Border Orphanage’s Troubles a Lesson for Charities in Mexico

An orphanage in a Mexican border city is using the recent near-failure of the facility to teach similar organizations about the challenges faced by nonprofits operating in Mexico, The Texas Tribune writes.

The Los Ojos de Dios orphanage in Ciudad Juarez has seen donations drop sharply, in part due to a 5 percent tax increase in border cities enacted by the national government. At the same time, the Chihuahua state government did not follow through on promises to increase its funding for the center, the Tribune says.

The orphanage, which operates as a nonprofit in both Mexico and the United States, did not have a contingency plan to deal with its fiscal troubles. Last month it sought help from Chihuahua’s social services office because it was running low on medicine, and the agency responded by suddenly removing 40 children with special needs from the home.

The children have since been returned, and Oscar Cantú, president of the orphanage’s board, said the incident prompted private and government officials to form a coalition to set guidelines aimed at preventing similar situations. “We now know that what happened to us is a blessing. It united all of the rest of the organizations,” Mr. Cantú said.