2016
B U I L D I N G
true bonds
annualreport
peers
CASA Peer Counselor Program Returns
to its Reproductive Justice Roots in 2016
Bonds. They form for many reasons and at all
stages of life – parent and child, teacher and student,
mentor and mentee, counselor and friend. The people
and programs of CASA celebrate another year of building
true bonds that grow from empathy, action and progress.
We hope the stories in this annual report strenthen our
vital connection with you.
Local Junior High Schools Benefit from CASA Youth Promotor Program
CASA’s Youth Promoter model places at-risk youth in leadership positions to help themselves by serving
others. These promoters are trained in different areas and then apply their knowledge and skills in schools
and other institutions, private homes, and on the streets—literally! They use a variety of disciplines
such as art, theater, radio, participatory workshops, health fairs and public awareness campaigns
to spread their knowledge.
During 2016 several CASA Youth Promoter teams crisscrossed the centrally located and conservative state of
Guanajuato, Mexico. They knocked on 2,405 doors of individual homes and reached thousands of students,
parents and teachers through their programs in 31 schools. They worked intensely in 14 underserved rural
villages, some as small as 188 inhabitants, and others with an overall population of 3,000. They also labored with
love in four working-class “colonias” or neighborhoods in the city of San Miguel de Allende, reaching another
10,000 youth. In 2017, plans are to continue in these four localities, chosen because of the mounting violence that
particularly affects the young male population.
This year we highlight . . .
Peer Counselor Program
Ranchero Pandillero Program
Childhood Development Center
Midwifery Program
Austin CASA Gathering
Looking Ahead
Our Partners
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A team of professionals, primarily psychologists and social
workers, always backs up the CASA Youth Promoter team.
In 2016 this professional team provided counseling to 149
people, maintained a 24-hour hotline and provided shelter
and related services to four women and five children in a
safe house. In addition, the two full-time psychologists at
CASA gave 19 presentations to a total of 487 people about
timely topics such as bullying, human rights and domestic
violence. These psychologists also worked in rural villages
with mixed populations and reached hundreds through 16
nine-hour-long courses about common social problems that
are negatively affecting the quality of life across all ages.
During 2016, the multiple youth promoter teams and psychologists also worked with three external evaluators
that conducted an exhaustive and in-depth evaluation of the youth programs. The evaluators issued their
final, written evaluation in August 2016. The CASA board quickly acted on two major recommendations: (1) to
consolidate the different youth promoter teams, (2) to refocus on reproductive justice for teens with more sex
education programs in junior and senior high schools and increased distribution of free family planning methods.
On the Cover:
At their CASA Hospital birth, proud father José Juan Noria Ramírez (22)
bonds with his baby, Jaziel Emanuel Soria Zúñiga. Her mother is
Marisol Zuñiga Martínez (20).
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CASA Peer Counselor (Continued from page 3)
In September 2016 Ana Maria Peña, CASA veteran, took over the coordination of the CASA Youth Promotor
Programs. Ana shares:
“It has been my great honor and privilege to work at CASA since
1989 in multiple capacities. I am thrilled to be working out in the
field again with a consolidated youth team that is focusing on
reproductive justice and empowerment. I feel that I am a perfect
example of how CASA empowers young women.”
Ana Maria is one of many at CASA that has ample experience in sex education and working with teenagers. She
and her team finished the 2016 work year providing sex education to 1,800 students of the Fuego Nuevo junior
high school in San Miguel de Allende. Already in 2017, the CASA team has returned to this school to continue this
desperately needed service.
intervention
Addressing Extreme Poverty and
Gang Violence Through the New
Ranchero Pandillero Program
Many consider insecurity to be Mexico’s most urgent problem. In 2015, the state of Guanajuato ranked third in
levels of homicides. In San Miguel de Allende, violence is on the upswing in urban neighborhoods, where many
gang members live, as well as in rural communities surrounding the city.
Group Violence Intervention (GVI) is a proven strategy that applies a focused deterrence approach to ganginvolved violence by mobilizing a diverse group of law enforcement, social services and community stakeholders.
This group identifies and directly engages with a small number of people actively involved in gangs to clearly
communicate a credible moral message against violence, to give prior notice of the consequences of violence,
and to provide a genuine offer of help for those who want it.
Isael Gonzalez Goodman recently
joined CASA as Coordinator of the
Ranchero Pandillero Program and is
employing the GVI strategy in Mexico
for the first time. Prior to joining CASA, Isael worked
Ana, like so many of us, is concerned about the ongoing and perhaps increasing violence against women as well
as the enduring high rates of teen pregnancies.
“The impact of CASA´s work is evident; for example, an analysis of
collected data shows thousands of sexually active young people,
aged 12 to 25, use free birth control from CASA and are avoiding
unplanned pregnancies in their teens and early 20s. Nonetheless,
we must acknowledge that still today one third of pregnancies
in Latin America involve mothers under 18 years of age and in 20
percent of these cases, the moms are younger than 16. Mexico
has one of the highest teen pregnancy rates in Latin American
and worldwide. It is obvious that many young women remain
disempowered and we also need to invest more in young men!” n
with the National Network for Safe Communities under the
direction of David Kennedy, the founder of GVI, and helped
cities across the United States implement the strategy.
Vicente Yazbek on the left is giving free instruction to members
of the Ranchero Pandillero team on how to prepare good compost.
Together with partnering organizations such as APOYO, CASA has begun to extend multiple opportunities to
young people involved in gangs, including: individual therapy sessions, support groups, mentorship programs,
workshops in business management and personal development, cultural workshops, English and computer
classes, yoga classes, and courses to continue and complete their high school education. Temporary employment
is being offered to gang members on organic farms and with local producers in rural communities that are in the
process of forming a collective. In 2017, CASA will help organize this collective as a means to alleviate extreme
poverty and promote an environmentally sustainable local economy. n
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pre-school
Progressive, Secure Leaders Help
Infants and Pre-school Children Thrive at
CASA Early Childhood Development Center
From a Small School to a National Model:
Mexico is on the Map Improving
Reproductive Health
Some 20 years ago, Rocio Bautista was a young woman
with a new college degree in early childhood development.
She already had teaching experience and really wanted to
be the director of a day care center, but was having a hard
time getting her “dream job” due to lack of experience.
CASA gave Rocio a chance, and she performed beautifully
as director for more than ten years.
Since CASA opened Mexico´s first government-accredited midwifery school in 1997, women’s access to the
professional midwifery model of care has expanded significantly and educational options for those interested in
becoming licensed professional midwives have greatly increased. Significant events and specific achievements include:
Ambitious Rocio then announced that she wanted to try
the public sector and was successful anew, serving as the
director of the largest, government day care center in San
Miguel de Allende for ten years.
In 2016 CASA began a search for a new director of its
Early Childhood Center that serves between 160 and 200
families a year. Simultaneously the CASA Human Resource
Department began to hunt for a new leader for the CASA
community library – a program that works closely with the
Childhood Center.
In late 2016, Rocio Bautista was chosen to once again take on the helm of the CASA day care; Rocio explained
that she loves to work in both the private and public sectors but has more creative freedom at CASA, and hence
wanted to return. Rocio is working well with Lucia Abigail Almanza, whose university degree is in art and culture.
Although this is Lucia´s first job, she too is a confident, passionate professional, well suited to run CASA´s Library
and art and culture programs.
Rocio´s staff and the 167 infants and preschoolers under
her responsibility visited Lucia´s library 1,719 times in 2016
for story time, computer classes, music lessons, educational
videos and more. After being at the library, the children
often went to water the vegetables in their garden which is
only a stone’s throw away from their school and library.
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midwifery
The fun continues at home as the families of the children
enrolled in the CASA Day Care checked out a total of 13,004
books in 2016. CASA´s public library lends out books for a
week at a time to its employees, clients and the public at
large. A library card can be purchased for the price of $1
U.S. dollar, however during campaigns, library cards are
provided free-of-charge. n
February 2011: CASA created and registered the position of technical level midwife (Code M02117) within
the federal catalog of jobs for health care professionals; this allows federal funds to be earmarked to hire
professional midwives to work in public facilities as autonomous care providers. Today forty percent of the
120 midwife graduates from CASA’s nonprofit, government accredited midwifery school work in the public
sector. In 2015, approximately 20,000 women gave birth attended by CASA graduates.
2012: Mexico’s first public, government accredited midwifery school was opened in Guerrero. This school
has now graduated two generations of students from its three-year program while the CASA Professional
Midwifery School also continues to operate.
2013: Mexican Association of Midwives was launched.
2014: CASA established a Virtual Campus, making available online courses about professional midwifery
(primarily for other health care providers), in-service training for midwives and others, and eventually
pre-service training in midwifery.
2014: United Nations Population Fund reports deficit in midwifery workforce in 73 countries,
including Mexico.
2014: CASA Hospital completed 20 years of service with over 10,000 births, with outcomes superior
to state and federal measures. The decision was made to convert CASA Hospital into a free-standing
midwifery clinic and to collect data to investigate the effectiveness of this model of care.
2015: The Federal Health Secretariat recommended that all low-risk women receive prenatal care and
birthing services at primary care facilities by mid-level professionals (Ruta Critica, CNEG&SR, 2015).
2015: A government funded, freestanding birth clinic in Chamula, Chiapas - a rural area populated
primarily by indigenous families was opened. The novel clinic hired 4 professional midwives that provide
continuity of care in accordance with the CASA model of care.
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CASA Reproductive Health (Continued from page 7)
2015: The public/private partnership called Grupo Intersectorial para Impulsar Parteria or Intersectoral
Group to Promote Midwifery (GIIP) was founded. Members include Mexico’s Federal Health Secretariat,
UNFPA (United National Population Activities Fund), PAHO (Pan American Health Organization),
the Comite Promotor por una Maternidad Segura en Mexico (National Committee to Promote Safe
Motherhood in Mexico) and U.S. organizations such as the Kellogg and MacArthur foundations.
2015: Tens of thousands of women in public hospitals received midwifery care for the first time in more
than 60 years and many others obtained professional midwife services in private settings.
2016: The Mexican Health Secretariat and the Pan-American Health Organization of CASA’s approved
a CASA designed, online course about midwifery. This 10-hour introductory course is now available on
the PAHO/WHO Public Health Virtual Campus – “Nodo Mexico” and hundreds of thousands of public
health workers throughout the Mexican Republic have free access and can easily learn about the
benefits of midwifery.
2016: Mexico boasts five government accredited programs in five different Mexican states based on the
CASA model of midwifery: Guanajuato, Guerrero, Morelos, San Luis Potosi and Oaxaca, four of which are
operating today with a total of 133 students. The country also has recently launched revised academic
programs for obstetrical nurses. Some of these programs are interested in producing health care
professionals who approximate the profile of the internationally recognized midwife – an autonomous
caregiver who respects the woman as the sole decision-maker about her care.
2016: The CASA midwifery leadership presented at the December national meeting on health education
hosted by the Federal Health Secretariat with the purpose of sharing information and the available, free
online courses about midwifery with all participants from the 32 Mexican states.
While professional midwifery is still a new profession in
Mexico, considerable progress has been made over the past
twenty years, increasing access to a model of care which
emphasizes safety and choice. Nonetheless, midwifery services
are regrettably unavailable to most Mexican women that are
economically disadvantaged.
In Mexico and in the United States, as well as in many other
countries, the political and ideological struggle over the
control of women´s reproduction continues. Sustained and
increased efforts are needed to achieve gender equality and
access to evidence-based, safe, loving and responsible care for
all pregnant and birthing women.
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Austin to Welcome CASA’s
Major Supporters & Guests
In September 1997 San Miguel – CASA, Inc. received its IRS determination letter establishing us as a public charity
based in Austin; ever since we have proudly worked with CASA!
We are fortunate to have multiple past and current partners such as the CASA Investor Network or CIN,
Californians for CASA, and New Yorkers for CASA. Our foundation allies have included the Clayton Fund, Turner
Foundation, Moriah Fund, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, David and Lucile Packard Foundation,
Libra Foundation, Azteca Foundation, Rapidan Foundation, W.K. Kellogg Foundation, Johnson & Johnson, Ventana
Foundation, Community Foundation of Southern Arizona and the Sanofi Espoir Foundation, among others.
Many of us from these diverse organizations have never met face-to-face and to celebrate our 20-year anniversary
we have organized a 3-day convening with stimulating activities.
We know that together we can show ourselves and others how Mexico and the United States and other nations
can prevent and solve difficulties that negatively affect us all through mutual respect, hard work and fun. We are
very excited that you are considering joining us and look forward to providing you with our distinctive Texan
hospitality! We have heard from a number of supporters that their adult children and grandchildren interested
in intergenerational philanthropy are coming and this is extremely pleasing, as we all know the future is in the
hands of the youth!
There is still space available for local and out-of-town participants in the March 1-3 CASA Convening - all academic
presentations will be given at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Austin and are free. There is a fee to participate in a field
trip to Bamberger Ranch. For more information: http://casa.org.mx/en/convening-in-austin/
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vision
thank you
Looking Ahead
Our Partners
Before talking about the future, we confess that by the fall of 2016 many of us were feeling a concoction of fear
and insecurity that resulted in a surrender to pessimism. But life and truth have resilience and tenacity; so in
preparation of this annual report we were again reminded of the countless, courageous people at CASA and
around the globe who work tirelessly to make a better world.
Each year, hundreds of individuals and organizations make CASA’s on the ground work
possible with their generous donations, both financial and in-kind. We take this
opportunity to thank each and every one of you.
Particular appreciation goes out to:
Acknowledgement of our achievements should not be confused with sugar-coating our problems. At CASA we
ask ourselves how is it possible that Mexico is the 16th strongest economy in the world but finds more than half
of its population in dire poverty! The middle-income Mexican family spends more than 40 percent of its income
on food, beverages, and tobacco: Real Gross Domestic Product per worker remains below the 1980 peak level.
Education attainment for most Mexicans is rare. Killings and disappearances are so common that we are terrified
daily. For the first time in decades young men are dying at an earlier age due to the high homicide rates.
Mexico mirrors the United States in that half of all pregnancies are unplanned and women´s reproductive health
is compromised in both countries by lack of access to necessary services. We need integrated enduring programs
and actions that address the interrelatedness and complexities of our problems.
Not every successful endeavor, however, has to be complicated or expensive. We have learned from experience
and mounting scientific evidence that despite the countless conflicts within and between nations we can have a
huge impact on security by providing family planning and an environment that is as secure as possible at birth.
While we were searching for the cover to this report we realized that we were about to receive an incredible gift:
Jose Juan Noria Ramirez and Marisol Zuniga Martinez granted a CASA Volunteer permission to take photographs
throughout Marisol´s 16-hour labor at the CASA clinic. Tatiana Lans´ breath-taking picture was taken seconds after
Jaziel Emanuel Soria Zuñiga was born on October 31, 2016, welcomed into this world in a safe, loving, peaceful
manner by his parents, together with the CASA midwife and interdisciplinary staff standing nearby. We thank Jose
Juan and Marisol for sharing their empowering birth experience and we thank each of you that support us as we
all work together for lasting and true security. n
ADO Foundation
Amistad Canada
Azteca Foundation
CASA Investor Network (CIN)
Clayton Foundation
Direct Relief
Libra Foundation
John D. & Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation
Johnson & Johnson
New Yorkers for CASA
Sanofi Espoir Foundation
Secretaria de Desarrollo Social (SEDASOL)
To make your donation to CASA,
please visit our website:
www.casa.org.mx
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How can you support CASA?
• Donate Online to CASA at: www.casa.org.mx
• Fund a Scholarship for a Midwifery Student or a Peer Health Counselor
• Become a Part of Our Volunteer Program
• Organize a Fundraiser for CASA
• Give an In-Kind Donation Such as a Spanish Book, Educational Materials . . .
Contact Development: [email protected]
Mexico: 011 52 415 40 60 90 (ext 103)