Mobile Reproductive Health Clinic
Donation protected
URGENT NEED!! Help keep CEDEJO's (Centro de Desarrollo Jocotepec, A.C. ) mobile reproductive health van operating through 2016. CEDEJO is a non-profit women's clinic that provides reproductive health & family planning services to indigenous and low-income women and girls in Jalisco, Mexico, particularly for those in the Lake Chapala region. Donations are currently CEDEJO’s primary source of funding. However, they are currently seeking foundation grants to secure long-term funding and are implementing sustainable funding strategies to support these programs over the coming years.
A minimum of 14,000 US Dollars (~235,000 Pesos) will keep the mobile clinic running for one full year, from January through December 2016.
____________________________________________________________
ABOUT CEDEJO
Centro de Desarrollo Jocotepec (CEDEJO), A.C., located in Ajijic, Jalisco, Mexico, has provided care to indigenous and low-income women and families in the area for over 30 years.
(CEDEO's clinic headquarters in Ajijic)
Twice a week CEDEJO travels to Chapala, offering free pap smears, breast examinations, birth control and family planning counseling (via DIF) to the Tepehua community, one of the poorest barrios in Jalisco.
(Meeting with clients in Tepehua)
Five days of the week CEDEJO travels to vulnerable communities around Lake Chapala via their mobile health unit. By travelling directly to low-income communities, CEDEJO is better able to reach women and girls that otherwise would not seek out or be able to afford services.
(CEDEJO Director Sylvia Flores preparing the clinic in a Lakeside community)
Mornings of the week, CEDEJO's headquarters and clinic in Ajijic accepts clients by appointment.
In addition to providing the above services, CEDEJO also leads educational programs and presentations through a variety of community organizations, schools and forums. In 2013-2014 CEDEJO successfully completed an all-volunteer-run pilot project (‘Mujeres, Poder y Vida’ – ‘Women, Power and Life ’) which provided over 60 sessions of comprehensive women’s empowerment workshops to the women and girls of the Tepehua community.
(Women: Power of Life empowerment program)
____________________________________________________________
As we end 2015, we are celebrating CEDEJO's successes of the past year. In addition to raising funds to keep the clinic running for the last year, CEDEJO also realized the following progress:
· A new website , which includes a blog to keep people updated as well as on online donation function
· A new informational pamphlet for CEDEJO’s educational programs which replaced their old one from 1986
· New and updated photos of CEDEJO’s clinics, workshops and programs (& setting up their FLICKR account).
· Creation of a CEDEJO Facebook Page
· Creation of a CEDEJO Twitter Account
· Press coverage which helped spread the word about the clinic’s need for funding
As a result of CEDEJO’s extensive outreach, new connections were made and more volunteers were secured. We are deligently working on securing long-term funding solutions.
However, CEDEJO’s CURRENT NEED is CRITICAL
Although CEDEJO's volunteers have been working hard to secure more funding from other sources, these efforts have not yet produced any new long-term funding opportunites. CEDEJO is currently being kept open through the generosity of individual donors, like you.
____________________________________________________________
WHY DO WE NEED TO KEEP CEDEJO MOBILE CLINIC RUNNING?
Access to reproductive health care and contraception is a human right. The choice to have children, how many and when (or if) to have them is a human right that is inaccessilble for many women without financial means. The mobile clinic offers women this right without undue hardship on them. The women also trust Sylvia Flores, the director of CEDEJO, because she has been working with them in this area for over 40 years. She helps to educate them about the government services available to them when she sees them and empowers them to use all resources available to them. The mobile clinic provides the gateway for these women and girls to exercise their rights and to obtain all the services available to them.
Cervical and breast cancer are the leading causes of death among women from ages 35 to 60 in Chapala, Jalisco. CEDEJO is working to prevent these diseases, as well as other diseases, from affecting women through early detection and treatment programs.
Because of poverty and/or lack of education and/or failure of government assistance programs, many women cannot afford to see a nurse or doctor for a routine gynecological exam or prenatal care. CEDEJO helps change this paradigm by educating women and girls about their options. CEDEJO also travels TO the communities that need services the most and has been working in the area for over 40 years, so the communities trust, respect and respond to them.
(Women often can't travel far and/or cannot leave their children to gain access to services. CEDEJO travels to their communities in order to provide them service.)
Jalisco has the highest rates of violence against women in Mexico, with 60% of women having experienced violence by the hands of their partner. CEDEJO offers presentations, workshops and lectures through schools and other organizations in which the following topics are discussed: women’s empowerment, domestic violence, gender equality, STDs, prenatal care and childbirth, family planning, risks of teen pregnancy, and hygiene and health.
("Violence against women does not make you more of a man." CEDEJO's workshops help empower women & men in order to stop the cycle of violence.)
____________________________________________________________
WHAT THE FUNDS WILL BE USED FOR
Funds raised will go toward covering the following:
**pap kits for 1200-1400 women for one year
**lab fees for processing pap tests for one year
**transporting pap tests from Chapala/Ajijic to Guadalajara lab 2 times a month, every month, for one year
**operating costs to keep the mobile clinic running at the very least 5 days a week, every week, for one year (i.e. gas, maintenance, etc)
**replacing or replenishing additional medical supplies needed to perform pap smears (i.e. patient examination gowns, sterilization equipment)
Funds raised above the $14000 needed for the mobile clinic costs for 2016 will go toward expanding CEDEJO's empowerment workshops and educational programs and/or toward 2016 expenses.
____________________________________________________________
HOW YOU CAN HELP
I hope that others will see the value of CEDEJO's mobile clinic and the services it offers and that you will find it in your heart to do one or more of the following:
GIVE A DONATION.
Donate via this campaign page or via CEDEJO’s website. Donate what you would normally spend on a co-pay to visit your gynecologist or your doctor. Make a memorial donation in the name of someone you've lost to breast or cervical cancer.
MAKE A MATCH CHALLENGE.
Neighbors, co-workers, business or civic groups, churches or other organizations in the Lake Chapala area or around the world :: Consider donating 16,000 pesos or more (~$1000 US or more) to this fundraising effort and then challenge another organization or group to match your donation. By pooling our limited resources, we can make a huge difference without putting undue stress on one particular funding source. If you would like to make a match challenge, please contact me.
SPREAD THE WORD.
Share this page with family & friends. Even if you're unable to give a donation, please share this page on Facebook , Twitter , via email or by word of mouth. This makes a HUGE DIFFERENCE to the success of this fundraising campaign.
VOLUNTEER
Check out CEDEJO's volunteer opportunites .
THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME TO REVIEW THIS FUNDRAISING PAGE!
__________________________________________________________
*****PLEASE NOTE*****
8% of your donation is automatically taken by Go Fund Me/We Pay programs to cover the administrative costs of processing your online payment. Please consider covering this cost when you make your donation (every little bit helps). If you’re a local donor you can avoid the fees altogether by dropping your donation off to me, to the clinic or depositing it directly in to the clinic’s bank account (see CEDEJO website for more info).
All Donations go directly to the non-profit organization, the Centro de Desarrollo Jocotepec (CEDEJO) , to provide services as outlined.
___________________________________________________________
Who started this campaign?
I'm Sheila from Vermont, USA. I've been bicycling around the world with my partner since 2011, in large part, to create a life better aligned with my values (in other words, a life of simplicity and one that would allow me to focus my energy on local and global issues that are important to me). I don't have much money to give to organizations whose missions I believe in but I am able to offer my time and skills to help them meet their goals. I am currently traveling through Mexico and I have been volunteering with CEDEJO since early 2013. Feel free to contact me or CEDEJO with any questions about this campaign.
(Me cycling through Baja, MX)
A minimum of 14,000 US Dollars (~235,000 Pesos) will keep the mobile clinic running for one full year, from January through December 2016.
____________________________________________________________
ABOUT CEDEJO
Centro de Desarrollo Jocotepec (CEDEJO), A.C., located in Ajijic, Jalisco, Mexico, has provided care to indigenous and low-income women and families in the area for over 30 years.
(CEDEO's clinic headquarters in Ajijic)Twice a week CEDEJO travels to Chapala, offering free pap smears, breast examinations, birth control and family planning counseling (via DIF) to the Tepehua community, one of the poorest barrios in Jalisco.
(Meeting with clients in Tepehua)Five days of the week CEDEJO travels to vulnerable communities around Lake Chapala via their mobile health unit. By travelling directly to low-income communities, CEDEJO is better able to reach women and girls that otherwise would not seek out or be able to afford services.
(CEDEJO Director Sylvia Flores preparing the clinic in a Lakeside community)Mornings of the week, CEDEJO's headquarters and clinic in Ajijic accepts clients by appointment.
In addition to providing the above services, CEDEJO also leads educational programs and presentations through a variety of community organizations, schools and forums. In 2013-2014 CEDEJO successfully completed an all-volunteer-run pilot project (‘Mujeres, Poder y Vida’ – ‘Women, Power and Life ’) which provided over 60 sessions of comprehensive women’s empowerment workshops to the women and girls of the Tepehua community.
(Women: Power of Life empowerment program)____________________________________________________________
As we end 2015, we are celebrating CEDEJO's successes of the past year. In addition to raising funds to keep the clinic running for the last year, CEDEJO also realized the following progress:
· A new website , which includes a blog to keep people updated as well as on online donation function
· A new informational pamphlet for CEDEJO’s educational programs which replaced their old one from 1986
· New and updated photos of CEDEJO’s clinics, workshops and programs (& setting up their FLICKR account).
· Creation of a CEDEJO Facebook Page
· Creation of a CEDEJO Twitter Account
· Press coverage which helped spread the word about the clinic’s need for funding
As a result of CEDEJO’s extensive outreach, new connections were made and more volunteers were secured. We are deligently working on securing long-term funding solutions.
However, CEDEJO’s CURRENT NEED is CRITICAL
Although CEDEJO's volunteers have been working hard to secure more funding from other sources, these efforts have not yet produced any new long-term funding opportunites. CEDEJO is currently being kept open through the generosity of individual donors, like you.
____________________________________________________________
WHY DO WE NEED TO KEEP CEDEJO MOBILE CLINIC RUNNING?
Access to reproductive health care and contraception is a human right. The choice to have children, how many and when (or if) to have them is a human right that is inaccessilble for many women without financial means. The mobile clinic offers women this right without undue hardship on them. The women also trust Sylvia Flores, the director of CEDEJO, because she has been working with them in this area for over 40 years. She helps to educate them about the government services available to them when she sees them and empowers them to use all resources available to them. The mobile clinic provides the gateway for these women and girls to exercise their rights and to obtain all the services available to them.
Cervical and breast cancer are the leading causes of death among women from ages 35 to 60 in Chapala, Jalisco. CEDEJO is working to prevent these diseases, as well as other diseases, from affecting women through early detection and treatment programs.
Because of poverty and/or lack of education and/or failure of government assistance programs, many women cannot afford to see a nurse or doctor for a routine gynecological exam or prenatal care. CEDEJO helps change this paradigm by educating women and girls about their options. CEDEJO also travels TO the communities that need services the most and has been working in the area for over 40 years, so the communities trust, respect and respond to them.
(Women often can't travel far and/or cannot leave their children to gain access to services. CEDEJO travels to their communities in order to provide them service.)Jalisco has the highest rates of violence against women in Mexico, with 60% of women having experienced violence by the hands of their partner. CEDEJO offers presentations, workshops and lectures through schools and other organizations in which the following topics are discussed: women’s empowerment, domestic violence, gender equality, STDs, prenatal care and childbirth, family planning, risks of teen pregnancy, and hygiene and health.
("Violence against women does not make you more of a man." CEDEJO's workshops help empower women & men in order to stop the cycle of violence.)____________________________________________________________
WHAT THE FUNDS WILL BE USED FOR
Funds raised will go toward covering the following:
**pap kits for 1200-1400 women for one year
**lab fees for processing pap tests for one year
**transporting pap tests from Chapala/Ajijic to Guadalajara lab 2 times a month, every month, for one year
**operating costs to keep the mobile clinic running at the very least 5 days a week, every week, for one year (i.e. gas, maintenance, etc)
**replacing or replenishing additional medical supplies needed to perform pap smears (i.e. patient examination gowns, sterilization equipment)
Funds raised above the $14000 needed for the mobile clinic costs for 2016 will go toward expanding CEDEJO's empowerment workshops and educational programs and/or toward 2016 expenses.
____________________________________________________________
HOW YOU CAN HELP
I hope that others will see the value of CEDEJO's mobile clinic and the services it offers and that you will find it in your heart to do one or more of the following:
GIVE A DONATION.
Donate via this campaign page or via CEDEJO’s website. Donate what you would normally spend on a co-pay to visit your gynecologist or your doctor. Make a memorial donation in the name of someone you've lost to breast or cervical cancer.
MAKE A MATCH CHALLENGE.
Neighbors, co-workers, business or civic groups, churches or other organizations in the Lake Chapala area or around the world :: Consider donating 16,000 pesos or more (~$1000 US or more) to this fundraising effort and then challenge another organization or group to match your donation. By pooling our limited resources, we can make a huge difference without putting undue stress on one particular funding source. If you would like to make a match challenge, please contact me.
SPREAD THE WORD.
Share this page with family & friends. Even if you're unable to give a donation, please share this page on Facebook , Twitter , via email or by word of mouth. This makes a HUGE DIFFERENCE to the success of this fundraising campaign.
VOLUNTEER
Check out CEDEJO's volunteer opportunites .
THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME TO REVIEW THIS FUNDRAISING PAGE!
__________________________________________________________
*****PLEASE NOTE*****
8% of your donation is automatically taken by Go Fund Me/We Pay programs to cover the administrative costs of processing your online payment. Please consider covering this cost when you make your donation (every little bit helps). If you’re a local donor you can avoid the fees altogether by dropping your donation off to me, to the clinic or depositing it directly in to the clinic’s bank account (see CEDEJO website for more info).
All Donations go directly to the non-profit organization, the Centro de Desarrollo Jocotepec (CEDEJO) , to provide services as outlined.
___________________________________________________________
Who started this campaign?
I'm Sheila from Vermont, USA. I've been bicycling around the world with my partner since 2011, in large part, to create a life better aligned with my values (in other words, a life of simplicity and one that would allow me to focus my energy on local and global issues that are important to me). I don't have much money to give to organizations whose missions I believe in but I am able to offer my time and skills to help them meet their goals. I am currently traveling through Mexico and I have been volunteering with CEDEJO since early 2013. Feel free to contact me or CEDEJO with any questions about this campaign.
(Me cycling through Baja, MX)Organizer
Sheila Poettgen
Organizer
Burlington, VT
