2014 Summary & CEDEJO's 2015 Campaign

A review of what CEDEJO has been doing behind the scenes in 2014 to try to secure long-term funding, how we have expanded our outreach and programs (all realized through volunteers) and how the community can continue to support our work and ensure that the clinic remains open through 2015.

CELEBRATING 2014 SUCCESSES

Besides completing a successful 2014 fundraising campaign (thank you donors!), CEDEJO also realized a new website, a new informational pamphlet, a FLICKR account to showcase current photos of their work, a Facebook page, a Twitter account and some press coverage that helped spread the word about our work.

In addition to operating the clinic in Ajijic and providing the free clinic in Tepehua twice a week, CEDEJO also successfully completed an all-volunteer-run (by Mexicana women) pilot project aptly named ‘Mujeres, Poder y Vida’ (‘Women, Power and Life’), which provided over 60 sessions of comprehensive women’s empowerment workshops to the Tepehua community. CEDEJO would like to, eventually, secure funding to continue to offer the empowerment workshops and to expand them to include several other communities around Lakeside.

Another success was the realization of CEDEJO Director's long-time dream of outfitting a mobile health unit in order to be able to visit & provide services to the most vulnerable communities around Lake Chapala. Generous anonymous donors have provided a van for CEDEJO to use twice a week for this purpose.  Director Sylvia Flores will begin this program in January 2015. ​

MAKING NEW CONNECTIONS 

As a result of CEDEJO's outreach efforts last year, new connections were made that will likely benefit CEDEJO in the future. For example, CEDEJO’s Director and volunteers met with UK representatives of the CRED Foundation while they were visiting Mexico in 2014. These productive meetings led to a partnership with the CRED Foundation which is slated to begin in late 2015. This partnership will potentially facilitate CEDEJO’s fundraising efforts in 2016 and beyond.

CEDEJO also met with visiting representatives from Horizons, a Canadian based non-profit organization committed to promoting social justice and people-centered development in Central America and Mexico. Horizons and CEDEJO are currently in the preliminary stages of exploring possible partnership opportunities.

Lastly, CEDEJO spent many hours in 2014 meeting with numerous officials in Guadalajara and applying for a variety of Mexican government grant programs. CEDEJO hopes these meetings and their efforts will result in some fruitful outcomes.

​OUR 2015 CAMPAIGN

Although CEDEJO has been working hard to secure long-term funding opportunities, our efforts have not yet produced the funds needed to cover expenses for 2015. Unfortunately, we are in the same precarious position we've been in for the last seventeen months -- operating from month-to-month on whatever individual donations we receive. It is only through the generosity of individual donors, like you, that CEDEJO remains open and is able to provide services to the women & girls of Lakeside.

To help CEDEJO through the next year and until we can realize some funding through other avenues, please consider donating to our 2015 fundraising campaign.

We thank you in advance for whatever form of support you can offer. Every peso helps.