Mese Vasco de Quiroga

In Morelia, Michoacán, there are street kids, but the real issue is the working children who sell candy and wash windshields. The majority come from other states, and many are Indians. In addition to the dangers of work in the street, these children seldom attend school and thus have few alternatives for their futures.

Mese Vasco de Quiroga does not work directly on the street. Instead, outreach workers from the Department of Youth and Families (DIF) refer kids to the program. Mese Vasco then provides weekly scholarships to their families.

In order to receive the scholarship, the child must agree to attend school every day, and may not work. Outreach workers from the DIF confirm that these kids are not on the street.

The program serves 263 children, the majority between 5 and 14 years old (though several have graduated from high school and one attends college). In several cases, two or three children in the same family receive the scholarship.

The money for the scholarship comes from a “godparent” program, where individual Mexicans or foreigners give each month. Godparents are recruited in the hotels of Morelia, a city that depends on tourism. To become a godparent, please write Otila Rocha.

The program takes it name from Father Vasco de Quiroga, a 17th Century Spanish priest who came to Michoacán to teach art, music, and reading to the Tarascan Indians. He is known as one of the few good and honest colonists, a defender of Indians and civil rights.

Menores en Situación Extraordinaria Vasco de Quiroga, IAP
Cobreros de Santa Clara # 154
Col. Vasco de Quiroga
Morelia, Mich. C.P. 58230

E-mail: mese@unimedia.net.mx
Página web: ia.com.mx/mese
Contacto: Otila Rocha, otila2000@yahoo.com.mx