San Pancho, Mexico

Aviation for Humanity's Director of Outreach, Blaire Harvey, shares her experience volunteering while on vacation:

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"Aviation for Humanity has reached Mexico! San Francisco, or San Pancho as it is more commonly referred to, is a Mexican town situated in the State of Nayarit on the central Pacific coast of Mexico about 50 km north of Puerto Vallarta on Federal Hwy 200. Just north of the popular surf town, Sayulita.
 
As the Director of Outreach for Aviation for Humanity so far, I’ve only connected volunteers to organizations abroad. My family was planning a holiday and I was pleased to find this incredible organization in the little town of San Pancho in the Riviera Nayarit, México. My family and I got to visit the charitable organization, entreAmigos and bring 60 pencil cases to selected students from their scholarship program. We were welcomed with bright eyes and big smiles. The kids’ ages ranged from 5-12yrs old and they happily received the notebook, crayons, colored pencils, pens and paper airplanes. The center itself assists children of all ages. It was beautiful to watch my own children engage and share with these special kids.  The center was started by three women who noticed too many kids on the beach selling candies and trinkets. Discovering the reasoning they were not in school because their parents couldn’t afford even the public school options. They created a place where mothers could tap into their creative energy, make goods and sell them to support a future with education for their children. The space has grown exponentially with great local support. The community works together and is really committed to a greener planet by making all their goods from recycled materials.

Entreamigos strives to achieve its mission to increase learning opportunities for children and families through the implementation of educational programs based on principles of integration and collective community action. The vision of Entreamigos is to provide the children and families of San Pancho with the skills needed to contribute to their changing communities in a positive way.
 
Entreamigos is a nationally recognized environmental education center.  The facility is sustainably designed using 80% recycled materials and serves as an interactive teaching center for students and visitors of all ages.  Entreamigos staff practice outreach in the regional schools with custom designed interactive teaching materials.
 
If you or someone you know is traveling to the Puerto Vallarta/Riviera Nayarit location and desire a humbling experience, please reach out! There are many different kinds of volunteer opportunities at Entreamigos for residents and for visitors.  Entreamigos is funded by private donations and onsite businesses. Entreamigos relies heavily on the support of volunteers. To learn more about their program please visit: https://entreamigos.org.mx/about-entreamigos-non-profit-san-pancho/"
 
--Blaire