My Nonprofit Reviews

Mujeres de Maiz Opportunity Foundation has been around long enough that the girls who were the first recipients of Mujeres' support for educational expenses have grown up. Girls who likely would have ended their schooling in elementary school are teaching, nursing, studying architecture. Education changes lives. I'm fortunate to be able to support the work of this outstanding organization.

I went to Chiapas to see how the Mujeres de Maiz Opportunity Foundation works: who the recipients are, how they live, what they do with the opportunities they are given. I saw poor, indigenous girls who had few prospects for a better life until they got more education and I saw how they used what they learned to benefit themselves, their families, and their communities when they had the opportunity to continue with their schooling.
Later, I joined the board of directors and I have become even more impressed. This is a well-run organization that has a much bigger impact than you would expect from a small non-profit.

I have been involved with Mujeres de Maiz (women of corn) Opportunity Foundation for a number of years, beginning with a trip to Chiapas with the founder and board chairman, Judith Pasco, where we visited the programs supported by the foundation. I later joined the board of directors. Volunteers and supporters raise money to help pay for education for indigenous women and children in the poorest state in Mexico. I have seen how these women live, been to their homes and eaten with them, and I have seen what a difference education makes for them and for their families and communities. The ripple effect of education for women is impressive, and Mujeres helps make it happen in an efficient and cost-effective way.

A Spanish teacher from Washington, while traveling in Mexico, saw a need and came home to begin the process that led to the Mujeres de Maiz Opportunity Foundation. Indigenous women and girls in Chiapas, the poorest state in Mexico, rarely continued their education beyond elementary school. Their talents, skills and confidence weren't given opportunities to grow and develop. Through the efforts of that teacher, the board members, volunteers and donors, scholarship students now continue in school, some through college, and also share their new skills and knowledge with their local communities. Educating girls and women pays off. I have seen this first hand when I traveled to Chiapas with Mujeres. This is a well-run organization with very low operating costs and high payoff.

When I'm looking for an organization to support, there are several things I look for. They include: Does it do good work, does it do it well and is it efficient?
Mujeres de Maiz Opportunity Foundation shines in all these areas.
I have spent time in Chiapas and seen the foundation's good work, done well, which focuses on educational support for indigenous women and children in Chiapas, the poorest state of Mexico, but includes other support such as eye exams and glasses.
As one of the volunteer board members (there are no paid staff) I also applaud the efficiency of this organization.
If you are looking for a cause to support, I'd encourage you to learn more about and to consider Mujeres de Maiz.

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I traveled to Chiapas with Judith Pasco, founder and chairwoman of the Mujeres de Maiz Opportunity Foundation, a few years ago. I was so impressed with the work done by this non-profit that I became a donor, a volunteer and finally a board member. The things that impress me are: the relationship between the organization and the women and girls in the cooperative, the exceedingly low cost of administration (no paid staff), the effectiveness of the programs and the dedication of the group's supporters.
This is an exceptional group with a clear mission that is efficiently carried out.

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Before I joined the board of Mujeres de Maiz Opportunity Foundation, I traveled to Chiapas and saw first-hand the work that is being done to help the women and children with their education. I spent a morning in one of the Saturday schools, run by Mujeres scholarship students who help their younger neighbors with their school work. I saw the women wearing glasses, for the first time able to see clearly. I attended a group meeting of the cooperative and saw the dedication and determination to better their own and their children's lives. As a board member, I can attest to the hard work of the volunteers who raise the funds for the foundation and the transparency of the organization. It does good work, does it well and economically.

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