* Enjoying the new community library in Independencia.
Anita is a little girl who lives with her parents and siblings in the ejido of Independencia, in southern Chiapas near the border with Guatemala. We met her during last summer's independent multidisciplinary action brigade out of UNAM.
When I accompanied UNAM social work students to Anita's family's home during the demographic research portion of the brigade, we found their household to be among the poorest in Independencia. The floor of their home is packed dirt, unlike most others who had wood or concrete floors; they have few utilities, a single lightbulb, a wood-fire to heat water; their household diet was significantly weak in variety and nutrition. That day, the parents introduced the children one by one, and mentioned to us that Anita was chronically ill. On a subsequent trip to Independencia in December, brigade members interviewed Anita's parents further and found that she is in need of specialized care for cancer. This could only be found in Mexico City.
Friday night, February 13, brigade members are organizing a reggae benefit event to raise funds to get Anita to D.F. for the care that she needs. The cover is whatever you want to give. There will be food and drinks. Bands and DJs set to play include Pequeño Profeta, Nognes, Nimrod, Bungalo Dub, La Casa de Todos, Unidub Estazion, Break, Inity Dreams, Razec Selecta, I-tal, and Jah7Gam.
The event is completely grass-roots organized, by students working on their own time and with minimal resources, not driven by quests for individual glory or grand political ideologies. Just young people finding ways to directly help and impact the lives of those in need, step by step. Read more at Radio Asalto.
* The party is at Chanty Ollin, Melchor Ocampo 424, Circuito Interior esq. Rio Elba, behind the Torre Mayor, near metro Chapultepec. The flier is here. For reggae-heads or people curious about Mexican reggae, this is an impressive bill.
** Previous posts on my journey to Chiapas with the UNAM brigadistas are found here, here, here, here, here, and here. It was truly a formative experience for everyone who participated.
*** Want to donate from afar? Using the PayPal contribution button in the left-hand column here, you can send us a few bucks for Anita's care. I will be sure to pass along any donations that are accompanied by a note indicating their preferred destination.
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