What's New in Compassion Beyond Borders?            

Mexico

Compassion Beyond Borders is funding new non-violence training for mothers living in the former garbage dumps of Juarez, Mexico. Women in this training will learn how to stand up to the violence they experience, without incorporating it into their own lives. Violence is so prevalent in the families of these women that they are barely aware of it--it's just normal.

As a result, mothers not only willingly accept the violence that comes from their husbands, they then treat their own children with violence, without even being aware of what they are doing. The training being given to these women will help them to realize that none of this is necessary, thereby breaking the cycle of violence so commonly perpetuated in garbage dump families.

ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE

CBB's scholarships in Guatemala are given only to very poor Mayan girls. Although we might expect such underprivileged girls to struggle in school, in fact, many of them are outstanding.

Melanie--fifth grade and Gabriela--second grade, were princesses of their classes, marks of all-around excellence. Kimberly--fourth grade, Karina--seventh grade, and Jennifer--third grade, were each the best student in their class. Gabriela--ninth grade, was class president in a school containing some of the highest income students in her city. Yessica--second grade--won a city-wide mathematics competition of students from private schools, and Denisses--sixth grade--like several other CBB students, has been a drum majorette, an honor for only the best students, and this was her school's lead majorette.

Teachers explained that for a very poor girl simply to go to school was such a privilege that they outperformed their classmates from average and above-average income homes. Most of CBB's girls have mothers who are illiterate. Rather than putting a girl at a disadvantaged, this circumstance inspires their daughters to high levels of achievement.

So, is this excellence achieved only in Guatemala, or is this happening with CBB girls around the world? Aside from all of CBB's girls in Guatemala being Mayan, there is reason to consider them as being different from girls elsewhere in the world.