Children with disabilities by the Pacific

In 1964 John Huston chose a small fishing town on a bay on the Pacific Coast of Mexico as the location for The Night of the Iguana. The film’s male star, Richard Burton, rented a villa in nearby Puerto Vallarta, and another across the street for his lover, Elizabeth Taylor. Their affair made Puerto Vallarta an immediate international tourist destination: nowadays the town is just one of a

Sunset at Puerto Vallarta

succession of resorts around the Bahía de las Banderas (Bay of Flags). Dependably warm weather, a spectacular landscape and beautiful sunsets bring large numbers of American and Canadian tourists, escaping their frozen winters.

Tourism is one of Mexico’s main industries. It attracts wealth and provides employment, some of it seasonal or insecure, and much of it poorly paid. Nevertheless, tourist dollars attract workers from rural Mexico where employment opportunities can be very scarce indeed. During our visit our son David, who has an artist’s eye for well-crafted work, bought a cockerel made from recycled clothing from a man from Oaxaca, far to the south. His family sews the animals and he sells them to the tourists.

Tourist dollars, then, attract families, some of whom have children with special needs, for whom

The home of one of the Pasitos families

care facilities are scarce and, in any case, beyond the means of their parents. We came to Puerto Vallarta, partly to enjoy a few days of Mexican food and hospitality, but mostly because our eldest son, Chris, is moving here to work for a charity called Pasitos de Luz (“Little Steps of Light”). Chris worked at Pasitos as a volunteer six years ago and has been asked back to assist with communication and fund-raising, and to join the board.

Pasitos' old building

I visited Pasitos in January 2013. The charity was then based in a cramped building in an urban setting. The children could not go outside and lack of space limited the number of children cared for and the therapies offered. Fortunately, a Canadian couple raised sufficient money to construct a new building in a rural setting, which has now been in operation for two years. Pasitos can now care for 50 children, instead of the previous limit of 35, and offers therapy sessions to additional individual children in its former facility.

The needs of the children cared for at Pasitos are extraordinarily varied. Some suffer from considerable physical disabilities and would be confined permanently to wheelchairs if it were not for the physiotherapy and other activities provided by Pasitos. Others have learning disabilities and participate in classes designed to teach basic literacy and life skills. One parent told me that his daughter has speech impediments. Her state school told him that it could not provide support for her and that her parents would have to pay for private education to access support. They simply cannot afford that. Their daughter has attended Pasitos and her speech has improved considerably.

 

A music therapy session

Pasitos' new building

The new building was designed so as not to look like a hospital or institution. Above all, it has space and facilities much superior to the cramped spaces of the former centre. There are spacious classrooms for arts and crafts, basic literacy and numeracy, and some science. Another room is set up for teaching life skills and participation in family activities (making a bed, cleaning a room, going shopping). The children now have space for movement, singing and dancing. There is a dedicated room to teach personal grooming and cleanliness: one little girl delights in combing the hair of other children. A large, bright and airy room provides a pleasant environment for physiotherapy.

The kitchen and dining room are spacious and cheery. There is an area for brushing teeth after

Lunch is served

breakfast. Another area is equipped with new cots for a comfortable Mexican siesta. But perhaps above all, the children can experience things that were inconceivable in the former building. In the garden is a modern version of a prehispanic temazcal (sweat bath), in which children can relax under close supervision and participate in recreations of prehispanic rituals. They are then taken indoors to jacuzzis to allow their body temperature to reduce gradually. There are plans for an orchard and equine therapy.

We visited the new facility on the day of the party for national children’s’ day. A payaso (clown) showed the children magic tricks and led them in a dance around the front of the building. It was heart-warming to witness the smiles, laughter and

The party on Children's Day

loud clapping. The show was followed by piñatas. Children who needed support to strike the piñata had the first turns, followed by smaller boys and girls who displayed near murderous intent as they whacked away with the stick. After two piñatas had been thoroughly destroyed the dining room furniture was moved outside for al fresco dining: an experience that the children could not enjoy in their cramped urban neighbourhoods. The more mobile children played in a bouncy castle, despite the heat. During the festivities, a tall 16-year old boy hurried over to greet Chris: he told me that our son had taken him to the cinema for the first time, an experience he recalls with great smiles.

 

How to destroy a piñata

In round numbers it costs £10,000/US $14,000/Canadian $18,000 per month to pay the staff who care for the children at Pasitos. In British/American/Canadian terms this is not a lot of money, but in Mexican Puerto Vallarta it is a considerable sum. The charity has ambitions to provide more medical care and physiotherapy, and to become less dependent on volunteers and students. But such care needs people and more money.

One-year old Mia has Downs Syndrome

Imagine a single mother who lives on the breadline trying to take care of a little girl with cerebral palsy while supporting three other children. Then imagine that this whole family lives in a single room constructed from corrugated iron and cardboard. Pasitos enables this family to survive and provides a safe, pleasant and caring environment for the little girl, and experiences to make her smile.

Chris is moving to Puerto Vallarta to help Pasitos meet more needs. His family will support his work. If any of our friends and family feel moved to make a donation, you can contact Chris at: info@pasitosdeluz.org.