Written by Jerry Martinez Programs Officer and Hannah Roosendaal, Programs Assistant
Last year, I (Jerry) participated in Vista Hermosa’s Foundation annual site visits and convening in Mexico. This would also represent my first time meeting our partners face to face having just joined the organization a few months ago. Aside from the excitement of meeting in person, there was something truly special about the spaces in which we gathered.
During our first visit, we explored the area around El Pozo de Vida’s community center, witnessing firsthand the impact of human trafficking in the local business district. Our partners highlighted the complex interplay of immigration, migration, poverty and machismo contributing to the prevalence of the sex trade in this area. Despite the weight of the conversation, I found inspiration in El Pozo De Vida’s approach, working with men of all ages to address harmful forms of masculinity, and disrupting the status quo with their block parties near key locations, centering the healing of victims of human trafficking. We concluded the day with lunch alongside our partners, volunteers, and women who frequented the community center. As we shared a meal together, I felt an overwhelming sense of privilege to have shared a space that was so restorative and freeing to women every single day.
The next day we visited our partner Amextra‘s satellite office in Lomas de San Isidro, a very marginalized neighborhood in Mexico state. The contrast in public infrastructure from where we had been just a few hours before underscored so many economic and social disparities. Amextra’s new project focused on adapting the SASA! methodology for preventing violence against women. We met with a local church priest and the head of an afterschool program in the area, as the SASA! approach emphasizes the importance of community leaders in generating awareness. We even participated in an initial workshop which provoked participants to think about times when we feel we have power, and the instances in which we feel we lack it.
The lessons of these visits stayed with me since our time in Mexico. We always hold power, in our communities, at work, in our families, and in our intimate relationships. Through our visits, I saw how two different communities were using their collective power to build safe spaces. Spaces that honored everyone’s story, uplifted ignored voices and restored everyone’s dignity.
The following week, leaders from our eleven partners gathered in Oaxaca de Juarez for our annual convening. To kick off our time together, our partners from Mision Integral hosted a visit to a rural indigenous community, San Andres Nuxiño where the community leads reforestation efforts and environmental protection through raising and planting tree seedlings.
I (Hannah) have always felt that some spaces in the world are sacred, not necessarily churches or cathedrals, but sometimes when I visit a museum or an alpine lake, I get a feeling that it is holy. I received this sensation when entering the greenhouse of San Andres Nuxiño. Reflecting on why that was, what exactly about this space was sacred, two reasons stood out to me. For one, this community uses the greenhouse to reforest their mountains, and I believe caring for the environment is a divine act, as we all are commanded to be stewards of creation. In addition, I also remember seeing these three children after our tour; the young girl took a book from the little shelf that serves as the community library, and where did she want to read it? In the greenhouse. Where did these kids want to spend time together? In the greenhouse. And that made me think, the purpose of a greenhouse is to protect seedlings until they are strong enough to grow outside, and our obligation to children is to provide safe spaces, to protect them until they are strong enough to be independent. And this greenhouse serves as a space for both.
Here at Broetje Family Trust, our calling for many decades has been to do just that—create safe spaces for children, be it locally in our Eastern Washington community or in the countries where our grant partners work. How are you creating safe spaces for children and all people in your communities?
