The Jalisco Family Development Agency (DIF) has so far collected 37.7 tons of food and clothing to be delivered by truck to the drought-plagued Tarahumara indigenous people of northern Mexico.
The supplies include rice, beans, canned food, bottled water and 12,000 items of clothing. The Jalisco DIF is coordinating with its Chihuahua counterpart to determine how best to deliver the aid.
“We will continue gathering aid for our brothers in the Sierra Tarahumara and also for our brothers in Jalisco, because the drought has been very strong and we need to support those in the north,” said Imelda Guzman, president of the DIF state volunteers.
Overseeing the delivery of aid to Tarahumara communities in Balleza, Chihuahua and Ahome, Sinaloa last week, President Felipe Calderon said, “Today, the inhabitants of the Sierra Tarahumara, like many rural and marginalized communities in the country, need the help of all Mexicans to cope with a drought, an extraordinary drought, the worst on record that our country has experienced.”
“I also urge all families who wish to do so, to give their donations to the collection centers,” Calderon added. “Each can of food, each bottle of water, each packet of paper, sanitary towel … each box of medicine, is a humanitarian gesture that the Tarahumara people and the people of the affected towns will never forget.”
The DIF collection in Guadalajara continues everyday at Avenida Alcalde 1220 (La Normal Glorieta), in the Miraflores neighborhood from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Other DIF offices around the state, including Chapala, are also receiving donations.