Welcome to Poco a Poco San Pedro Itzicán

What does Poco a Poco San Pedro do?

We get asked this a lot. Mainly because we have evolved a lot since 2017, when we started working with the communities in and around San Pedro Itzicán. The needs of the communities have changed, and also become clearer to us all.

Our mission has always been to support the leaders on the ground, listen to what the community members want, and then try to assist them achieve that. Sometimes its programs they want to take part in. Sometimes its wanting clean drinking water. We don't have just one focus like most organizations. But we do try to involve other organizations to provide the support that the community needs, bringing in their specializations. We can't do it all.

Our support for the community has ranged from teaching to grow plants from seed, to music, traditional dance, English classes, literacy classes, knitting, sewing, jewelry making and hairdressing lessons, and we have expanded programs into Mezcala as well.

During covid, our San Pedro team of local leaders, were on the front lines during the pandemic; delivering weekly food parcels to over 2,000 families for more than 5 months. Our "medical group" of two people, identified and helped care for covid patients. Poco a Poco raised the funds for the food, and provided oxygen concentrators and medicines for sick patients. Many of those supplies are now also being used by the renal (kidney) patients. During all this, we have continued supporting the 90 identified renal patients and people with other medical issues (cancer and diabetes).

The renal problems in the area are worse than we originally thought. Many studies have been done to identify the cause of why so many people have varying degrees of this disease. But while the causes have been identified, there is no easy "fix". Genetics, malnutrition, no access to clean drinking water, pesticide exposure, poor living conditions, are among just a few of the causes. The area is now identified as having the highest levels of non-identified renal disease in the world.

If you want to read more about what's happening with these kidney patients and what we and other organizations are doing to help them, click on this link.

Our Mission Statement:

To help the people in San Pedro Itzicán and the surrounding towns to improve their lives and the lives of others, for generations to come.

Our values:

Compassion
Collaboration
Respect

How we achieve our goals:

With compassion for all people regardless of age, health or capabilities.

We collaborate with other organizations and individuals. Together we accomplish more.

We provide education, medical care, nutrition, and small business opportunities.

We work with the local volunteers who take pride in helping to transform the lives of the most vulnerable people in their neighborhoods.

Finding help:

It has always been our goal to involve other organizations to help these indigenous communities.

We are achieving that goal and more help is coming.. slowly. But that's why we are named - "Poco a Poco".

Our priorities:

Continue to support the work of Anita Torres, who lives and works in the community, and who people go to for help.
Ensure Anita has the tools to do her work (maintenance of the truck that is used to pick up food for the Kids' Kitchens and distribute supplies);
Deliver clean drinking water to the Kids' Kitchens
A secure area for donated items
Help the renal patients who financially are unable to pay for medicines they need to survive. Just a few years more with their young children will make a huge difference to all their lives.

Read more about the renal disease in the area

If you want to read more about the renal situation in the areas around San Pedro Itzicán, click here. There are many studies, but few solutions to date.