BajaNomad

HELP----PLEASE

lizard lips - 6-30-2009 at 11:11 AM

A lot of you know what kind of work I do for US insurance companies for those of you who do not I investigate life claims, kidnappings and almost any other type of investigations including missing persons. I have worked in 81 different countries and because I live in Mexico and speak Spanish I work most in this country and have had the pleasure of visiting every state, working in the smallest ranchos and the largest cities.

I recently had a case from an insurance company where they requested I try and locate a 15 year old girl who's father died on the job in Virginia two years ago. He was a Mexican national and the only information available was the grandmothers name and the name of the girl and that they lived in Baja somewhere. My contact at the insurance company did not know if the grandmother and child knew of the death of the child's father.

I had this assignment since March and everyone I contacted which included my Mexican governmental sources did not turn up anything. I checked all of the school districts to see if she was enrolled as well as contacting different police and municipal office for information. I put up flyers and even took ads in local newspapers.

Yesterday I received a call from a person who said he knew the grandmother and child and gave me an area where they lived which is called "Buena Vista" located about 20 miles south of Ensenada. This person saw the ad in the local paper.

After the call, I and my wife went to this area and after talking to many people we found both of them. There was a very old woman in the front area of the property who my wife asked if her name was Guadalupe and she said yes. We asked for the daughter and she said she was in the home and she came out to greet us. The grandmother was a small woman who looked like she was at least 80 years old but she said she was 61. The 15 year old was not wearing shoes, was very dirty but had bright eyes and both smiled and allowed us into their yard which was nothing more than a few scrub bushes.

I explained who I was and that if she knew that her father had passed away. Both the grandmother and the child said no and started crying. My wife started crying and I got the o'l lump in the throat. The child said that she was concerned that she had not heard from her father for the last two years. The girl said that her father would send money to them every month for their support and they have not received anything for a long time. The girl said that she has not attended school for the last 1 1/2 years because she was embarrassed that her clothes were ripped and old and did not fit her anymore and they didn't even have money for small things like shampoo or soap. The other kids would make fun of her and she just couldn't take it anymore. The grandmother was listening and had to keep brushing the tears away.

The house the live in consists of a small one room lean-to that is neat and clean and the bathroom is an outhouse. They do not have running water or electricity and they obtain their water from a large water truck that comes by every four days and they fill up three 5 gallon plastic containers to use fro cooking and washing.

My wife who has lived in Ensenada most of her life and who grew up in Chihuahua poor was visibly emotional at the standard of living these two loving human beings have been going through. I have seen poor on many occasions in many countries of the world but this one really hurt because it was so close to home and it was just an old lady trying her best to take care of her grandchild with no other means of support.

I gave them some bus fare to come to my home today so that they could talk to the attorney back east and get the settlement worked out. The little girls should come in to quite a fair sum of money.

My intent for this post was for those of you that come to Baja on a regular basis please clean out your closet and give these people some dignity back in their lives. I don't like to give money to those who beg because I don't know where it's going.

After what I saw yesterday made me think a lot. If just one fortunate family could help another one raise their standard of living then this world would be a much better place. Please fill up a big black trash bag with things you don't need anymore and get it down here or give it to someone who can really use it and it can be in your hometown. It doesn't have to be here in Mexico.

The golf tournament we just had supported Agua Viva for several months and I was grateful for al the support. There are many more here that can use it.

If you don't know who to give your clothes or other donated items to please u2u me and I will personally take you to these areas and get the items to the people who can use them.

When the little girls said she did not want to go to school because her clothes were ripped and did not fit her anymore I was upset. How can we let this happen?

rpleger - 6-30-2009 at 11:26 AM

lizard lips .....Good for you and all of you that think enough to help the less fortunate ... If you donīt know anyone just give your things to a local church...There is still a lot of people that could use some help.

Thanks Lizard Lips for bringing this to our attention...

DENNIS - 6-30-2009 at 01:32 PM

You're doing your best, Dan. That's all you can do. The amount of real need is overwhelming.

N2Baja - 6-30-2009 at 01:52 PM

Great post. Thank you.

When my kids were younger, I was on the board for the local softball league in charge of fields and equipment. I got in touch with my counterpart for the baseball league and together we were able to fully equip at least two full teams in northern baja. I know that situation was not as dire as the girl and grandmother you speak of, but the 'thank you' we received from these kids was incredible and the feeling I got in my heart, knowing that I'd help make a few kids happy, is one I'll never forget.

I'm going to gather more stuff right now. Thanks again.

bajamigo - 6-30-2009 at 02:14 PM

Great job, Dan. If you think it will help, we will be happy to meet any Nomads heading south at Maneadero, if they need a convenient drop-off point. All we need is about an hour's notice; U2U us for contact numbers. Anything else we can do, let us know.

DanO - 6-30-2009 at 02:48 PM

Thanks for the great post and the reminder. Time for a little late spring/early summer cleaning.

24baja - 6-30-2009 at 04:35 PM

We try to take something down on each BOLA trip. The families seem happy to receive our items so until the need is gone we will continue. Its a good thing you are doing Lizard Lips, Bless you & your wife.

bajaguy - 6-30-2009 at 04:55 PM

Dan:

I will be bringing some clothes down on my next trip.

A suggestion for others is to put clothes in an old suitcase or duffle type bag, and if questioned at the border, tell em it's your clothes or your kids clothes.....a black trash bag is like a Mexican Customs magnet.

Good work, Dan!!!!!

Paulina - 6-30-2009 at 07:46 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by bajaguy
Dan:

I will be bringing some clothes down on my next trip.

A suggestion for others is to put clothes in an old suitcase or duffle type bag, and if questioned at the border, tell em it's your clothes or your kids clothes.....a black trash bag is like a Mexican Customs magnet.

Good work, Dan!!!!!


Bajaguy, you beat me to it. Old suitcases or duffle bags seem to get us through every time. I can pick up "throw away" type suitcases at the thrift shops up here and leave the whole package in Baja. Throw away to us isn't the same down there.

Thank you Dan for sharing your story. I'm glad that this girl and her grandmother will eventually have a happy ending.

P<*)))>{

DianaT - 6-30-2009 at 09:08 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by rpleger
lizard lips .....Good for you and all of you that think enough to help the less fortunate ... If you donīt know anyone just give your things to a local church...There is still a lot of people that could use some help.

Thanks Lizard Lips for bringing this to our attention...


Good advice rpleger, and thank you Lizard Lips for your story well written, and from the heart---Thanks.

We have a number of duffle bags and we like to spread the donation items between them, and then top them off with our personal items---underwear is always good, it discourages further looking. :-)

But the idea of giving items to the local churches is good, IMHO. Knowing the involvement in local organizations of Bajamigo and Lizard Lips, it would not be problem to leave donations with them.

However, in our experiences in Baja, the mainland of Mexico, and Central Amerca, the leaving of donations with one local can end up with the donations going only to that extended family, regardless of their real need.

Now if the donation is intended for that family, great. But if the intention is for the donation to be for the most needy, the church is often the best place. Tha padre or minister often knows the most needy.

Also, while some of the better known "missions" do GREAT work, often they have an abundance of donations and the small missions are very much in need.

Thanks Lizard Lips --- tis a great thread.

Diane

Stickers - 6-30-2009 at 09:49 PM

Nice post and good work Lips.
We had an El Salvadorian worker die digging a trench here in Santa Monica, Ca. He had a wife and two girls back home that he was supporting with his NOB work. The contractor he was working for had Workmans Comp insurance and I heard that there is a minimum payment of $240,000 given for a workers death. (that's dollars)
I never heard if they actually collected the money and somehow I imagine some lawyers got most of it.

I sure hope they got something. :mad:

David K - 7-1-2009 at 07:47 AM

Thanks for that Dan... Good of you, very good indeed!

lizard lips - 7-2-2009 at 07:51 AM

The girl, and grandmother and their pastor was met at Costco and they followed me to my home and we had a nice meeting. The pastor said that he also has a project like Agua Viva where he feeds about 50 young kids per day with the help of an American man that comes to their church and brings rice and beans four times a month. Apparently this "man" is the only source right now that they depend on for support and he is leaving to work in Vietnam for an organization that feeds and clothes and educates children all over the world. The pastor took several kids along with this man to McDonalds a while back and treated them to burgers. The pastor said the kids were blown away in that they have never been to a restaurant before and have never had hamburgers. He said the kids still talk about it like it was the best thing they have ever did in their life!

As we were sitting at my dining room table my wife brought out some of those little fish crackers and some chocolates and they were gone in minutes. She filled the bowl four times. They left our house with a lot of canned goods that we have had for a long time and a bag of clothes from our nieces that we got the day before.

The girl will receive a monthly payment that will be deposited directly into a bank account once one is open as well as a check for all the months that have been missed for the last two years which will be several thousand dollars. I told her that if she does not go to school the money will stop and I also told her that the money will continue if she goes on to college so I hope this will be an incentive for her to continue her education. The only thing she asked me was if she could buy a pair of shoes?

Thank you all for your kind posts. I have received a lot of emails from many of you for donations of clothes and for that, another big Thank You. This is not something that will consume my life, it can't with everything else I have to do but I think if I just give it a day or two once in awhile to get the items to those who can really use it, it will complete that piece of pie that has been missing in my life.

My dad always said life is like a pie. You cut it up and divide one piece for family, friends, work, yourself and donate the other to those who need it.

I had concerns about posting this on the board in that it seems like everywhere you go in Mexico there is always a hand out and it gets tiresome at every stop light someone has a can for a donation stuck in your face or there is a guy washing your window. We all know it's there, poverty, but until you see it up close and personal then it hits you. It's like Dennis said, it's overwhelming and you can only do what you can.

[Edited on 03/08/2009 by lizard lips]

Eli - 7-2-2009 at 04:23 PM

Thanks Lizard Lips, truly your story inspires. I will continue to do what I can, even if it is only a spit in the bucket. Also, I will take heart even though I know I can't resolve the problem.

lizard lips - 7-10-2009 at 03:56 PM

I took the first flight from Guadalajara this morning to Tj and had the wife pick me up. We crossed and met Bajaguy in Chula Vista. He told me his wife, Lyn, had told people at her work about my story and and they gave her some clothes. Well Terry, bajaguy, brought the bags down and there was ALOT! I fit everything into my trunk then did the Costco and Vons thing and crossed without the red light, THANK GOD!

Just went through the clothes and I think there is enough for every kid in that area and of course we saved quite a lot for the little girl as well so I know she will be pleased.

THANK YOU LYN AND TERRY!

I will bring the clothes to the kids on Sunday.

Just to remind all of you as well......... PLEASE U2U ME IF YOU HAVE CLOTHES AND SHOES TO BRING DOWN AND I WILL MEET YOU HERE IN ENSENADA.

I think if I can do this once a month it will make a difference:yes:

Heather - 7-11-2009 at 11:32 AM

Lizard Lips...I must say I got a tear in my eye reading your original post, glad to hear that you are getting some help for the family!

We are fortunate in that my brother-in-law drives an 18 wheeler up to TJ from La Paz weekly. So we are able to send lots of our hand-me-downs to my husband's 8 brothers and sisters down there!
Last week while we were in La Paz with them, I saw my old refrigerator in the casa of one of my cunados, an old sofa in another, and lots of toys that we've sent down over the years, too!
There is one niece that is a year younger than my youngest, so she gets all the clothes from my girls'.
I cleaned out some of my old clothes and purses this year, that my sisters'-in-law were only too happy to receive! Also sent down a toaster oven and crockpot for my mother-in-law.

Most of my husband's brothers work, so not as bad off as the little girl and her grandmother, but they can always use some help and are always greatful for what we send down. It's funny that things that I would discard still have 5 or 10 more years of use in Mexico! H.

lizard lips - 8-10-2009 at 01:02 PM

Heather,

Good job and your fortunate to have transportation for your items to be sent to those who need it. I'm sure your family appreciates it!

If anyone is coming down soon please contact me (u2u) if you have any items to be donated. I live just off the main highway to Cabo in Ensenada and I will be happy to meet you on your way south.

I am leaving for another trip to the mainland on Wednesday and will be gone for 10 days but the wife will be here and can meet you with your donations. ANYTHING you have and don't want anymore will be great.

Thanks