Annual financial budgets, approved by the Board, are allocated to various causes.
We have strong personal and financial connections with those we help:
Requests made by groups or organizations:
If these criteria are not being met, a decision by the committee is made to discontinue funding.
IFC has been operation in Puerto Vallarta since 1985. We have taken over 50,000 passengers on the Home Tours. We have dispersed millions of pesos to help thousands of Mexicans with their health, education and culture. It happened because the management of IFC knows that “if we watch the pennies, the pounds will look after themselves.”
What would your life be like if your child couldn’t smile? Or couldn’t eat? That’s what happens to children born with a cleft palate or cleft lip. No smiles!
Infants born with a cleft palate or cleft lip can be faced with a cascade of possible problems that further impede their development. They can develop middle ear infections, hearing loss, and loss of their ability to speak.
If cleft palates and cleft lips are not treated, children affected may also face a severe impact on their self-esteem, social skills and behavior as they grow into teenagers.
Since 1985 IFC has been providing solutions to such children and their families. It was then that we began offering free assessments, surgeries and follow-up treatments to children from poor families.
Three or four times a year, a team of caring, compassionate medical personnel fly from Guadalajara to Puerto Vallarta. They donate their time, and CMQ Hospital donates its operating theatre, but the travel costs and the medical supplies must all be paid for by IFC. We co-ordinate everything.
Nearly 900 surgeries later, we can look back on the success of enabling those children and their families to smile again.
To help reduce someone’s chronic pain, please
“Children with special needs aren’t sent to special parents; they make parents special.”
Pasitos de Luz is a registered, non-profit organization founded by mothers of children with special needs to achieve their therapeutic, psychological, nutritional, educational and basic needs.
The organization provides a lifeline to approximately 130 families, and it has a goal of reaching 200 families.
The children suffer from acute physical and psychological disabilities. Pasitos offers a wide range of services, at no charge, including physical therapy, hydrotherapy, psychological care, nutrition and wellness, education programs.
Approximately one-third of the Pasitos de Luz staff are mothers of the children. This creates a win-win partnership where the children get needed services
and the mothers earn money for necessities, working as cook’s assistants, nannies, cleaners and laundry workers.
From Cesar´s mother – “The changes in him have been truly incredible. As a family, we have also benefited enormously from the support provided by Pasitos, as we begin to properly understand the needs of our son.”
These families of children with special needs really need your help. Please
“Broken crayons still color.” These children just don’t give up!
Alanna was born in 2016. She has acute lymphoblastic leukaemia. It affects the white blood cells and limits her body to fight disease. Her father does not make enough money to pay for Alanna and her mom to travel to the hospital in Guadalajara for the treatment she needs or for her special diet.
Monse lost her eyesight to cancer when she was a baby. Now she is a lively teenager, attending the University of Guadalajara’s campus in Puerto Vallarta and studying to be a teacher. She also competes in Mexico’s Special Olympics in swimming and track. AFCC recently provided her with two new prostheses for her eyes.
Regina was born in 2014 and is a twin. She has a malignant brain tumour that is too close to the brain to operate. She and her mom will need to travel to Guadalajara twice a month for the next five years. Five years! Treatment costs are $7000 pesos/month.
AFCC provides travel support and monthly despensas of food, supplements and diapers, for more than 20 families each month.
These families of children with cancer need your help. Please
Angels en Libertad provides dental cleaning, therapeutic pedicures, haircuts and health checks to people in outlying communities surrounding Puerto Vallarta. Centred in Las Juntas, they have a van that allows them to take their team where help is most needed. In addition to healthcare services this group provides despensas and health education programs.
Bennu was an ancient Egyptian symbol for rebirth.
What an appropriate name for a group of women helping other women to have a second chance after being diagnosed with breast cancer.
Bennu needs special bras, pressure sleeves, prosthetic devices, scarves and wigs. Because their clients are poor, they can’t afford to have reconstructive surgery. Bennu also covers transportation costs for treatments in Guadalajara and provides despensas for families of cancer patients.
Bennu needs our support and we can help. After all, everyone knows someone who has had breast cancer.
What do Steve Jobs, John Lennon and Malcolm X have in common?
They were all orphans. They clearly reached their potential.
In Puerto Vallarta, there is a tremendous need and obligation for all of us to help improve the lives of orphaned, abandoned, and abused children. It takes a village to raise a child.
Many children from impoverished, dysfunctional families end up on the streets of Puerto Vallarta. A few of them are lucky enough to be cared for by the Casa Hogar Maximo Cornejo.
This children’s shelter was founded in 1993 and has seen hundreds of children rescued, loved, educated and graduate to an adult world.
Some children come from local authorities and some from the Department of Social Services (D.I.F.). Occasionally their parents ask the shelter to care for their children until a critical situation at home can be resolved.
The shelter supports 55 children, from infants to teenagers. They are cared for by dedicated permanent staff and volunteers and supported by funds from sponsors and donors like I.F.C.
Please help an abandoned child reach their potential.
RISE was founded in 2001 and has been home to hundreds of children since then.
The professional, dedicated staff and volunteers provide love, shelter, food and education for each child who would, otherwise, be living on the streets.
Children and infants come to RISE from local social services agencies, DIF (the Mexican social services department), and families experiencing a crisis at home.
RISE ensures that each girl and boy receives a good academic and spiritual education.
RISE can provide a home for as many as 50 children.
Most operating funds come from donations by Americans and Canadians. DIF pays for emergency medical care.The president is Padre Luis Alcarez. They are supported by a board of directors and seven committees.
“Vallarta Abuelos” is a nonprofit centre for needy families in the Col. 5 de Diciembre just north of downtown.
In 2019 Anne Marie Weiss formed the “Vallarta Grandparents” to offer educational and cultural support to at-risk children. Their programs include:
The International Friendship Club (IFC) is pleased to support Vallarta Abuelos and proud that Anne Marie is a Director of the club.
If you believe in supporting our community through Vallarta Abuelos, please.
Dives en Misercordia is a program to promote indigent women by providing day care and skills training, including classes in English, sewing, hair styling, make-up and jelly. Dives cares for up to 27 children, mostly 5-10 years old, Monday through Saturday, 7am-6pm. Child care allows the mostly single moms to work while having their children in a safe environment that fosters respect, values, morals and provides care for many hours during the day and evening. Children are escorted to a local school and given meals and snacks throughout the day. The facility is a large enclosed, safe environment with plenty of space to run outside and just be kids. IFC Monies are used for purchase of food. Fruits vegetables and meat chicken to add nutrition to the kids meals.
In the area of P.V. known as Volcanes, family income is lower than most other parts of the city. Unlike other districts, Volcanes has VKEP.
In Mexico, only four out of ten kids finish high school.
The purpose of VKEP is to get kids “to go to school and stay in school.” And it’s working!!
Now, VKEP students are finishing their education and returning to Volcanes as leaders and pillars of the community.
Community service is a fundamental part of VKEP’s educational philosophy. All students benefitting from the classes must help run the school. All of it – classrooms, gardens and bathrooms – is cleaned by students and/or their parents. Everyone is a team player!
To help a child “go to school and stay in school,” please
The Wixárika Scholarship Fund (WSF) gives awards to university students from Jalisco’s largest Indigenous group, the Wixárika. The scholarships assist students to overcome the many barriers they face and complete their undergraduate university studies. In 2021/22, the fund provided financial assistance to twenty students.
Each summer, the WSF must turn down fully qualified applicants because of a lack of funds. A scholarship for one student for a year is $7,000 pesos, about $350 USD. Since the program started in 2018/19, we have celebrated eight graduations and expect ten more in 2022.
Financial commitment to the students is a serious responsibility. When the WSF commits to funding a new student, it supports them until their undergraduate program is completed. A recent WSF graduate, Isais (forestry), conveyed the spirit of the program when he said this: “In the future when I get a chance to be a donor, I will gladly make my contribution. This is how we change the world to make a better society of good people.” If you would like to change the life of one person, and an entire community, please…
Significance of a Dedicated School for Underprivileged Girls
1. Equal Opportunities: Ensures quality education, narrowing disparities and fostering inclusivity.
2. Breaking Poverty: Empowers girls to rise above limitations, using education as a ladder out of poverty.
3. Empowerment: Equips girls with knowledge for informed choices, nurturing self-reliance and confidence.
4. Gender Equality: Acts as a catalyst for balanced growth, enabling girls to access opportunities on par with boys.
5. Community Impact: Educated girls become agents of positive change, driving improvements in health, economy, and social progress within their communities.
The Mi Museo Program in the Education Section of ARTe VallARTa Museo is dedicated to expanding knowledge of the arts within the communities of Puerto Vallarta. The purpose of the museum is to collect, preserve, interpret, and display objects of artistic, cultural significance and to provide arts education for the Vallarta community. Mi Museo is a pilot program of the Education section of the museum to support bringing art into the local standard curriculum of kindergarten children with developmentally centered organized museum activities that are aligned with the standardized curriculum for these grades. This pilot program focuses on the beginning year of schooling to offer a foundation of art-based learning for the children. Exploring the museum through organized activities that connect to the standardized curriculum offers the kindergarten children the ability to develop and engage actively in the process of acquiring knowledge and to express thoughts and creativity. Effective use of the museum through the Mi Museo program can lead to multifaceted learning, development of critical thinking skills and acquisition of lifelong learning skills of the 21st century.
For several years, Free English classes have been offered by IFC volunteers to Mexican children and adults of limited financial means.
CURRENTLY WE ARE SEEKING A NEW DIRECTOR FOR THIS EXTRAORDINARY PROGRAM.
The program serves local residents between the ages of 8 and 63.
Some teachers have ESL certificates. Many are retired teachers.
Methods of learning vary:
Students have included:
Hilda and her daughter Ana. Hilda has a catering business and needs to improve her English to get more English-speaking clients. Ana is a high school student whose ambition is to become a teacher of languages.
Erika is a receptionist. She and her two daughters ride the bus for over an hour from their home to classes. All three are in separate groups, but all enjoy the chance to improve their vocabulary, pronunciation, and the challenges of English grammar.
We applaud the volunteers and the students!
WINGS – SCHOOL OF SONG
“Music gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and charm and gaiety to life and to everything.” Plato
ALAS provides a safe space for children and young people, where they take refuge in music and dance, not in drugs and alcohol.
Participants learn singing, vocalization, dance, body expression, musical theatre, rhythm, coordination, cooperation and teamwork.
Their teacher and the inspiration behind ALAS is Kharla Barragan, a professional musician with a degree in Communication Sciences. For 12 years, Kharla has been helping people with addictions to drugs, alcohol and those with emotional problems.
Fees – 50% of students pay for their classes, and the other 50% are in the scholarship program.
Groups of students:
“I see ALAS as a school full of happy children, youth and adults, singing, dancing, doing shows and learn about family, values, love for others, respect and equality.” – Kharla’s words.
There is a critical need in Puerto Vallarta for young people and children to be able to express themselves and heal their emotions. ALAS helps meet that need.
If you would like to help a troubled child or young adult, please
“Music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be silent.” Victor Hugo
Five programs :
I.A.M.P.V. depends on donors and supporters to achieve its goal of bringing music to the youth of P.V.
Support needed for:
If you can bring an instrument with you from Canada or the U.S.A. to P.V. from home, it would be appreciated. Sometimes it is cheaper to repair an old instrument than to buy a new one.
Performers welcome:
It is a community orchestra. If you would like to perform with this group, please contact the director at daniel@IAMPV.org.
To help children and adults enjoy music in P.V., please
The Los Mangos Library is the only public library in Puerto Vallarta. In addition to books in Spanish, English and braille (donated in 2023 by the IFC), the library offers a variety of classes and workshops.
Victoria V was six months old when she entered our Cleft Palate Programme. She had to be fed with a syringe, because a section of her upper lip was missing so she couldn’t nurse. She also had difficulty breathing and suffered many ear infections.
When Dr. Fuentes performed the surgery to close her upper lip, he literally saved her life. Since then, she’s had three more surgeries with our Clinics, and a fourth with dentist Dra. Luz. Who saw her regularly until Victoria was nine years old. You can see what a difference the first surgery made!
Now Victoria is a happy, active twelve-year-old. She’s in her last year of Primary school. Dancing hip-hop is her passion, but she also enjoys playing video games with her friends, exercising, cooking, and helping around the house. She has an eight-year-old brother, Alejandro, who has never needed our Clinics.
Victoria’s surgeries are not over yet. There are three more pending when she’s fourteen, fifteen and sixteen years old. Currently she has braces to widen a gap so that a bone can be inserted into her mouth, and then she needs a surgery on her tongue and her nose.
Victoria’s mother, Marijose, is a nursery-school teacher, but she is also studying to become a speech therapist, and when she graduates, she wants to volunteer with our Clinics. She is so grateful for our help, not only for the surgeries and dental work, but also for Kiriam, the speech therapist that we recommended. Kiriam’s fees are a fraction of other therapists’, and the children respond well to her because she engages them with games and teaches with love.
Marijose says that without our Clinics, she and her husband could never have afforded the surgeries and subsequent therapies. If it hadn’t been for Pastor Miguel Angel, who told her about our Clinics, Victoria would have died. That’s why she and Victoria agreed to share their story about how our Clinics saved them. They truly are the faces of love.
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