, din, din, diiiiin!!!

Liana – I’m happy.

Tanya – I’m funny!

Sami – I’m so big now.

Our children were so excited for Dia de Muertos/Halloween this year that they kept asking “is it today?” for about a week. Some of them had only celebrated this holiday for the first time last year and are just starting to get accustomed to the reliable flow of holidays and birthdays that never fail to be celebrated each year. Finally the day came, and the kids had a blast dressing up in their costumes before school and celebrating the whole day and into the night. In the middle of the fun, Dovin, age 6, looked over at his teacher and laughingly asked “So why are we dressed up, anyway?” 

We’ve always tried to make our holidays a special time of sharing. With birthdays in particular we have tried to introduce the concept that they are about giving and being grateful, i.e. for the people you love and all the good you have received all year long in your life, instead of just expecting to receive more for your birthday. We haven’t always followed this concept by the book, but Antares, our long time volunteer, really did. She outdid herself this year with the most beautiful birthday dance party which she threw for herself, but really for the kids, this past month. She said she just wanted to give the kids the joy she experienced as a child dancing at her friends and families parties, and she did.

We now have sponsors for half of the children who didn´t have a sponsor.  The biggest thank you to Siobhan, Palo and Jamal for becoming child sponsors!  We appreciate your support so very, very much.  Please take a look at our video and please pass it on to help us find sponsors for the remaining children who do not have. 

By Christmas we are hoping to have found sponsors for all of the children.  Thank you for your help!

http://www.tashirat.com/aria-isabel-gaby-jordan-stephanie

This rainy season has been a sporadic, but prolonged one. Our teens took advantage of these occasional deluges to visit the waterfalls which form in the mountains for a very short period and only at this time of year. While heading in the general direction of the waterfalls, everyone got lost for hours in the underbrush, but once they finally found them, it was more than worth all the bushwhacking!

Thanks to the rains, the corn we planted this year finally came up beautifully. Now we can really consider ourselves Mexican. Some other crops have recently been planted – macadamia trees, lemons, chayotes, and other fruits that are native to this area – while our tomatoes, cucumbers and lettuces have finished their final season and are due for replanting (but our 200 chickens continue to produce steadily!)  Our new Avocado Orchard is starting to show signs of growth that we will have our first avocado harvest next year!

Recently we did interviews with our younger kids to send to their sponsors. Many of the answers were so adorable and gave such a great idea of their unique personalities that we wanted to share them here too.

To read the funniest answers to our questions click on this link: http://www.tashirat.com/tashirat-kids-interviews-november-2011 ENJOY!

The biggest thank you to every one of you who has helped to support the flourishing of our projects!

Lots of love,

Tashirat children and staff

The past weeks have been an exciting new beginning for the Ixaya community. One of the recent innovations we have been able to implement this year are personalized learning activities every morning in Math and Spanish, in addition to the regular curriculum.

This semester a new student to student workshop was introduced, in which the older children (7^th through 9^th graders) gave a once a week class of their own devising to the younger students. The workshops included ballet, jewelry making, acrobatics and soccer!

Other workshops this semester have included music/storytelling classes, dance classes, and permaculture classes. These were given by volunteer professionals from the surrounding community. It has been really heartwarming to have so many people come to the school this fall, offering to share their talents with our students.

We especially appreciated having Jamal Uddin, here for his 7^th year as a volunteer, teaching physical education in Ixaya. For the past several years, Jamal has come from England to volunteer at Tashirat and taught gym classes at Ixaya for 6 weeks.

Through all of the use of workshops, we try to give our students as many diverse skill building experiences as possible, as well as help each one of them to discover and develop their personal interests and talents.

Each month there is also an overall theme which is woven throughout the entire curriculum. This past month, the 3^rd and 4^th graders theme was Prehispanic culture. Opportunely, we also celebrated the Corn Harvest Festival, which commemorates the important role corn has played in this region from precolonial time to the present with dance performances by the students and volunteers including an Aztec dance by the 3^rd and 4^th graders, a puppet show performed inside a giant puppet, a story told by the 5^th graders in culmination of their music/storytelling workshop, and our annual corn roast.

The families of our Ixaya students have been making the biggest effort yet to consistently support the school through community service this year. It is beautiful to see these families, diverse in many respects, united by a common appreciation for the education their children are receiving.

It has been the most beautiful of all to see our school grow and improve each year. Each year is notably a positive improvement on the last. To each and every one of you who has helped to keep Ixaya going strong, thank you for your continued support and we wish you a wonderful fall season!

With much love,

Tashirat staff and the Ixaya School community

Once a child is sponsored we will remove the ¨CLICK HERE to sponsor…¨ link from under their description.  If you become a sponsor, please send us an email at: tashiratmail@gmail.com and let us know what child you would like to sponsor.  The links below are to our secure donation site, but there is no way for us to know what specific child you would like to sponsor without you informing us.

As a sponsor you can choose to be involved in the child´s life or completely annonymous.  Either way the child will be provided with the support s/he need to thrive here at Tashirat.

Thank you so much.

The Tashirat Foundation is exempt from federal income taxes under Section 501(C)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, therefore your gift is tax-deductible to the full extent provided by law. You should consult your financial planner or tax adviser to determine the exact tax advantages of any gift you are considering.  Please keep all of your online receipts and credit card statements to show to your financial planner to claim your tax deductions.

Aria is 9 years old and arrived in Tashirat 8 years ago at the age of 18 months. Aria had lived with her twin sister in the government orphanage from the day she was born. They had been up for adoption but because her sister was mentally disabled they weren’t adopted and eventually they were channeled to us. Aria was way behind developmentally in every way when she arrived. She wasn’t even capable of crying. She would open her mouth to cry and nothing would come out. Her first 18 months she lived in a room with 25 other babies. At first we were amazed at how quiet the government “nursery” was when we visited but shortly after we realized that none of the babies cried because they had learned that cries were ignored and so they became unnaturally silent. Today Aria is a normal little girl and actually unusually conscientious. She is incredibly observant and is a natural actress. She loves singing and putting on dramatic shows for her friends. She is very independent and strong yet very, very loving. She is often maternal with our younger children and has a real knack for making Gabi and Jordan laugh with her shows.

  CLICK HERE to become Aria´s Sponsor!

 Isabel is Aria’s twin sister. When Isa arrived in Tashirat with Aria at 18 months she was unable to do more than a month old baby could do. She was unable to lift her head or even roll. The sounds she made were those of a newborn and she was as limp as a noodle. It was feared she would never walk. Within months we had Isa crawling and today Isa walks and even runs like all of the children. Isa´s condition and overall disposition was greatly affected by her many health conditions and the strong medications that had been given to her by the government orphange. We were able to heal Isa with very good nutrition and very shortly after her arrival she was off of all medications and she never relapsed. Isa is a very lively little girl with very strong opinions of her own. She is extremely loving and sensitive but also quite bossy! She also has a really clever sense of humor and makes friends with ease.

CLICK HERE to become Isabel´s Sponsor!

Gabriel (Gaby) is 5 years old but the size of a 10 month old baby. He has been with us for 2 years. He has Ehler Danlos syndrome, which is essentially an over elasticity of the joints, and also dwarfism, both of which have inhibited him from walking yet. He was abandoned by his family under a bridge when he was a baby and spent the following 3 years in a government orphanage. When Gaby arrived in Tashirat he was an extremely unhappy little boy.  He cried constantly due to the extreme discomfort caused by constant high fevers and ill health. He would beat himself in the head with his fists if anyone approached him. Our little boy has transformed dramatically in the last 2 years. Within weeks of his arrival we were able to put an end to his chronic fevers and physical discomfort and he has grown to be really expressive (using his few words and many expressions and gestures) and he is such a little sunshine in life.  Despite his disabilities, Gaby is one of the most interactive, joyous children.

CLICK HERE to become Gabi´s Sponsor!

Jordan is 2 ½ years old and has been with us for nearly 2 years. He arrived in Tashirat with his 4 older siblings. Before arriving in Tashirat the whole family had been living in subhuman conditions with their mentally disabled mother and her abusive family members. Jordan was an absolutely miserable little boy, always grumpy, vacant eyed and so often crying. Today he is a very changed little person, always laughing and making jokes. He finds his brother Dovin (5 yrs old) especially hysterical. Jordan goes into gales of laughter every time Dovin is nearby, and his laughter is so infectious that every child near laughs with him. He has a very gentle and beautiful way of expressing himself, but most beautiful of all is seeing him grow in self-confidence. Jordan loves to sing these days. Apparently, his favorite song is Old McDonald Had a Farm, because he will often break out with half shout, half singing “Moo, moo here!” out of nowhere just for the joy of it. His transformation has been a very incredible experience for all of us, as we all knew him as he was before he blossomed in to the loving, happy little being he is now.

CLICK HERE to become Jordan´s Sponsor!

Estephany (Stephanie) is an 8 year old girl and has been with us for 2 years. She, like Isabel, may never become totally independent as she is mentally disabled. She is very affectionate, and loves to be with people. She was extremely neglected, living enclosed in a room for years. She was so caked with dirt when she was discovered that it was thought that she was deaf, but her ears where simply plugged with filth. When she came to Tashirat she almost never smiled and was extremely fearful of the smallest things. Estephany is now very outgoing, even with strangers, and is known for her funny, totally off the wall comments. Her open, loving nature has really blossomed in the last 2 years, as she changed from a very antisocial loner to a regular little girl who loves to chat and play with her girlfriends. She is always caring and affectionate with her playmates. Babies fascinate her, and her favorite toys are, of course, her dollies whom she loves to wrap them up in blankets and carry around with her. She always tries to do the same with the smaller children if she can! For the first year she was here, Estephany would hardly play with anything at all; only puzzles could attract her attention. One of the first things we had to teach her was just how to play.

CLICK HERE to become Stephanie´s Sponsor!

Thank you again for your time and consideration!

We have some exciting news for Tashirat and the Orphanage as well: the integration of our newest and youngest staff member, Jonathan Godoy. Jon is the son of Tashirat’s founder, and is a highly capable, impressive young man who has already brought so much to Tashirat since he entered in June. He has also become an exemplary father to three of our children, as well as taking over our accounting and the maintenance areas, and giving gym classes to the little kids (3+ years), Ixaya children, and training with the teens.

One of this summer’s first highlights was when a group of about 70 young Japanese-Mexicans created a Japanese theme park for the kids, right in our very own soccer court!  We really love every chance to give our kids different cultural experiences.  Over the years they have met many different kinds of people, and through them get to know a little bit about different cultures, religions, and countries. This group set up booths that simulated all sorts of typical Japanese recreation, sports and culture. There was a stand for learning to cook your own Japanese snacks, Japanese carnival games, an origami booth, dancing classes, a photo shoot in kimonos in front of a bamboo forest, and even simulated sumo wrestling! 

Our soccer court often ends up becoming the hub of fun activities for the kids. Our tradition of holding soccer games, open to the greater community every Friday night, is still going strong. Whenever we have builders working on the property, there is also a Friday afternoon game – Tashirat teens vs. the workers.  The kids have been practicing together as a team, with Jon coaching, since his arrival. They are all pretty psyched because they are currently on a winning streak against the workers!

This summer our little ones have had the most beautiful time in their new, improved kindergarten. Our friend Michelle Silva came from Canada to set up our kindergarten with so many really wonderful new materials and great new ideas for the classroom. Thank you so much Michelle for doing such a beautiful job, we will be appreciating you all year long for your efforts.

Thanks to the fundraising efforts of Izzy Holden and his community of friends and family, Abundio successfully underwent the operation he needed to repair his blocked tear duct last month. Thank you all so much for your support!!

We are pleased to announce that our Avocado Orchard has gotten into full swing.  With generous donations from Tom & Kristen Bissinger, Donald Smallwood and Adriaan and Anneke de Monchy, the orchard has become a reality.  Over the past weeks we have planted 266 avocado trees, hopefully on our way to 300!!  What this means is complete self-sufficiency with avocados, which are a very expensive food even here in Mexico now, and also an additional income when the trees go into full production (3-4 more years).

Warmest wishes for a wonderful Fall season,

Tashirat Kids and Staff

Our Ixaya girls had a beautiful introduction to modern dance this past spring when a professional dancer from New York City, Amanda Gavan, gave a week long course culminating in a performance for their families and the rest of the school. It was inspiring to see how much the girls enjoyed it, despite the fact this was a completely new experience for all.

The school year ended last month with a graduation ceremony and potluck for all the students and their families. The soccer court was decorated especially beautifully this year by our teachers and the mothers of the sixth grade graduating class for the occasion.

Now the 2011-2012 school year is just around the corner and we are very happy to have a new principal, Macu Resines, on board.  We have admired Macu’s work as an educator and director for many years, and have always wanted her to be Ixaya’s director but she was never available before now. Her dedication to helping underprivileged children and young adults through education coincides with our own vision for Ixaya completely, all of which is making for a very promising school year. Macu has been busy planning new innovations in the academic program and extracurricular classes, as well as rallying more volunteer support through her many contacts among fellow educators in the local community. 

Other good news is that we have just found a highly qualified teacher willing to teach the first and second grades for ½ the regular salary until we can raise her to full salary! So, the entire primary school opened on August 22 as we had hoped. We also have the strong support of Antares, who volunteered all of last year as the second grade teacher, and has chosen to continue with her students this year as the third and fourth grade class teacher. She another highly qualified, wonderful teacher who is also committed to working with us for less than a full teacher’s salary until we can raise the funds for a full salary. It feels really great to have such a strong team of competent educators whose hearts are deeply committed to our project; so much so that most of them have forfeited better paying jobs to teach in Ixaya.  

The hugest thank you to the volunteers from Muslims Without Borders and their communities for their support, and the generous contribution of Georgie and Jak Benardete – without whom  we could not have kept all the grades open this fall. We are immensely grateful to everyone who helped Ixaya this spring by donating, fundraising and sponsoring this project. This school has given us the opportunity over the past three years to push the lives of children from the community in more positive directions, and we are happy for what we have already been able to give through it.

Over the past two years we have been actively pursuing fundraising from the public and corporate sector through obtaining grants.  The process of receiving a grant is very long and extremely expensive.   You have to hire a professional grant writer to have a chance of obtaining a grant that many, many organizations are trying to get.  The problem is you have to pay the grant writer whether they get the grant for you or not!  The cost for writing one grant can be in the many thousands of dollars.  This is why this process has become a stalemate for us; we do not have the funds to risk obtaining a grant that we may not even get.  If anyone knows of a professional grant writer that would willing to get paid AFTER the grant was received we would really appreciate the connection.  As always, we fight to keep our school alive in every single way that we possibly can.  That’s why all of you who help out on a monthly basis mean so much to us.  Your consistency and dedication to our project is what makes the Ixaya School a possibility.  Thank you.

Warmest wishes,

Tashirat kids and staff