Communities decide their own path

By Minerva Zamora, Program Coordinator at Comunalia. 

A few days ago, we visited five community foundations in the Alliance to learn about the projects in the second phase of the Active Communities Fund and to hear their reflections on how their understanding of grassroots development has evolved, as well as on clear processes for community participation and proactive collaboration among local groups.

For Comunalia, it is essential to promote community philanthropy with an emphasis on grassroots development, to listen to the voices of community members, to strengthen existing capacities, and to mobilize financial and non-financial resources so that together we can take action to address common challenges.

Our tour, accompanied by Azucena Díaz of the Inter-American Foundation’s Local Liaison and Support Service in Mexico, began in the south and concluded in the center of the country, to see firsthand the progress made by community foundations, grassroots groups, and civil society organizations as part of Phase Two of the Active Communities Fund.

Friends of San Cristóbal, Chiapas
In San Juan Cancuc, Chiapas, we learned about the Community Response for Water Conservation project, which is supported by Sociedad para el Impulso Productivo y Empresarial AC. As part of phase two of Comunidades Activas, 20 families received water purification filters to promote health and access to clean water. The initiative has fostered a strong community network for decision-making; to date, 100 families are actively involved in an organized manner, making decisions and managing other projects.

Cozumel Foundation, Quintana Roo
On the island of Cozumel, we met three members of the microentrepreneur network who have joined the Fortalecimiento e Innovación AC initiative, which was launched during the first phase of Comunidades Activas. The group has solidified its foundation and is in the process of formalizing its structure to organize itself and incorporate new members; the local network has not only become more professional but has also developed its own identity. We also spoke with the coordinators of the Regenerative Reboot program at Kala Network SC—another project within the Active Communities fund in partnership with the Cozumel Foundation—who are creating a digital platform to build internal capacity and marketing skills among women microentrepreneurs.

Oaxaca Community Foundation, Oaxaca
As part of the Oaxaca Community Foundation’s “De Mi Región” program, we visited three collectives—the Central Valleys Amaranth Network, the Suchilquitongo Community Development Association, and Origen Zapoteca—whose members have strengthened their technical capacities for the production and sale of their regional and artisanal products. As part of “De Mi Región,” they have participated in participatory processes to assess their needs for growth as collectives, identifying specific challenges and opportunities to provide targeted support.

Corporativa de Fundaciones, Jalisco
In Jalisco, through Corporativa de Fundaciones, we learned about the project “Co-designing a Better Future” to address the issue of inequality among people in the context of COVID-19 in seventeen neighborhoods in the municipalities of Tonalá and Tlaquepaque. This initiative by MAYAMA AC contributes solutions to issues of gender equality and access to education through the direct participation of families. Meanwhile, the project “Continuity in Comprehensive Training for Rural Women to Improve Their Quality of Life and Family Economy,” run by Centro Pro México, offers training workshops in cooking, embroidery, and handicrafts, taking a comprehensive approach to support rural women with the goal of improving their quality of life and family economy.

Sonora Entrepreneurship Foundation AC, Sonora
In Ciudad Obregón, we visited Mujeres Integrando AC and its “Construyendo Camino para la Hospitalidad” project, which offers workshops on sewing, cooking, and vegetable gardening while fostering the integration of migrants—primarily women—into the community; this initiative raises awareness about the challenges faced by migrants and promotes deeper integration into their communities. We also learned about the “Los Niños del Cerro” initiative, which uses dance and art to foster leadership among vulnerable children while promoting community cohesion.

The goal of Phase Two of the Active Communities Fund is to promote grassroots development through a dynamic, gradual, organic, and collaborative process that helps realign local structures and roles, placing the community at the center of solutions to local issues and fostering horizontal collaborations and leadership within their territories.

This journey has been enriching because, beyond discussing progress through cold, hard numbers—which, while useful for monitoring progress, also reveal the power and non-financial resources that communities in Mexico have to organize themselves, decide their own path, and envision development that benefits people.

Photos of Minerva Zamora on one of the tours with Amigos de San Cristóbal Chiapas.