C.A.N.O.A. (Centro de Atencion a Ninos de Otras Aptitudes- in English:Center for Children of Other Capabilities)
Health care for the poor in Mexico is often unobtainable. Here in the Tijuana region, there are a few charity hospitals who serve the most underserved, but none have the facilities for long term care or training of disabled children and youth and their families. Monetary barriers exist to any access to products or services, and the very poor are left with no choices or services for their disabled family members, who are not able to develop or utilize the capabilities they do possess. These persons are often left with a lifetime of unutilized capability, hopelessness, and despair.
Father James Hagan (Father Jaime) and the De Colores Foundation, with the assistance of other agencies such as the Tijuana based Centro Juvenil, IR Teams, the American non profit Mexican American Neighbor Organization ( MANO), along with many private donors and volunteers, has built a Center for disabled Children and Youth that helps to overcome this critical barrier to access.
We have constructed an assembly hall and a diagnostic and therapy center for special needs children and youth living in the southern hills of Tijuana, beyond present community services. CANOA emphasizes physical, psychological, communication, nutritional and occupational therapies as well as alternative and equine therapies. Children and parents learn basic skills that develop their potential and lead to their optimum levels of independence.
These services are provided free to members of the community, and is supported by funding from various donors, donated equipment and volunteers. Skilled paid therapists are employed for the basic staffing. Transportation is provided by a donated handicapped van, eliminating yet another barrier for poor families who could not transport their disabled family members to CANOA.
Family members are trained in how to apply many levels of therapy to their disabled ones, as well as how to address the critical psychological needs of a poor family with a special needs dependent.
About You
Location
Project Street Address
Project City
Project Province/State
Project Postal/Zip Code
Project Country
Your idea
Focus of activity
Service/process
Year the initiative began (yyyy)
2003
Positioning of your initiative on the mosaic diagram
Which of these barriers is the primary focus of your work?
Patients not empowered
Which of the principles is the primary focus of your work?
Democratize access
If you believe some other barrier or principle should be included in the mosaic, please describe it and how it would affect the positioning of your initiative in the mosaic:
The barrier of tremendous poverty of the people, and the lack of financial resources of governmental agencies in the region
Name Your Project
C.A.N.O.A. (Centro de Atencion a Ninos de Otras Aptitudes- in English:Center for Children of Other Capabilities)
Describe Your Idea
Health care for the poor in Mexico is often unobtainable. Here in the Tijuana region, there are a few charity hospitals who serve the most underserved, but none have the facilities for long term care or training of disabled children and youth and their families. Monetary barriers exist to any access to products or services, and the very poor are left with no choices or services for their disabled family members, who are not able to develop or utilize the capabilities they do possess. These persons are often left with a lifetime of unutilized capability, hopelessness, and despair.
Father James Hagan (Father Jaime) and the De Colores Foundation, with the assistance of other agencies such as the Tijuana based Centro Juvenil, IR Teams, the American non profit Mexican American Neighbor Organization ( MANO), along with many private donors and volunteers, has built a Center for disabled Children and Youth that helps to overcome this critical barrier to access.
We have constructed an assembly hall and a diagnostic and therapy center for special needs children and youth living in the southern hills of Tijuana, beyond present community services. CANOA emphasizes physical, psychological, communication, nutritional and occupational therapies as well as alternative and equine therapies. Children and parents learn basic skills that develop their potential and lead to their optimum levels of independence.
These services are provided free to members of the community, and is supported by funding from various donors, donated equipment and volunteers. Skilled paid therapists are employed for the basic staffing. Transportation is provided by a donated handicapped van, eliminating yet another barrier for poor families who could not transport their disabled family members to CANOA.
Family members are trained in how to apply many levels of therapy to their disabled ones, as well as how to address the critical psychological needs of a poor family with a special needs dependent.
Innovation
Define the innovation
Health care for the poor in Mexico is often unobtainable. Here in the Tijuana region, there are a few charity hospitals who serve the most underserved, but none have the facilities for long term care or training of disabled children and youth and their families. Monetary barriers exist to any access to products or services, and the very poor are left with no choices or services for their disabled family members, who are not able to develop or utilize the capabilities they do possess. These persons are often left with a lifetime of unutilized capability, hopelessness, and despair.
Father James Hagan (Father Jaime) and the De Colores Foundation, with the assistance of other agencies such as the Tijuana based Centro Juvenil, IR Teams, the American non profit Mexican American Neighbor Organization ( MANO), along with many private donors and volunteers, has built a Center for disabled Children and Youth that helps to overcome this critical barrier to access.
We have constructed an assembly hall and a diagnostic and therapy center for special needs children and youth living in the southern hills of Tijuana, beyond present community services. CANOA emphasizes physical, psychological, communication, nutritional and occupational therapies as well as alternative and equine therapies. Children and parents learn basic skills that develop their potential and lead to their optimum levels of independence.
These services are provided free to members of the community, and is supported by funding from various donors, donated equipment and volunteers. Skilled paid therapists are employed for the basic staffing. Transportation is provided by a donated handicapped van, eliminating yet another barrier for poor families who could not transport their disabled family members to CANOA.
Family members are trained in how to apply many levels of therapy to their disabled ones, as well as how to address the critical psychological needs of a poor family with a special needs dependent.
Context for Disruption:
CANOA is modeled after a successful center in Peru, also innovated by Father Jaime. CANOA is in its early stages: the main hall is just completed; the physical therapy and hydrotherapy buildings have completed exterior construction and are refining the interior construction. Classes and physical therapy have been underway for about a year and attendance is growing as word of mouth in the neighboring poor community grows. The health care system in this region is very challenged, residents are mostly beyond poor, with little education or resources as well. Tijuana has the highest concentration of impoverished people in Mexico, as migrants come up from the interior of Mexico, hoping to cross to the US. There is very little funding to provide for disabled persons looking to better their skills and lives. CANOA was able to be developed using the community resources at hand, combined with the financial resources of caring people seeking to transform a traditional world where the disabled are feared and neglected to one where they are valued and incorporated into the community, utilizing skills that they have learned at CANOA. CANOA has provided to the community and the regional government a clear model of success: good facilities can be built, and therapeutic models can be used to assist this most underserved of the community. Other agencies from other areas of Latin America are looking to CANOA as a model for their own communities, and Father Jaime has visited and consulted, at their request, to assist these agencies with vital information on utilizing this transforming model. Local governmental agencies are beginning to lend greater support as the project progresses in its positive way.
One of the most important factors is overcoming the perception that resources are wasted on the "disabled" since they cannot be productive parts of the community. CANOA is developing cottage industries to assist in future income and in developing constructive occupational work.
Delivery Model
Information about CANOA has been consistently word of mouth locally, with some print information available. Information is often distributed through local clinics, parish churches, and through Centro Juvenil, the local equivalent of Youth Services. Market penetration is probably about 70% in terms of the knowledge of CANOA to local persons. It is a relatively small community, and large, American looking buildings cannot go up without everyone knowing about it. Word of CANOA's purpose of services for the disabled is fairly wide spread. Father Jaime's reputation in the region is wide spread and people there know and trust him and his projects. Measurement of the market penetration is also at this early stage, mostly word of mouth. As the project establishes and broadens, written surveys will contribute to distribution measurement
Key Operational Partnerships
CANOA was supported in its construction, and the obtaining of the land for construction by local agencies, including the Centro Juvenil, the Tijuana equivalent of US Youth Services. Funding for this project was something they could not do, but assistance in many areas was crucial (i.e.: paying for the windows in the physical therapy building, etc) Local parishes assist with small fundraisers and a volunteer base. De Colores Foundation was a critical link for American donors to support the project financially. Members of the International Relief Teams ( irteams.org), who helped Father Jaime and MANO construct the Tijuana Charity Clinic San Luis Obispo, also assisted with experienced design and construction labor on their own time. The Mexican American Neighbor Organization ( MANO) assists with the purchase of construction materials, facilitating the donation of equipment, and some funding. Numerous volunteers on both sides of the border assist with many of the needs
The CRIC ( BAja California's Governmental Agency for people with disabilities) has assisted greatly
Impact
Financial Model
Our program is provided free of charge to the patients and families. Staff is paid. We rely on individual donors to support the program
What is your annual operating budget?
40,000
What are your current sources of revenue? (please list any sources that are foundation grants)
Individual donations
Effectiveness
To date, we conduct individual evaluations of disabled clients and their families. Other agencies from other areas of Latin America are looking to CANOA as a model for their own communities, and Father Jaime has visited and consulted, at their request, to assist these agencies with vital information on utilizing this transforming model. Local governmental agencies are beginning to lend greater support as the project progresses in its positive way
Which element of the program proved itself most effective?
The physical therapy elements, along with the family therapy classes that teach family members how to work with their disabled charges
Number of clients in the last year?
About 90 individuals so far in the first year.
What is the potential demand?
The potential demand is virtually unlimited
Scaling up Strategy
The next three years is dedicated to finishing the buildings and fully implementing the physical and hydrotherapies in their separate buildings. This is a crucial element to moving forward with the full program.
Stage of the initiative:
0
Expansion plan:
As listed above
Origin of the Initiative
CANOA is modeled after and is an affiliate of a successful center in Peru, also innovated by Father Jaime. This cneter was completed and has been operation since 1999-2000 and is called the Aldea Sacrada Familia, located in Sabandia, Aregupa, Peru. This facility is guided by their own directorship
Father Jaime assisted in the building of the Charity Hospital San Luis Obispo in Colonia Miramar, Tijuana, Mexico in partnership with MANO and the International Relief Teams. This building project was completed in 2002/3.
As to CANOA: Father Jaime went to the Community in that district ( La Gloria, south of Tijuana, Mexico) and asked its members what they most wanted, and they asked for an education center for disabled chldren and their families. They went to the local ejido, which donated land.
Father Jaime then went on to begin clearing the land and building the CANOA facility.
This Entry is about (Issues)
Sustainability
What are your two main challenges to finance the growth of your initiative
Obtaining donors who will donate to a Latin American project. Local donors do what they can , and the volunteer base is considerable, but it still takes money to staff and operate a facility.
100,000 would go a long way to funding the next 3 years of operations. A gift towards an endowment that could provide event 40,000 or 50,000 of revenue each year would be utilized to significant benefit to the project, allowing free access and transportation, and significant increase in programs to more children.
How did you hear about this contest and what is your main incentive to participate?
A supporter of MANO saw the RFP from the Ralph Woods Johnson Foundation
The Story
Do you have an annual financial statement?
No
Do you currently have an annual financial statement that tracks profit/loss?
Yes
Please describe the amount (and/or type) of funding you need to implement your initiative, at year 1 and at year 5.
grant funding or individual donors
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