Orphanage in Oaxaca, Mexico building new dormitory

please read my updates below this intro

Hi, my name is Greg Grinley, and I am helping raise money for Cuidad de Los Ninos y Ninas, an orphanage outside Oaxaca City, Oaxaca, Mexico, where I have lived for the last 5+ years.

The orphanage has been in operation since 1958 and houses, feeds, educates and loves around 50 boys and girls from infant to 16 years. They refer to it as "casa hogar", their home. And to each other as family. I visit regularly. Jesús Fajardo Cruz is the director and an incredibly dedicated professional who works all day, every day doing everything the children need. I know him well and have complete faith in his abilities. He manages this operation on a shoestring budget of private donations and a very committed local neighborhood that cooks, cleans, loves and supports the kids as they have done for many years. Medical and dental care, counseling, educators and more make up a small part-time staff. Salaries (if any) are very very modest even by Oaxaca standards.

I support a small library on-site and have been involved with the organization for over 3 years. At every visit, the kids are active and engaged in various activities. The kids and the site are always clean and well-maintained.

The kids come from desperate circumstances - abandoned, some are children of prostitutes or addicts, escaping family violence, and many simply have the misfortune of being born into abject poverty where a family cannot feed another child. Few are ever reunited with family.

I am helping raise money for a new multi-purpose building on the campus. The former dorm and classroom building was damaged in repeated earthquakes, repaired, and finally, the last earthquake made it unsafe and beyond repair just before the pandemic began. The kids are currently well-housed at one end of the large cafeteria building, but it is far from ideal.

Jesús and his team are building a new modern building with dormitories, sufficient restrooms, and eventually with classrooms, offices and flexible meeting space for larger gatherings. Constuction is underway! Like many private projects like this, they construct as funds come in. The old building was demolished and the rubble was removed in 2022 and now foundations (deep and earthquake resistant) are in place (June 2023) and above-ground construction is proceeding.

My goal may seem very modest. It is. They need more or course. The entire project will be much more, of course. Materials are expensive here, but labor is cheap. Concrete is especially expensive. They have been stockpiling construction donations like rebar and cinder blocks. Please help me help this organization to give these kids a better beginning in life.

Note: Mexico is not supported by GoFundMe so your gifts will come to me directly and I will personally deliver them to Jesús Fajardo Cruz at Cuidad de Los Ninos. If you choose to donate you can use a credit card or Paypal. If you prefer, you can contact me directly and you can make a gift directly to me via Paypal.