Colonia Rotaria

Who lives in Colonia Rotaria? | Services to the Children of Colonia Rotaria | Educational programs | Enrichment activities | Medical and dental care | Thanks to the Grue family | Casa Rotaria | Sponsoring a child at Colonia Rotaria | Volunteer opportunities

Colonia Rotaria is a neighborhood of simple but dignified houses built for poor families in the city of Colima, Mexico as a result of an extraordinary international partnership between individuals, NGOs, Rotary Clubs, and government agencies. The houses were constructed with funds donated by Rotary Clubs in the United States, matched by funds from the Rotary Foundation, under their international Low-Cost Shelter Program. The land was donated by the city of Colima; Project Amigo served as the project manager for the Colima Rotary Club, the sponsor of the project.

Who lives in Colonia Rotaria?

    The families were chosen by a lottery conducted by the Colima Welfare Department. To qualify they had to be poor, with a mother present in the household, and include children attending school. Today, the residents range from grandmothers to newborns and include multi-generational families, fathers working as day laborers, single mothers, disabled children, illiterate adults, as well as extremely bright, talented young people. All are trying to improve their lives and provide a better future for their children.

Colonia Rotaria under construction thanks to the generosity of Rotary Clubs in the United States and the Rotary International Foundation.

Volunteer Lonnie Bower from Coos Bay, Oregon, tests the electricity to the new houses in Colonia Rotaria. The work of a paid local contractor was supplemented by labor donated by the recipient families and Rotary volunteers from the United States.

Project Amigo is not now accepting matching grants to build additional housing in Colonia Rotaria, but we still need donations to help the families who live there. Donate to Project Amigo by using your credit card on-line:

¡Gracias!

to the following for their generous donations which built the 50 houses in Colonia Rotaria:

Albemarle Rotary Club, North Carolina;
Bakersfield Rotary Club, California;
Bandon-by-the-Sea Rotary Club, Oregon;
Bartow County Rotary Club, Georgia;

Services to the Children of Colonia Rotaria

Project Amigo's children's services are designed to improve their futures and help them break out of the cycle of poverty that has held their families for generations.

Educational programs

    Educational Programs include a reading program to introduce the children to the wonderful world of fun books, a weekly Homework Club which provides tutoring and mentoring to school children, and a scholarship program to send promising students to junior high and high school and eventually to college.

Enrichment activities

    Enrichment Activities include a Christmas Party complete with clowns, piñatas, dinner and gifts of new clothes and shoes - often the only new clothes the children ever receive. A highlight of the year is a day at the beach; many children, living within a few miles of the coast, see the ocean for the first time on these trips.

Medical and dental care

    Medical and Dental Care consists of dental, vision, and hearing screening and treatment not otherwise available to the children.

The completed casitas at Colonia Rotaria, like this one sponsored by the Mason City, Iowa, Rotary Club, give poor families a start. Many families have already planted gardens.

Volunteer Molly Burness from Chevy Chase, Maryland, helps a boy living in Colonia Rotaria with an art project aimed at improving reading skills.

12-year old Celina Munguía Soto helps her Mom sell snacks from their house and takes care of her severely disabled younger sister. A scholarship from Project Amigo ensures that Celina can also continue to attend junior high shcool.

Bay Area Rotary Club, Oregon;
Brookings Harbor Rotary Club, Oregon;
Cayce-West Columbia Rotary Club, South Carolina;
Coal Creek Rotary Club, Oregon;
Coos Bay-North Bend Rotary Club, Oregon;
Crook County Rotary Club, Oregon;
District 5110 1997-98 Conference Committee;
Eugene Rotary Club, Oregon;
Florissant Valley Sunrise Rotary Club, Missouri;
Forest City Rotary Club, Iowa;
Fortuna Sunrise Rotary Club, California;
Gold Beach Rotary Club, Oregon;
Grove Rotary Club, Oklahoma;
Lakeview Rotary Club, Oregon;
Joe Lindland;
Manchester Rotary Club, Iowa;
Mason City Rotary Club, Iowa;
Mexico Rotary Club, Missouri;

Thanks to the Grue family

Long-term volunteers Ron and Vivianne Grue and their daughters return to Canada after an incredibly productive year in world community service to Colima.

They helped raise the funds for, designed and oversaw, the construction of "Casa Rotaria" which houses the Colonia Rotaria Homework Club's computer lab, a sewing class for the women of Colonia Rotaria, and a clinic where visiting medical professionals can examine patients.

Ron developed a carpentry school and micro business which provides employment opportunities in a village where such opportunities are scarce.

Vivianne developed sewing schools in Colonia Rotaria and in the Queseria labor camp, and led Colonia Rotaria youngsters through fun and creative workshops every week.

Their daughters, Melanie (12), Kaitlyn (14), and Lise (16) were great volunteers, too, in addition to trying to keep up with their Canadian studies over the Internet.

William and Nancy Mickelberry;
Novato Rotary Club, California;
Petaluma Valley Rotary Club, California; Port Orford Rotary Club, Oregon;
Prior Lake Rotary Club, Minnesota;
Rogue Gateway Rotary Club, Oregon;
Rohnert Park-Cotati Rotary Club, California;
Sebastopol Sunrise Rotary Club, California;
Springfield-Twin Rivers Rotary Club, Oregon;
Sugarland Rotary Club, Texas.

¡Gracias!

Casa Rotaria

Casa Rotaria is the newest addition to Colonia Rotaria’s growing community development effort.

Vermilion (Alberta) Rotary Club President Joe Schrijvers raised the funds in his Rotary District 5370 to build the building; and he and Camrose Rotary Club Rotarian Ron Grue designed and built it. The result is a beautiful building which will be able to meet many needs over the years. Its three big rooms provide space for the Colonia Rotaria computer lab/cyber café, the new sewing school, and a room where visiting health care professionals can provide medical examinations for the community. The building has a modern bathroom and a kitchen.

Basketball and volleyball come to Colonia Rotaria, thanks to the labor of Eugene Southtowne (Oregon) Rotarians who built it. The court was funded by Redwood City International (Colima’s sister city). Hoops, backboards, and stanchions were donated by Redwood City International and the Eugene Southtowne Rotary Club.

Long-term volunteer Vivianne Grue stands beside her artwork on the front of Casa Rotaria, built with funds from Rotary Clubs from District 5370 in Alberta, Canada.

Colonia Rotaria's computer lab will be located here.

Carpenter apprentices install new kitchen in Casa Rotaria.

The Basketball Court in progress by Eugene Southtowne Rotarians.

Basketball backboards, donated by Redwood City International and Eugene Southtowne Rotary Club, add a real touch of class to the new ball court at Colonia Rotaria.

How You Can Help the Children at Colonia Rotaria

Sponsoring a child at Colonia Rotaria

    If you would like to have a personal relationship with one or more of the children living in Colonia Rotaria, you can become an Project Amigo Sponsor for a minimum donation of $95 US per child per year. We will send you photos and translate letters back and forth between you and your child.

Volunteer opportunities

    Each year volunteers come to Colima to work on Project Amigo projects, play with the children, visit with Mexican Rotarians, and learn more about the people and culture of western Mexico. We have need of both short-term and long-term volunteers.

A fatherless family with six children got a chance to improve their lives, when they moved into a home of their own built by Project Amigo with seed money donated by Forest City, Iowa, Rotary Club.

Rotary International volunteer Kathy Hill, from Homer, Alaska, interviews young dental patients at Colonia Rotaria.

If you would like to have a personal relationship with one or more of the children living in Colonia Rotaria, you can become an Project Amigo Sponsor for a minimum donation of $95 US per child per year. We will send you photos and translate letters back and forth between you and your child.

Who lives in Colonia Rotaria? | Services to the Children of Colonia Rotaria | Educational programs | Enrichment activities | Medical and dental care | Thanks to the Grue family | Casa Rotaria | Sponsoring a child at Colonia Rotaria | Volunteer opportunities

This page last updated September, 2007.