Monterrey, Nuevo Leon.- In an effort to support communities of Nuevo Leon, the Consulate General of United States in Monterrey in coordination with the Institute of Cultural Relations they inaugurated the «Strengthening Our Roots» program yesterday afternoon. The program is aimed at teaching English for 25 indigenous women in Monterrey.
Strengthening Our Roots will last for one year and consists of 300 hours of English language courses and computer skills, including leadership skills and components of American culture. The age of participants ranges from 18 to 50 years old. All participants are currently bilingual (Spanish and indigenous language) and will soon be trilingual. Indigenous languages spoken by the participants are: Huesteco or Teenek, Mixe, Mixtec, Nahuatl, Otomi, and Tarahumara. Participants are native communities in states of Hidalgo, Jalisco, San Luis Potosi, Veracruz, Oaxaca, Chihuahua, Quintana Roo and several were born in Nuevo Leon indigenous parents who previously left their communities.
All participants have a personal desire to achieve their objectives and goals, and then help other members of their family and community. The reason I want to learn English is to have more opportunities for work and / or study. Most of the participants work and study right now.
During the ceremony, the Consul General of the United States, Timothy Zuniga-Brown said: «The idea of the English program Strengthening Our Roots born a year ago, initiated by the Consulate General of the United States in Monterrey and becomes a reality thanks to support and collaboration of our wonderful Institute of Cultural Relations. An integral part of our work at the consulate, is to create and strengthen ties between the United States and Mexico in all spheres of society. We know that Mexico is a multicultural country, a country of incredibly rich and diverse cultures. As such, our work would not be complete without the efforts to build and strengthen in both countries, the links between indigenous peoples and organizations that support their social development. »
This recognition of 25 indigenous women participants, the diplomat also said, «Today, we are recognizing the twenty – five women creditor scholarship to join this program. Tonight, I see many enthusiastic women to put their talents to work to stop further our mutual prosperity. Women entrepreneurs with a spirit of excellence, eager to broaden their horizons and move forward. Women who are already bilingual and trilingual soon to be! I want to congratulate all our fellows for having made them worthy of this scholarship and urge you to continue to give the best of you every day in order to take full advantage.
The United States considers gender equality and empowerment of women a cornerstone of US foreign policy.
Also at the ceremony, two groups participated Teach for Mexico and Teach for America , who carry out an exchange of professionals between Monterrey and San Antonio, Texas this month with the aim of improving the quality of education and foster greater understanding of educational realities of Mexico and the United States, while an active partnership between the two countries is promoted.
