Children’s Incentive Programs

Christmas Fiesta

Every year Project Amigo and the Colima Rotary Club host a party for several hundred children. The party includes clowns, piñatas, a traditional pozole dinner, gifts of new clothing and shoes–often the only new things they ever receive–and a “goody bag” filled with small toys, toothbrushes, soaps, shampoos, and other treats. The children enjoy a fun-filled afternoon of games and dancing, and a visit from Santa.

A Day at the Beach

Many children who live within a few miles of the coast have never seen the ocean or spent a day at the beach before attending this Project Amigo field trip. Children have the opportunity to visit Colima’s Sea Turtle Preserve, learn about the environment, take a boat ride into the estuary, and swim in the Center’s pool. The trip is a joint project with the Colima Rotary Club. The Rotarians and their wives prepare traditional tortas (shredded pork and condiments spread on a thick roll). They donate the ingredients and organize the making of 500 sandwiches for 200 hungry children and Project Amigo volunteers who help supervise the children’s activities throughout the day.

A Day at the State Fair

The kindergartners from the Quesería labor camp come from the most humble of circumstances of any child in our program. Yet, surprisingly, when they had their choice of interactive activities at the State Fair, they chose the Driving Station staffed by the state’s Social Services agency.

The children learned about use of helmets for bicycles and motorcycles; and about what different traffic lights and signs mean. Most of these little ones saw their first traffic lights ever on their way to the Fair in the AmigoBus (there are none in their town).

Walking them through the large animal exhibits was a thrill for them and for the volunteers who accompanied them. The children had not seen animals so much larger than they.