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INACO.com, with toys and assistance from Athletes for Education, visited Tijuana, Mexico this 3 Kings Day to provide toys and smiles to children from one of the poorest neighborhoods in Tijuana Mexico - El Ranchito.
The children from this neighborhood, which is located at the top of a mountain and with steep cliffs on both sides, attend a rural elementary school. This modest school was built by volunteers from another organization, but serves as a place for the community to give their children hope and a future. Without this school, most of these students would be at home full time and receive no type of education. The school is divided into two classrooms. Each classroom holds students from various grades to accomodate the need for various grades of education in a reduced space.
With help from the local community leaders and a past teacher, we where able to organize the event and invite the students on this Day of the Three Kings, which is celebrated in Mexico much like Christmas is in the United States.
Thanks to the generous donation of so many toys, we where able to bring smiles to so many children who did not receive presents this year.
Our mission is to promote education and the need to focus and excel in school. To do this, we decided to award a bicycle to the top two students (determined by grades). The remaining students where lined up according to their grades and they each got to choose one toy. The better the student performed in school, the more toys to choose from. We also took the opportunity to challenge students to be the top student for our next event, so that they could be the recipient of a brand new bicycle.
As each child entered and saw all the toys before their eyes, each was excited and thankful.
| Wednesday, January 6, 2010 |
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| The steep cliffs on the road leading up to the school |
The dirt road drive up to the school |
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| A collection of toys |
More toys |
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| The Teacher and Community Leader |
Volunteers |
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| Checking the list of students |
The students in front of the school |
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| Kimberly, the top GPA student and bike recipient |
It's sooooo hard to choose |
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| Pre-K and Kindergarden class |
Her new dress up dolls |
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| Her new Bratz!!! |
Straight for the car collection |
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| Found a doll set |
Biggest smile of all |
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| The boys |
Future musician |
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| He tried them on as soon as he went outside |
The big boys |
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| His new Super Soaker |
Happy about his cars |
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| The crawling baby doll |
The big girls laughing and smiling |
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| What did you get? Everyone sharing |
Talking about the toys out in the yard |
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| Wow! These kids where soooo happy |
He couldn't stop playing with his new watergun |
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| Received the bicycle for her friend, who is currently very sick and could not attend. We hope she recovers soon so she can use her bicycle. |
El Ranchito. The bars on the school window. Since the classrooms have been broken into before, they had to place bars on all the windors. This was the creative one |
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