I’m in Guadalajara working on a story. It will not surprise my fellow  music fans that the song constantly running through my head is Steely Dan’s “My Old School” because it mentions Guadalajara. 

I like to try to tie the blog into where my travels take me, as I did when I was home in North Carolina two weeks ago. What struck me as I was coming in from the airport was the poverty. It doesn’t come close to what it’s like when you’re driving to the airport in Mexico City, where you go through some of the worst slums I’ve ever seen, but it’s still apparent.

However, once I got away from the airport area, Guadalajara has been beautiful, especially the countryside, and the people have been exceptionally warm and hospitable. 

As I mentioned yesterday, I’m having very little success with the internet here and I don’t have the usual amount of time to dedicate to researching charities, but I found one that intrigued me.  The Children’s Shelter is an orphanage in Jalisco (the state that Guadalajara is in).  For those living in the margins, apparently there’s a real problem with giving birth and never getting their children birth certificates. Because they have no proof of being born, the children can’t enroll in school or receive any government support.  Many of these children are born to prostitutes or drug addicts and end up at the orphanage, according to the website. 

So today, I’m giving my $10 to The Children’s Shelter, which provides a number of services for children, including medical are. 

Feb. 16: The Children’s Shelter: http://www.eireneministry.com/orphanage-in-mexico.html

Why I started this blog.