Advocate for Indigenous Women and Children                                                   Mexico

Fifty percent of the indigenous women in Chiapas, Mexico, are illiterate and effectively denied any educational opportunities that would allow them to escape a life of extreme poverty. In Chiapas, the poorest state in Mexico, racism, sexism, and a lack of resources prevent most of them from continuing their educationbeyond fifth grade.

MUJERES DE MAIZ OPPORTUNITY FOUNDATION provides access to education for the indigenous women of Chiapas through scholarships, literacy training, weekend classes, and workshops on a range of topics. Scholarship recipients ensure the sustainability of the program by assessing needs in their own communities and developing projects that will address those needs locally. Girls attending school and women learning to read become the desperately needed role models that demonstrate how an education can build confidence and provide skills for self-sufficiency.