I am frequently asked how in the world a farmer’s wife from Buckeye, Arizona ended up founding a non-profit serving kids in need in Mexico. Quite honestly, I often find it hard to believe that I have spent the last nine years of my life traveling back and forth from my home in Arizona to lead a non-profit organization in a country that it not my own. Without a doubt this is the most challenging work I have ever done, and the learning curve has often been steep. However, it is also, by far, the most rewarding work of my life. The people I have met and friendships I have made – from my amazing local team and the families we serve to our incredibly generous supporters on both sides of the border – have made every difficult moment worth it.

Recently I was interviewed and asked to share how Educarte started, how it has evolved and future plans.  Although some of you are familiar with the story, many are not and so this month I thought I would share it with all you.

ABOUT EDUCARTE

From their first visit in the early 1990’s, Arizona residents Arnott and Kathleen Duncan fell in love with Puerto Peñasco, Mexico. Like many American tourists who visit this community located just an hour drive south of the Arizona border, the Duncans and their two sons enjoyed the beaches, sunsets, seafood and desert landscapes. Mostly, however, they fell in love with the people. Although they were very busy running their several thousand-acre organic farming operation in Goodyear, Arizona (www.DuncanFamilyFarms.com), in 2015 Arnott and Kathleen decided that they wanted to give back to this community that they had grown to love so much.

Because Kathleen has her Master’s Degree in Psychology and had worked with children her entire career, the Duncans decided to focus their efforts on improving the lives of vulnerable young people in the community. In 2015 they formed the Mexican non-profit organization Asistencia Integral para Menores de Puerto Peñasco, A.C.which has become known on both sides of the border as Educarte.

In August of 2016 Educarte began by providing 72 young people in the community with a variety of essential support they needed to be able to go to school and succeed inside and outside the classroom. Over the next six years, Educarte grew to providing more than 950 local young people with a path out of poverty through education.

As Educarte’s program evolved, Kathleen and her local team discovered a tragic lack of services for children with disabilities in Puerto Peñasco. Realizing that these were the most under-served and vulnerable children in the community, they decided that this is where Educarte would focus its efforts moving forward. In January of 2021 Educarte opened a multidisciplinary therapy clinic serving children with disabilities called ‘Centro de Atencion y Terapia Integral’ (C.A.T.I.). The clinic provides local disabled children with the consistent occupational, physical and speech therapy they need to reach their potential and participate fully in life.

Soon after C.A.T.I. opened, Kathleen discovered that most of the young people receiving therapies at the clinic were not attending school. As someone with a background in special education in Arizona, she was surprised to learn that, unlike in the United States, public schools in Mexico are not required to serve children with disabilities. Sadly, in Puerto Peñasco, public schools cannot accommodate most students with special needs, leaving many of these children spending their days at home, isolated from their peers and with no opportunity to learn important academic and life skills.

Once again, Kathleen and her team decided to act. In the Spring of 2023, the Educarte team launched a small special education program called ‘Mi Escuelita’. This pilot project consisted of only one classroom serving a group of 12 students with special needs. Although the Educarte team hoped to expand their special education program, they lacked the funds and experience to do be able to do so. Fortunately, in early 2024, the founder of Victory Schools in Arizona decided to partner with Educarte to support the local team’s efforts to open the first ever private special education school in Puerto Peñasco.

As the founders of Educarte, Arnott and Kathleen remain actively involved in its operation. However, they are committed to empowering their non-profit’s local team to ensure that Educarte is a sustainable organization that can continue supporting the most vulnerable children in this community long after they are gone.

To make a tax-deductible donation to support Educarte’s efforts to support this community’s most vulnerable young people go to WWW.AmigosEducarte.org

MIL GRACIAS!