The United Nations’ 28th Conference of the Parties on Climate Change (COP28) will get underway in Dubai on Thursday as the world discusses how to tackle the climate crisis. (COP28/X)
Foreign Affairs Minister Alicia Bárcena said Mexico “wants to play a very active role” at the United Nations’ 28th Conference of the Parties on Climate Change (COP28) as she prepares to represent the country on Thursday in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Emirati officials expect more than 70,000 people at the two-week confab, which aims to assess where the world stands in limiting emissions to slow global warming.
Foreign Affairs Minister Alicia Bárcena will represent Mexico at the climate summit. (Alicia Bárcena/X)
One of Mexico’s goals this year is to seek more funds for developing and low-income countries suffering the effects of climate change. The creation of this so-called loss-and-damage fund was agreed to in principle at last year’s talks.
There is also speculation that Mexico will present a plan for implementing immediate measures in its own country.
“We need a firm commitment to the global gradual elimination of fossil fuels and their subsidies,” said Javier Arribas Quintana, a European Union adviser based in Mexico City. He was speaking at the recent event “On the Way to COP28” organized by the Mexican Climate Initiative (ICM).
Under President López Obrador, there has been little progress on its own climate targets, and Mexico is the only G20 and OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) country that has not set a net-zero emissions target, according to U.K.-based analysts Argus Media.
President López Obrador (left), seen here with Colombian president Gustavo Petro, has called on the creation of a “loss-and-damage fund” to compensate developing economies adversely affected by climate change. (lopezobrador.org.mx)
Isabel Studer Noguez of ICM’s advisory council said Mexico should use COP28 to make and/or present an orderly transition plan, expand renewable energies and reduce the production of fossil fuels.
ICM’s recent report, “Net Zero Emissions Roadmap for Mexico 2060,” states Mexico can feasibly achieve net-zero emissions and a significant reduction of greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) by 2060.
Last year, Mexico committed to a 35% reduction of GHG emissions by 2030. While that sounds more ambitious than a prior 22% reduction goal, the figures used in defining the targets were revised upwards, meaning acceptable emission levels will actually increase, according to Argus.
The analysts also claim that Mexico’s climate targets and actions are rated as “critically insufficient” by the scientific organization Climate Action Tracker.
A focus on fossil fuels has restricted the ability of foreign companies to develop renewable energy options in Mexico. (COP28/X)
Mexico’s government claims to have made significant progress on the path toward energy transition through the six-year National Development Plan, which started in 2019 at the beginning of López Obrador’s term.
Mexico maintains that it is among the countries with the least carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and that 38% of its energy comes from clean sources, according to the Federal Electricity Commission (CFE).
López Obrador boasts of his program “Sembrando Vida” (sowing life), which he calls the largest reforestation strategy in the world. “In no country in the world are they planting a billion trees, like we are doing,” he has said.
Argus also found that Mexico committed to generating 35% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2024, but will miss its target by 4% due to a slowdown in renewable energy development under AMLO.
López Obrador has pursued an energy policy that has curtailed private sector renewable development, Argus noted.
“Energy transition remains a key unresolved matter of this administration,” said Moody’s Investors Service analyst Roxana Munoz.
According to Mexico’s finance ministry, Mexico requires US $99.8 billion each year – 7% of its GDP – to counter the effects of climate change and transition toward sustainable development.
We saw fake Coca-Cola earlier in the year, now we’ve got counterfeit Krispy Kreme doughnuts.
Federal officers last week visited three stores in San Martín Texmelucan, Puebla, and seized doughnuts, Krispy Kreme boxes, “tarps with logos of the brand” and cash, according to a statement issued by the Federal Attorney General’s Office (FGR).
The stores were reported to police for selling counterfeit doughnuts, though others say they bought them from Krispy Kreme to re-sell. (FGR)
The FGR said that a representative of the company reported the apparent counterfeiting of Krispy Kreme doughnuts and that a judge subsequently issued search warrants for the three stores.
As tempting as it may have been to eat the confiscated counterfeit Krispy Kremes, the officers resisted the urge and submitted the doughnuts as evidence to the FGR.
The FGR said that three people working at the stores were presented as “witnesses” to authorities. The three businesses were shut down, according to media reports.
The FGR said that an investigation into the alleged crime of producing and selling counterfeit products was ongoing. Anyone convicted of the crime could face a hefty fine and even jail time.
According to one report, the doughnuts weren’t actually fakes, but rather bought by the owner of the three stores at a Krispy Kreme outlet in Puebla city.
Another media outlet that reported the story perhaps asked the most pertinent question in its headline.
“These stores sold fake Krispy Kreme doughnuts with the box and everything. Will they taste the same?”
The economy's early 2024 growth has been bolstered by public infrastructure projects like the Maya Train and the Isthmus of Tehuantepec trade corridor. (Elizabeth Ruiz/Cuartoscuro)
The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has made a slight upward revision to its 2023 economic forecast for Mexico and is now predicting 3.4% growth.
The OECD believes that growth in the Mexican economy will slow to 2% by 2025. (Diego Simón Sánchez/Cuartoscuro)
The Paris-based organization expects growth in Mexico to moderate to 2.5% next year and fall to just 2% in 2025.
Its forecast for 2023 is slightly above the 3.3% annual growth recorded in the first nine months of the year.
In its Economic Outlook note on Mexico, the OECD said that “consumption will be supported by a strong labor market” and “investment will be backed by public infrastructure projects which are expected to be finalized in 2024 and by the nearshoring of manufacturing activities to Mexico.”
The infrastructure projects it refers to include the Maya Train railroad, the Olmeca Refinery and the Interoceanic Corridor of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. Those construction projects, and private ones, have already spurred strong growth in Mexico’s disadvantaged south and southeast.
The OECD said that “short-term indicators show consumption remaining resilient and investment trending up, particularly in non-residential construction … [and] in machinery and equipment related to nearshoring.”
“Mexican industrial parks across the United States border are at full capacity. Export growth and manufacturing production have remained solid, particularly in the automotive sector,” it added.
However, “export dynamism will be mitigated by milder growth in the United States” in coming years, the OECD said.
It is predicting that GDP in the United States – which is easily Mexico’s largest trade partner – will expand 2.4% this year, but just 1.5% and 1.7% in 2024 and 2025, respectively.
The United States is by far Mexico’s largest trading partner, and the lucrative relationship is set to continue to expand through to 2025, according to the OECD. (Shutterstock)
Mexican exports “will suffer from slower growth in major trading partners but will benefit from deep integration in manufacturing value chains and nearshoring,” the OECD said.
The 38-member intergovernmental organization also offered forecasts for Mexico on a range of other economic indicators.
Inflation
The OECD said that inflation will “edge down” to 3.9% in 2024 and 3.2% in 2025 before returning to the Bank of Mexico’s 3% target by the third quarter of that year.
The OECD said that the outlook on consumer prices in Mexico “remains very uncertain,” noting that “inflation may be more persistent than anticipated, if for example energy or commodity prices rise substantially.”
It also said that “monetary policy should remain restrictive to ensure that inflation decreases durably towards its target.”
The bank of Mexico’s benchmark rate is currently set at a record high 11.25%. The OECD said that the rate “is assumed to remain at its current level until the second half of 2024, when it would start to be reduced gradually.”
The federal budget
The OECD said that Mexico’s budget deficit is “expected to increase to 4.9% of GDP in 2024, from 3.3% of GDP in 2023, as budget allocations for social spending, particularly universal non-contributory pensions, and flagship infrastructure projects in the south [of the country] significantly increase.”
Continued infrastructure spending on projects such as the Toluca-Mexico City commuter rail network will increase the budget deficit. (Presidencia/Cuartoscuro)
However, “the deficit will decrease to 2.1% in 2025,” it added.
The organization is predicting that unemployment will tick up to 3% next year before rising to 3.1% in 2025.
It said that workforce informality “is hovering around 55%, around three percentage points below the historical average.”
OECD identifies boosting productivity as a “key priority” for Mexico
“Broadening the tax base would help to respond to increasing spending needs in education, health, and infrastructure, safeguard the commitment to debt sustainability, and boost productivity and medium-term growth,” the OECD said in its Mexico note.
However, successive governments have found that reducing informality in Mexico is no easy task. As for tax reform, the two leading contenders to succeed President López Obrador next year, Claudia Sheinbaum and Xóchitl Gálvez, both indicated in recent interviews that making changes to Mexico’s tax system wasn’t a priority for them.
The OECD also said that reducing regulatory costs associated with “formalizing and growing firms … would support stronger formal employment and productivity.”
It added that “improving access to, and the quality of, early childhood education and care would support female labor force participation, foster growth prospects and reduce inequalities.”
Labor market participation in Mexico “is increasing for women, although it remains significantly lower than in regional peers and other OECD countries,” the OECD said.
Female labor market participation reached 46.4% in the third quarter of 2023, according to data published earlier this week, the highest level since records began in 2005.
The president of the Association of Private Industrial Parks said in an interview that at least 400 foreign companies are eyeing Mexico for production. (Logistikpark.com.mx)
Over 400 foreign companies are interested in establishing a presence in Mexico in the near future, according to the president of the Mexican Association of Private Industrial Parks (AMPIP).
Sergio Argüelles González cited the number during an interview with Forbes México, saying that companies from the United States, China, Japan, South Korea and Germany, among other countries, are considering investing in production plants here.
Sergio Argüelles believes 400 more companies are looking to nearshore in Mexico. (Finsa)
“We have identified them by name … and they are interested in investing in Mexico,” said Argüelles, who is also the CEO of industrial real estate development company Finsa.
A survey conducted by AMPIP and BBVA Research earlier this year found that AMPIP members – which operate more than 400 industrial parks across Mexico – expect to welcome 453 foreign firms within the next two years, 20% of which are predicted to be Chinese.
Argüelles told Forbes that foreign companies interested in investing in Mexico could generate more than 2 million jobs over the next 13 months. He also said that the companies will require 2.5 million square meters of industrial space.
“We’re going to have a lot of investment,” Argüelles said.
The AMPIP president said that industrial space in locations such as Tijuana, Ciudad Juárez, the Bajío region and the corridor between Monterrey and Saltillo is occupied quickly when it becomes available.
However, he noted that 50 new industrial parks are under construction or being planned by AMPIP members, and asserted that they will have space to accommodate the companies expected to soon enter the Mexican market.
Mexico’s leading manufacturing hubs
According to an Industrial Development Index developed by Finsa, Nuevo León, Chihuahua and Coahuila are Mexico’s leading destinations for industrial investment.
An industrial park in Saltillo, Coahuila, the nation’s second highest exporter of goods from Mexico in 2022. (Photo: OCV Salitillo)
Those three states occupy the top spots on the index due to “a combination of factors,” Argüelles said, highlighting their “high [levels of] participation in the industrial real estate market,” their export-oriented manufacturing sectors and their capacity to attract foreign investment.
Nuevo León is the “leading entity” for infrastructure because it has more industrial space than any other state, and has added an average of 860,000 square meters of space annually over the past five years, he said.
Baja California, México state, Jalisco and Guanajuato were also deemed to have “high” levels of industrial development by Finsa, which evaluated factors including security, social environment, workforce availability and innovation capacity when putting together its index.
Tamaulipas, Querétaro, Mexico City, Sonora and Aguascalientes were deemed to have “medium-high” levels of industrial development, while Mexico’s other states were determined to have “medium-low” or “low” levels.
“At Finsa we think that it’s important to evaluate the level of industrial development of all the country’s entities in order to identify those that are more prepared to take advantage of the opportunity to evolve toward the manufacture of more sophisticated technologies,” Argüelles said.
Electricity supply a crucial consideration for the industrial sector
The AMPIP and Finsa chief said that “the nearshoring boom” gives Mexico “a unique opportunity … to position itself as a one of the best manufacturing and logistics hubs in the world.”
“It’s not an easy challenge, since [capitalizing on the nearshoring opportunity] requires new technologies, human capital knowledge and infrastructure,” Argüelles said.
Argüelles pointed out that electricity supply is a major concern and said industrial parks are trying to increase their own capacity via solar panels. (Archive)
He also identified electricity supply as a key issue for manufacturing companies operating in Mexico.
“The electricity issue concerns us and we’re working with the Federal Electricity Commission [CFE] and the National Energy Control Center [Cenace],” Argüelles said.
He said that AMPIP is discussing the current and future requirements of industrial parks with the CFE and Cenace.
Argüelles also said that industrial parks are seeking to increase their own capacity to generate electricity via solar panels, explaining that the aim is to increase production at AMPIP-affiliated parks fourfold from 500 kilowatts to 2,000 kilowatts.
Some experts argue that the federal government needs to increase its support for renewable energy initiatives in order to attract more foreign investment.
“To be more attractive for nearshoring opportunities and reap more economic benefits in the medium term, Mexico needs a strong rule of law along with industrial, energy and fiscal policies that promote a new wave of investments associated with electric vehicles, renewable energy and IT equipment,” Arnulfo Rodríguez, principal economist at BBVA Research, said earlier this year.
There were (later debunked) reports that Miss Mexico's dress was stolen backstage. (missuniversesv/Instagram)
The conclusion of the 2023 Miss Universe pageant in El Salvador, won by Miss Nicaragua Sheynnis Palacios a week ago, was a good news, bad news situation for Mexico.
The good news: In the closing minutes, the presenters mentioned that Mexico will be hosting the next pageant in 2024. Mexico also hosted in 1978, 1989, 1993 and 2007.
This year’s contest was won by Miss Nicaragua, Sheynnis Palacios. (Miss Universe)
The bad news: Mexican contestant Melissa Flores from Venustiano Carranza, Michoacán did not win and wasn’t even among the 10 finalists. .
Miss Mexico’s costume saga
After the pageant ended on Nov. 18, a rumor started that the elaborate garment Flores wore during the costume competition was stolen from backstage.
Estimated to be worth about 1 million pesos (US $58,000), the colorful piece combines owl and winged-deer alebrije motifs, representing wisdom and focus, with intricate Huichol-inspired beadwork.
Traje típico Miss Universe México 2023. ¿Cómo fue la elaboración?
It was created by designer Ángel Rámez from Guadalajara and 13 other artisans, and took four months to complete.
Flores lamented its loss in an emotional Instagram post, and authorities in San Salvador reportedly opened an investigation.
However, in an interview with the newspaper El Universal published Wednesday, Flores clarified that the garment was returned to its designer, who will present it in an exhibition/contest on Thursday.
“It’s fake news,” Flores, 25, was quoted as saying. “No one has stolen it. I don’t have the slightest idea where the rumor came from. … It was put in the suitcase and given to the designer.”
Flores, who has a degree in psychology, gives talks to prevent violence in teenage dating and is studying acting. She is also a model and tourism promoter.
Miss Universe 2024 in Mexico
Next year’s Miss Universe pageant will be held in Mexico for the fifth time in 73 years. No site has been announced, but Miss Universe CEO Amy Emmerich said Cancún is being discussed. The start date has been announced as Sept. 28.
Rules modifications in recent years allow competitors to be transgender women, mothers and/or wives. In El Salvador, Miss Netherlands and Miss Portugal became the second and third trans women to participate, and Miss Nepal received ovations as the first plus-size woman to compete.
“Whatever happened before is not what we are experiencing right now,” Mexican Miss Universe CEO Cynthia de la Vega said on the “De Primera Mano” TV show. “I think that all people are very happy because this range of options has opened up. Beauty now has no limits and we want everyone to be part of it.”
An additional rule change for 2024 will be the elimination of the upper age limit of 28, a regulation since the pageant began in 1952.
Fauna is the brainchild of chef David Castro Hussong and pastry chef Maribel Aldaco Silva, who are married. (faunarestaurante.mx)
Mexico’s best restaurant according to the 11th edition of the Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants awards is Fauna, located in Baja California’s Valle de Guadalupe region.
The winners were announced Tuesday in a live awards ceremony at Copacabana Palace in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where Fauna also came in as the fifth best restaurant in Latin America, behind Casa de Porco in São Paulo, Don Julio in Buenos Aires, El Chato in Bogotá and number one on the list, Maido in Lima.
Latin America’s 50 best restaurants 2023. (The World’s 50 Best/X)
After being recognized with the Highest New Entry Award in 2022 and ranked No. 16 on last year’s list, Fauna is now the only Mexican restaurant in the Top 10. It has also surpassed Enrique Olvera’s Pujol (No. 15), a favorite on the 50 Best list in previous years.
“Fauna is one of the most enchanting settings we’ve come across,” the 50 Best list said, as it is “surrounded by astonishing scenery.”
The restaurant is led by the husband-and-wife team of chef David Castro Hussong and pastry chef Maribel Aldaco Silva, who was also named Best Pastry Chef in Latin America 2023, an award sponsored by Ecuadorian chocolate company República del Cacao. Fauna opened in 2017 and features a tasting menu made exclusively with local and seasonal ingredients.
With a dynamic menu that changes every day, the 50 Best list added that its menu is a reflection of “the changing seasons and the best produce available.”
Fauna’s menu is particularly recognized for a broccoli dish served with chiltepin chili and a basil oil emulsion. It is also famous for the cauliflower tacos topped with seaweed and ponzu sauce, as well as Aldaco’s honey semifreddo with milk ice cream, blue corn flakes and crunchy caramel.
Another Mexican restaurant on the list is Quintonil, now ranked as No. 12 in Latin America. Jorge Vallejo and Alejandra Flores’ restaurant climbed 31 positions.
The massive rail project is set to begin commercial operations next month. (Tren Maya/X)
Starting on Friday, tickets for the first section of the Maya Train will be available for purchase, according to an announcement made by project head Óscar David Lozano Águila. The government has yet to provide the details on the ticket sale platform.
The completed train project will travel through 41 municipalities in Chiapas, Campeche, Tabasco, Yucatán and Quintana Roo, providing rail transportation in the Mexican southeast for the first time in nearly 30 years.
The railway will connect five of Mexico’s southern states, and a number of major tourist hotspots. (Tren Maya)
The first sections running from Campeche to Cancún will be inaugurated on Dec. 15.
What will the tickets cost?
According to the National Tourism Fund (Fonatur), ticket prices for the Maya Train are as follows:
Mexican passengers: 60 pesos (US $3.50)
Foreign passengers: 80 pesos (US $4.60)
Students and teachers with a valid credential: 30 pesos (US $1.75)
Seniors with a valid ID travel for free
When will the Maya Train project be finished?
Lozano Águila explained that Section 3 of the railroad from Calkiní to Izamal, spanning 159 km, is almost complete.
The stretch between Campeche and Cancún includes part of Section 2 of the railroad (Escárcega-Calkiní) and the entirety of Section 3 (Calkiní-Izamal) and Section 4 (Izamal-Cancún).
Maite Ramos Gómez, head of train car manufacturer Alstom México, also announced that in the early hours of Monday, Nov. 27, the fifth convoy of the Maya Train left Ciudad Sahagún, Hidalgo for Cancún, Quintana Roo.
The sixth unit will arrive in Quintana Roo next week, completing the six convoys with which the Maya Train will begin operations.
President Andrés Manuel López Obrador gave an updated timeline for the train on Nov. 5, saying that the section between Cancún and Palenque will open on Dec. 31, while the entire railroad and its 34 stations will be operational on Feb. 29.
Two of the journalists who came under fire in Chilpancingo were seriously wounded. (Dassaev Téllez / Cuartoscuro.com)
Four journalists were shot in Guerrero on Tuesday, while a fifth reporter was wounded when he came under fire in the neighboring state of Michoacán later in the day.
Armed men on motorcycles attacked four journalists traveling in a car in Chilpancingo on Tuesday afternoon, according to witnesses.
One of the journalists attacked in Chilpancingo on Tuesday. (Dassaev Téllez / Cuartoscuro.com)
The journalists, all men, came under fire in front of a military facility in the Guerrero capital. Before they were attacked, they had attended the scene of the murder of a public transport driver.
The men were taken to a local hospital, and one of them, Jesús de la Cruz, was reported in serious condition with gunshot wounds to the chest. The journalists, one of whom is a photographer, work for local media organizations.
The Guerrero Attorney General’s Office said in a statement that it was investigating the crime as attempted murder. It said that federal, state and municipal security authorities had launched an operation to apprehend the aggressors, but no arrests were reported.
The car four journalists were riding in when attacked in Chilpancingo on Tuesday. (Dassaev Téllez / Cuartoscuro.com)
Later on Tuesday, Maynor Ramón Ramírez Arroyo, a crime reporter for the ABC newspaper, was shot in Apatzingán, a municipality in the notoriously violent Tierra Caliente region of Michoacán. A man who was with Ramírez was also wounded.
“The journalist and his companion were wounded when they were on Emiliano Zapata Street in the Lázaro Cárdenas neighborhood,” the Michoacán Attorney General’s Office (FGE) said in a statement. “The victims were assisted and taken to a local hospital, where they are receiving medical care,” the FGE said, adding that “a multidisciplinary team” attended the crime scene.
The Associated Press reported that “the shooting of five media workers in one day represents one of the largest mass attacks on reporters in Mexico in a decade.”
In a statement, several Guerrero-based journalists’ associations condemned the attack on the journalists in Chilpancingo, demanded a thorough investigation into the crime and called for authorities to guarantee reporters’ safety. They also called on President Andrés Manuel López Obrador – who frequently criticizes the media – to end his “discourse of hate and disrepute” toward journalists and news outlets.
“To Governor Evelyn Salgado Pineda, we demand that you assume your public security responsibility. … To [Chilpancingo] Mayor Norma Otilia Hernández Martínez we say that your attitude of direct aggression toward media outlets … makes journalists more vulnerable … [to attacks from] people who sympathize with your politics,” the journalists’ associations said.
Leopoldo Maldonado Gutiérrez, director of press freedom advocacy organization Article 19 in Mexico, said in a recent radio interview that violence against the press is a particular problem in Guerrero, a poor southern state known for lawlessness in certain areas.
“Violence is rampant in a large part of the country, like in Guanajuato and Tamaulipas, and in Guerrero [there is] specific violence against the press,” he said.
“We have to remember that Guerrero ranks fifth [among Mexico’s 32 federal entities] in number of attacks … against the press,” Maldonado said citing his organization’s data for the period between 2009 and 2023.
Article 19 reported in September that an act of aggression was committed against Mexican media workers and organizations every 16 hours on average during the first half of 2023.
The organization also said that 161 journalists have been murdered in Mexico since 2000, including 41 during the current federal administration. At least five journalists have been killed in Mexico in 2023.
Ojala Niños offers an integrated learning program for children in rural Mexico to inspire creativity, critical thinking skills, and self-confidence. (Ojalá Niños)
“The Open Gate,” a recently published memoir by Elsmarie Norby, is a heartwarming collection of stories that invites us to learn about the events that led to the creation of the author’s non-profit organization Ojalá Niños, the journey it has been and the people who made it possible. This beautiful coffee table book features some of Elsmarie’s photographs that illustrate her experience.
Born to Swedish immigrant parents in Chicago, Elsmarie Norby grew up feeling like an outsider, struggling to fully embrace American culture and history. As she entered adulthood, she embarked on a quest to find her true place in the world. Little did she know that her passion for music, photography and dedication to social justice would lead her to discover profound meaning in the desert highlands of central Mexico.
The Open Gate. (Amazon)
While the book briefly touches on her early years, Norby’s main focus is on the stories that unfolded, as she says, “at the other end of my life, when I had the privilege to witness and be a part of the daily realities of the lives of others.”
When Norby was 67 and contemplating retirement, she chose to relocate to a quiet rural village near San Miguel de Allende named San Miguel Viejo, home to Indigenous Otomí people. Enchanted by the place, she purchased a small parcel of land and embarked on the process of building her modest home. This process was marked by meaningful interactions with local workers and residents, enveloping her in what she describes as “a sacred space, blessed by a surrounding aura of kindness.”
She vividly remembers the poverty-stricken landscape of San Miguel Viejo. Most homes were thrown together haphazardly and the roads were all dirt – or, depending on the weather, deep mud. Her new neighbors relied on collecting wood for cooking, using enormous pots over open fires on dirt floors. Internet, cable and landline phone services were non-existent and electricity was intermittent. The community’s water supply came from a 500-year-old well. Despite being only three miles from the city of San Miguel de Allende, the village also lacked basic bus services.
When Norby moved into her new home, local children began a daily routine of passing by her gate on their way home from school. Although extremely shy, they slowed down and peeked in, hoping to get a glimpse of their new strange neighbor.
One day, Norby noticed that the children were carrying paper and chewed-up pencil stubs. That gave her an idea, so she fetched her box of new pencils, sharpened and complete with erasers, and handed one to each child. Every face blossomed into an expression of grateful surprise. How could such a small thing bring so much happiness? Norby was beginning to learn.
Several days later, a group of nine children arrived at her gate. She invited them into her patio, where they all gathered around a table. She gave each child two sheets of plain recycled paper to use with their new pencils and stepped back to watch. Each child became fully engaged, focused and genuinely happy. She realized that all she had given them was a space and two simple materials, yet each child had immediately become creative.
As word spread, more children came to her house to enjoy whatever she had to offer; and volunteers joined to help. She was amazed by the overwhelming joy these children experienced. Norby began to imagine the daily struggle faced by the families in this community just to meet their basic needs of food and shelter, not to mention education.
Noticing that many of the children were undernourished, Norby started providing snacks during music time. As she played a few songs on the keyboard to set the mood, she noticed that a few children were discreetly stashing snacks in their pockets. One of the volunteers, who had a better understanding of the culture, explained that these children were taking food home to share with their siblings or parents. Norby began to comprehend the daily challenges faced by her neighbors.
By the spring of 2008, it became evident that she would be welcoming more neighborhood children to her home for art, music, books and snacks on Wednesday afternoons. “I had responded to some dear children by giving them pencils. Then they led me on to more giving and sharing. I was happy. They were happy. Together we were learning another way.”
The endearing anecdotes she shares in this book convey Norby’s keen powers of observation and insight into the mindset of her neighbors. She was exposing them to a whole new world – from how to make popcorn to the joy found in books and music – and they were teaching her to appreciate the basic things usually taken for granted.
Whenever new materials were introduced, they were treated as valuable treasures that sparked excitement. Children would eagerly reach out to pick up something new and their eyes would light up with ideas. Norby and the volunteers watched in awe as the children created their own space for discovery.
She remembered Albert Einstein’s words: “Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be to know and understand.”
These experiences created the educational philosophy and guiding principles of what came to be named Ojalá Niños with the purpose of providing children of all ages with the opportunity and inspiration to tap into their innate intelligence, ignite their passion for learning and nurture the seeds of self-confidence and expression. Norby states that she didn’t teach her students; she gave them a place to learn.
Norby became welcomed in her neighbors’ homes and invited to baptisms, first communions and quinceañera celebrations. Her skill in photography combined with her love for capturing precious moments earned her the title of the community’s photographer.
When more than 40 children were coming to her house, Norby began writing articles for the local English newspaper in San Miguel de Allende. As her articles attracted donations and more volunteers, she realized it was time to formalize her efforts.
Almost two years after the first group of children gathered in Norby’s patio, a board of directors was formed to apply for official recognition as a non-profit organization. In September 2010, they established a non-profit called Ojalá Niños.
Ojalá Niños continues to be a sanctuary and has benefited over 500 children throughout the years. Elsmarie is grateful for the many kind-hearted individuals who contribute their time and resources to the mission.
The organization offers after-school classes in arts, music and literacy every week. Not all children attend formal schools, but at Ojalá Niños they all have an encouraging haven where they can learn, create, read and discover their talents and interests.
Elsmarie Norby’s journey serves as a powerful example of how one person can make a profound impact by opening their heart and home to those in need.
Sandra is a Mexican writer and translator based in San Miguel de Allende who specializes in mental health and humanitarian aid. She believes in the power of language to foster compassion and understanding across cultures. She can be reached at: [email protected]
More airports - in Uruapan, Palenque and Puebla - have been placed under Sedena control. (Mario Jasso/Cuartoscuro)
The federal government has placed three additional airports under military control, further entrenching the prominent role the armed forces play in civilian life in Mexico.
The Ministry of Infrastructure, Communications and Transport (SICT) on Tuesday published documents in the government’s official gazette that grant control of the airports in Uruapan, Michoacán; Palenque, Chiapas; and Puebla to the Olmeca-Maya-Mexica Airport, Railroad and Auxiliary Services Group, a state-owned company run by the National Defense Ministry (Sedena).
The military has become increasingly involved in the operation of almost all major Mexican transport hubs. (Andrea Murcia/Cuartoscuro)
Those airports were previously operated by other state-owned companies.
The SICT also published a “concession title” that places the airport in Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca, under the control of the Mexican Touristic Airport Group, another state-owned company that operates the airport in Tepic, Nayarit.
The Olmeca-Maya-Mexica group – which already operates a number of other Mexican airports and will control the Tulum airport once it opens – will take charge of the airports in Uruapan, Palenque and Puebla for an indefinite period of time.
Among the airports that Sedena already operates via the state-owned company or independently are the Felipe Ángeles International Airport, which the army built during the current government, and the airports in Nuevo Laredo, Campeche and Chetumal. The newspaper El Financiero reported that the army will now control 12 airports across Mexico.
The National Defense Ministry already controls operations at the Felipe Ángeles International Airport (AIFA) in Mexico City. (AIFA/Instagram)
In addition to operating airports, Sedena will soon launch a new state-owned airline to operate under the long-dormant Mexicana de Aviación brand.
The military has been given a wide range of non-traditional tasks during the current government, including public security, infrastructure construction and the management of customs and ports.
Sedena also controls the state-owned company that will operate the Maya Train railroad, which is set to begin operations next month. The navy will take charge of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec trade corridor, which will include a modernized train line between Salina Cruz, Oaxaca, and Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz, that is set to begin operations in December.
The rail service in the new Isthmus of Tehuantepec trade corridor will be run by the navy. (Presidencia/Cuartoscuro)
López Obrador said earlier this year that the military is a “fundamental pillar of the Mexican state,” but denied claims that he has militarized Mexico during his presidency.
“Despite what our adversaries maintain, … it’s important to point out that the greater participation of the armed forces in security tasks doesn’t imply authoritarianism or militarization … of the country,” he said during an Army Day address in February.
“… It has been proven that society feels safer and more protected with the army’s fulfillment of this mission. In other words, people feel that a soldier is one of them in uniform … and – like the majority of Mexicans – maintains a great reserve of cultural, moral and spiritual values,” López Obrador added.
