Gracias por considerar un donativo para apoyar a la Casa y sus programas. Si eres un huésped frecuente, una voluntaria de los campamentos, o si apoyas nuestro trabajo de paz, la Casa depende de tu participación para continuar creando este espacio de acogida, refugio y acción en México. Favor de leer nuestra carta del fin del año 2009 abajo.
Aquí hay tres maneras de hacer un donativo a la Casa:
1. Se puede hacer un donativo seguro a través de nuestra cuenta de PayPal por hacer clic en “Make a Donation” abajo.
2. En México se puede hacer donativos a la Casa por hacer un depósito directamente a nuestra cuenta bancaria:
Titular: Casa de los Amigos, A.C.
Banco: BANAMEX (puedes depositar en cualquier sucursal de Banamex)
Número de cuenta: 0125 0306039
Para hacer una transferencia bancaria internacional por el internet o en persona desde otro banco, necesitarás la Clave Bancaria Estander (CLABE), y el Código Swift.
CLABE (Clave Bancaria Estander): 002180012503060398
Código Swift: BNMXMXMM
3. En los Estados Unidos donativos a la Casa de los Amigos son deducible de impuestos. Se puede enviar cheques a:
Casa de los Amigos A.C.
c/o Orange Grove Monthly Meeting
520 East Orange Grove Blvd.
Pasadena, CA 91104
Favor de escribir cheques a “Orange Grove Monthly Meeting” con “Casa de los Amigos” anotado en el cheque.
Muchas gracias amigos y amigas.
______________________________________________________
December 25, 2009
Dear Friend,
Wouldn’t you like to hear some GOOD news from Mexico City?
Here at the Casa de los Amigos, we are grateful that we have plenty of good news. Our community and our programs are thriving and the Casa’s daily peace witness remains as vital as ever. We want to share just a few things with you that we’re excited about as we head into a landmark year.
We have hired three new Casa staff members. This welcome expansion is a turning point in the Casa’s recent history, and greatly increases the capacity of our work. Two former Casa volunteers, Bart Czyz and Clay Boggs, have joined the Casa staff as the coordinators of our Volunteer Program and Peace Programs respectively. In January, Jill Anderson will join her partner Nicholas Wright as co-director of the Casa. With our dedicated team of volunteers and our accountant, Miguel Ángel Lomeli Avalos, we are in the best position yet since the Casa rededicated itself to its historic peace mission on the eve of its 50th anniversary just over three years ago.
Architect Robert Limanek of Seattle, Washington He is creating a detailed plan for repairs and improvements to our building and guest house within a context of environmental sustainability. We will use this proposal as the basis for a long-awaited overhaul of our historic building, while bringing the work of the Casa in line with our ecological responsibility. Our peace and hospitality work are “patterns and examples” in Mexico City, and we want to be a green example as well!, is at the Casa for three months under the auspices of Architects Without Borders.
Finally, we are very pleased to let all Casa friends and supporters know that in October we signed an Agreement of Cooperation with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Mexico to permanently reserve space in the Casa to house refugees and those seeking asylum. This is a big step that we feel ready—and led—to take. It comes as a validation of the present-day work of the Casa community and to everyone who believes in this organization. In particular, it is an affirmation for all of the volunteers who have helped create a warm, nurturing community at the Casa for refugees, migrants and all of our other guests, and participated in the daily, compassionate work of bringing the Casa into a new era.
The UNHCR does not casually spend the funds it has for Mexico. Their decision to finance our work is based on the Casa’s reputation for providing a safe, supportive home for all who come here. This partnership signifies a genuine endorsement from the migrant and refugee rights community in Mexico City, which has seen that the Casa is an ideal environment for this vulnerable group. The collective experience of the nearly 100 migrants and refugees that we have housed in the last three years speaks louder than words.
The amount of funds available from the UNHCR is not enough to cover the cost to the Casa of setting aside these rooms. This is critical humanitarian work: there is currently no additional designated housing for refugees in Mexico, especially for women alone or families with children. We know firsthand the need for this housing, and we have already received eight people including a family of five. The UNHCR will cover half of the cost to the Casa, and we are asking for your support to make up the difference. Our faith in the Casa and the wider Casa community led us to make this decision.
As we move into an expansion of our full-time staff, the agreement with the UNHCR, and a real investment in the long-term health and environmental sustainability of our building, we will need the concrete support of the entire community. The members of this community, which spans six decades, know of the transformative effect of the Casa’s witness on all who come here. Your support will enable those at the Casa to carefully and lovingly create this space every single day of the year, and to ensure that the Casa will continue to thrive for years to come.
The Casa’s board of directors has stated that “now is the time to take risks” in bringing the Casa into a new chapter as a Quaker Peace Center in Mexico City. While we generally act cautiously and slowly (and we will continue to do so), our good news represents significant economic commitments for us. We need the backing of many others whose lives have been touched by the Casa. Please consider making a financial donation to support the continuing peacework of the Casa de los Amigos.
We also invite you to visit our new website at www.casadelosamigos.org to download the new issue of our newsletter La Voz de la Casa. Dedicated to the past three years of our Economic Justice program and our involvement in economies of solidarity in Mexico City, our newsletter is full of even more good news. You can download the issue directly or you can get in touch with us to mail you a printed copy. You can also learn more about what we need in order to do our work by looking at the 2010 Casa Big Wish List, which is also available on our homepage.
Your donation, joined by many others, will enable the work we are ready and willing to carry out in 2010! As this year comes to an end, we send boundless Casa greetings from Mexico City to you and yours. Now, as ever, our doors are open.
En paz y amistad,
Nico, Jill y Agnita Clay Wright Anderson
y todo el equipo de la Casa