OFF THE GRID, Villa Flores—The southern state of Chiapas, Mexico, which borders Guatemala, remains the poorest state in Mexico with a poverty rate near a staggering 75%. While poor, it is a state rich in beauty. The magnificent backdrop of the Sierra Madre de Chiapas lends a rugged beauty to the hundreds of sleepy towns that lay scattered and isolated by the green mountainous jungly terrain (not enough adjectives to describe this place). By night, a sky lit by thousands of stars.
Many of these towns, however, lack safe drinking water and basic medical services.We were invited to bring medical services to one such town—Union y Progreso, within the municipality of Villa Flores—with a population of 725.
Paty, a social worker from Tuxtla Gutierrez, is an unsung hero of the underserved in Mexico. Two years ago, she delivered donated medicines by car to many of the small communities. When on one such trip to Union y Progreso, she realized the town lacked a pharmacy. Through her efforts and discussions with the elders, she received permission to convert a storage space into a medicine dispensary that provides free medicines for the people.
Still in its infancy, the dispensary is open on weekends and staffed by volunteers and volunteer doctors from Tuxtla Gutierrez, the capital of Chiapas, a two hour journey by car. We were the first medical team from outside Mexico to ever visit their town. And, it was humbling to be received by such warmth from the people.
Our host mom, Aricelia, provided us with meals from her garden, coffee roasted in her home, and cheese from her cows. None of us really wanted to leave. Here are some pictures of our weekend in Union y Progeso, a place where we made many new friends and where we were able to bring medical care to close to 200 people.
