It all started in November 2010 with the launch of a weekly soup kitchen that provided free meals to impoverished families living in Chapala’s bleakest neighborhood. In three short years the Tepehua Centro Comunitario has evolved into a vibrant hub of activity where needy children and adults congregate to receive a helping hand in dealing with the full gamut of troubling family issues and most importantly, gain the practical skills and self-respect needed to overcome the oppressive cycle of poverty and despair.
The down-at-heel barrio of Tepehua is situated on the hillside overlooking downtown Chapala. It is a place where inferior housing, poor sanitation, drug and alcohol abuse, domestic violence and petty crime are common denominators of everyday life. But in the midst of this grim landscape, the Tepehua Center stands out as a shining beacon of hope. The exterior – splashed with brightly colored design motifs – aptly symbolizes the rainbow of worthy programs and services going on behind the walls.
“We started out as an offshoot of the Love in Action refuge for homeless children, with the idea opening a shelter for boys who had outgrown that facility,” explains Tepehua non-profit association president Moonyeen King. A private donor coughed up funds to acquire a 99-year lease on the derelict building. With support from Rotarians, the center’s kitchen was fully refurbished and equipped.
“After setting up the Friday soup kitchen, we began to recognize the neighborhood’s multiple problems and demands,” King recalls. “We discovered that most women had little or no access to health care, family counseling and work opportunities. Many children weren’t attending school because of academic deficiencies or inadequate family finances. Each of our programs seemed to mushroom all on their own into something wonderful.”
Free meals are still dispensed every Friday. But the Tepehua center also encompasses a health clinic that includes consultations in general medicine, reproductive health and dental care; an education program that offers remedial classes for kids and vocational training for adults, and a wide range of recreational and sports activities that help youngsters build self-esteem and appreciate teamwork as it keeps them off the street where delinquency and other trouble brews.
The center relies on a large team of expatriate volunteers who coordinate and assist in day-to-day activities. But grown-ups who take advantage of its services are actively encouraged to put their own time and energy into the project. They are rewarded with vouchers that can be exchanged for used clothing and household goods found on the racks of the on-site thrift shop, not to mention a sense of pride, accomplishment and ownership.
Based on the premise of the mission statement slogan, “Helping a village to help itself,” King notes that the ultimate goal is to turn management and operations over to the people of Tepehua.
The center’s sewing workshop is an excellent example of how it fosters self-reliance. A workroom was equipped with sewing machines and a supply of fabrics, notions and tools brought in by donations. Volunteers teach classes in sewing techniques that give women the skills needed to make clothing for their families, as well as school uniforms, outfits and craft items they can sell to relatives, neighbors and the public.
Other vocational programs contemplated for the future include training for nursing aids, hairdressers, carpenters, dental hygiene assistants, cooks and restaurant personnel.
Another emerging project called Rotary Foundations of Hope – aimed at providing poor families with dignified housing – closely mirrors the Habitat for Humanity program. Building materials will be supplied through donations while the men of Tepehua take charge of the labor. Each household that receives the benefit will in turn help the next one, thereby forming a team that pulls together in taking care of the community at large.
The center is sustained by internal fundraising efforts that include the Tepehua Treasures thrift store-consignment shop located on the highway in Riberas del Pilar and occasional special events, as well as financial support that has come from private individuals and philanthropic organizations such as Rotary International, Lakeside Presbyterian Church, the recently disbanded Pasos Milagrosos equine therapy non-profit and other local groups.
Visitors and prospective volunteers are always welcome at the Tepehua Center, located at Calle Ramon Chavez 16. To get there, drive up the hill from the Chapala bus station at Madero and Miguel Martinez, bear center-right onto La Vista-Chapalac where the street forks off at the top of the hill, turn right at the fourth corner and head straight on Ramon Chavez to the unmistakable Tepehua landmark.
For further information visit www.tepehua.org, follow the center on Facebook or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Lunch to benefit Tepehua Center
American Legion Post Nine is joining forces with the Tepehua Community Center for a benefit luncheon to be held Saturday, November 16, 1 to 5 p.m. at the Center Tepehua, Calle Ramon Chavez.
The center’s culinary class will serve a gourmet menu offering starters of peanuts, spinach dip and artichokes, and a main dish choice of beef tenderloin medallions with wild mushroom and red onion wine sauce and carrot coins or roasted pork loin with homemade apple chutney and braised red cabbage. Both platters are accompanied by a Caesar salad, rice pilaf side dish and dessert. An all vegetarian meal is available upon advance request.
Tickets, priced at 200 pesos per person, may be obtained at Tepehua Treasures, two doors from Cafe Magaña in Riberas del Pilar, or by contacting Moonie and Perry King, 763-5126; Susan Netherton, 766-3118; Pat Mutter, 765-7494, Don Lott, 766-2521 or Vince Britten, cel. 331-358-8944.