Poverty is one of the most pressing issues in Indigenous communities in Mexico. Besides all the hardships they face culturally, economically and socially. Indigenous communities face poverty in more than 70% of the indigenous populations. This affects their day-to-day life and impacts the kind of work, learning opportunities, and well-being initiatives they can access. Here are three organizations fighting poverty in Indigenous communities in Mexico.

The Hunger Project

The Hunger Project is an organization that works to help Indigenous and other marginalized communities to gain independence. It works with four main marginal areas in Mexico: Chiapas, Oaxaca, Yucatán, and Mexico City.

Its main goals are getting Indigenous communities to become self-sustaining by having distinct categories that they focus on management and authority, open-mindedness, food sufficiency, uplifting women, and profit.

The organization works with the government to create change in these categories, and they have seen amazing outcomes such as the way that women are viewed favorably in society and the recognition of injustices against women historically. As well as relationships with government authorities recognizing the independence of the people.

The Hunger Project has helped several other organizations that focus on fighting poverty in Indigenous communities in Mexico.

Indigenous Women-Led Food Security System (Citi Foundation) involves men and women from Oaxaca and Chiapas in a teaching operation that helps create long-lasting food supply, distribution and monetary wellbeing for those communities, their loved ones, and other members of the general public.

Eat Well Program (Guzman and Gomez) helps Indigenous communities strengthen their understanding and create food security by providing healthy foods and full meals from within Indigenous lands.

Plant With Purpose

Plant with Purpose focuses similarly to the Hunger Project on Chiapas, Oaxaca, but also Puebla as well. Its goal is to create connections between people and the land by uplifting families through organic agriculture and financial security.

“Healing the land is restoring hope,” the organization states on its website. One of its main goals is to make sure families stay together even when facing poverty. Due to poverty, farmhands often have to leave behind their families in order to still be able to find work to have an income for their families. So, what Plant with Purpose does is make sure that does not have to happen by helping Indigenous farmers to mend their land, boost land conditions, and harvest produce. This helps with economic sustainability and reduces the demand to find work elsewhere.

Its other goal is to restore land and nourish communities. The organization rebuilds land cleanness using recreation learnings from Indigenous insight. “Healthier gardens mean families can grow nutritious food and send kids to school”. Investment divisions often provide families a monetary safeguard and security for time to come. Discussion groups increase understanding and awareness among communities, fostering improved connection with others.

Pro México Indígena

Pro Mexico Indigena is a Mexican nonprofit that has been working for 26 years to fight poverty, scarcity of assistance and services, and public erasure. It works to empower Indigenous people and has worked with “11 indigenous ethnic groups in nine states of the Mexican Republic”. The organization has helped more than 300,000 indigenous people gain independence and improve their quality of life.

While these solutions are great, there is still a higher poverty rate present in Indigenous communities in Mexico and by increasing the number of organizations available for these Indigenous groups and communities, it will only make it easier and decrease the percentage of Indigenous communities who are still in poverty in Mexico. According to Mexicohistorico “geographical disparities exacerbate poverty levels. Rural areas, particularly in states like Chiapas and Guerrero, experience higher poverty rates compared to urban centers. This geographical divide leads to a concentration of resources and opportunities in metropolitan areas, leaving rural populations in a cycle of poverty that is difficult to escape.

– Leo Hardy

Leo is based in Muncie, IN, USA and focuses on Good News and Technology for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Flickr