The Congregation of the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word is committed to having a heart for God and living a life for others.  Our CCVI educational ministries at the secondary and university levels in Mexico and the United Staes were invited to submit grant applications for our second year initiative to provide funding to develop and implement a project by students at our educational ministries to serve economically poor women. The projects were asked to incorporate the provision of direct services for women or advocating for policy change on an issue that directly impacts women.   In Peru, we asked that a project involve a CCVI Sister residing in Peru.

18 applications were received through the application process, and 10 grants were approved by a review committee composed of CCVI Sisters.

On the Feast Day of Our Lady of Guadalupe, December 12, 2022, we are announcing the approved projects:

MEXICO

SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN MEXICO:

1. INSTITUTO MIGUEL ANGEL, “LOVE IS WELLBEING”

This project will offer adequate and pertinent information on sexual education to teenage women in vulnerable situations, through a series of training workshops and an educational fair; to prevent unwanted pregnancies in adolescents in the area near the Parish of San Miguel Arcángel in the Historic Center of Mexico City.

2. CENTRO EDUCATIVO, Santa Catarina, YOU ARE MORE (ERES MAS)

A space will be provided by this project for personal and spiritual well-being to adolescents from the Women’s Social Orientation Center, in order to increase their self-esteem and comprehensive well-being. Support will be given for adolescents in vulnerable physical, spiritual and human development situations.  Speakers will provide education for the students.

3. INSTITUTO AMERICA, ‘BASIC KIT FOR OUR MIGRANT SISTER” PROECT

Instituto America School and San Agustin Migrant House contribute by joining their efforts to promote charity with vulnerable people, providing as much as possible assistance and support to migrant women by giving them a “basic kit” including personal items needed by adolescents and adults.  Three teams made up of four volunteer high school students will assemble the kits, become acquainted with the women, and develop an “experiential portfolio” including photographs, notes and stories from the students.

4. INSTITUTO HISPANO INGLES, “LISTENING TO THE OLDER SISTER”

A project that seeks the elderly people in San Patricio Ac Asylum to experience and give dimension to the value of the person, empathy and solidarity through active listening and other playful and recreational activities.  CCVI Sisters will be included in visiting and talking with the residents.

UNIVERSITIES IN MEXICO:

1. UNIVERSIDAD INCARNATE WORD, CAMPUS BAJIO, “SOWING OPPORTUNITIES”

The project consists of making pots based on the Yuriria Lake lily, in which seeds can be germinated for greenhouses. It is a manual and artisanal work that will help women, especially mothers who can work at home without neglecting their family and children, since it does not involve arduous physical labor, as it is manual work. With this they will be able to have extra income and help the family economy. In addition, they will use materials that benefit the care of the environment by cleaning the lake from lily contamination. The pots, when placed on the ground, are biodegradable and enrich the soil, thanks to the fact that there are a large number of greenhouses in the area.

2. CENTRO UNIVERSITARIO INCARNATE WORD, “LIVING PHARMACY, WOMEN GENERATING A COMMUNITY ECONOMY”

This project will be carried out in the area of Tepoztla within the municipality of Milpa Alta, Mexico City.   Project goals are to reorganize, redesign and consolidate a living pharmacy with better use toward sustainability for the poor community.  The project seeks to promote the participation of students in social development areas with populations of greater vulnerability and improving the use of plants in creating a “living pharmacy.”

 

UNITED STATES

SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN UNITED STATES:

1. INCARNATE WORD ACADEMY, “QUEEN OF PEACE CENTER, supplying needed items for women in treatment and for their children”

The Queen of Peace Center provides family-centered behavioral healthcare for women with substance-use disorders, their families, and at-risk youth through treatment, prevention, education and housing.  Based on the needs list provided by the Center’s staff, the  grant funding will be used to shop for these items.  Notes of encouragement and support to the women will be written by the student team members.

2. INCARNATE WORD HIGH SCHOOL, “JUST FOR YOU Wellness Day”

The project event funded by the grant will be held at the Guadalupe Community Center/Catholic Charities which serves families in the Guadalupe area of San Antonio. The event will focus on offering women in the Guadalupe and Westside of San Antonio access to health and personal wellness at no charge.  Offerings will include the mobile mammogram unit, basic health checks, financial advisors, legal advisors, nutritionist, hairstylist providing haircuts, and a kiosk with clothes for women to select for interviews. Childcare will be provided by the IWHS Sister Dorothy Ettling Society student organization Because of administrative changes at IWHS during the year, the “JUST FOR YOU Wellness Day” was not able to take place.

UNIVERSITY IN UNITED STATES:

1. UNIVERSITY OF THE INCARNATE WORD, “GEMS STEAM & ROBOTIC SUMMER CAMPS AND AFTER SCHOOL CLUBS”

Girls in Engineering, Mathematics, and Science (GEMS) is a free all-female STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics) and programming summer camp and after-school robotics clubs that focus on educating girls about STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) fields. GEMS is divided into two main programs: miniGEMS for rising fifth through eighth-grade middle school students and megaGEMS for rising ninth – twelfth-grade high school students. Recruiting for GEMS programs come from five school districts in Bexar County. The summer camps are held at the University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio, TX, and hosted by the Autonomous Vehicle Systems (AVS) Research Laboratories from the School of Mathematics, Science, and Engineering.
GEMS is currently sponsoring two schools from San Antonio Independent School District (SAISD), and both schools received high rankings in last year’s competition. GEMS is sponsoring five additional schools with STEAM Club kits.  Funding from this grant will allow GEMS to fully provide financial resources in terms of food and transportation which are primary hurdles that prevent girls from attending after-school clubs or summer programs.

 

PERU

1. HEALTH CARE: Grant funding will support increased services for needy women at a clinic in Peru.  These much need health care services will exclusively benefit women in the impoverished area.