Sarahuaro Foundation celebrated its 20th anniversary in March 2025. We first learned about the Sarahuaro Foundation when we attended A Night in Wonderland at the Montage Resort on the corridor. Both the Los Cabos Children’s Foundation and Sarahuaro Foundation were beneficiaries of this event. The objective of the Sarahuaro Foundation is to improve the situation of women and children in the poorest areas of Los Cabos. Education being one of the main vehicles to meet those goals. The situation of children is improved by providing a healthy breakfast in the morning to students – for some it is their only meal of the day. For their mothers’ it is through building marketable skills that can help to improve the situation of their children.

I had the opportunity to visit some of Sarahuaro’s projects with the Chairwoman of the Board, Nancy Brelos on a recent Saturday morning. On the drive from San Jose del Cabo to Cabo San Lucas, she provided me with some of the history of the organization, what it has achieved and what it hopes to achieve in the future.

Our first stop on the tour was the kitchen at a school near the private airport in Cabo San Lucas. Sarahuaro took over the kitchen at the school in 2013. The kitchen is dedicated to Erwin Potts, whose leadership for the school feeding program that provides the basis for children to be able to focus on learning each day. The kitchen now has 220 mothers who volunteer and run the kitchen on a day-to-day basis – 12 working each day. The kitchen provides 550 meals a day in three shifts. A number of organizations funded the development of the kitchen and bathrooms on the site. Dr. Simi provided the concrete tables and benches, replacing wooden folding tables and chairs. The Rogers Foundation funded building a large cistern for fresh water and provided the water for a year. The cost of water for a family of five can be more than twodays of pay. The Twin Dolphins Foundation provided support to build the bathrooms on the site. Maria del Carmen Sanchez Aguilar is the Program Director for the kitchen and works closely with the mothers to deliver the meals to school children day in and day out. In 2024, through Sarahuaro’s two kitchens, they served 462 children over 72,000 meals at three dining halls. A total of 72 girls and boys began elementary school within Sarahuaro’s feeding program and stayed in school through the 2024 elementary graduation.

Our next stop was at a nearby community center – Escuela ComunitariaConafe – created and run by Cecila with a government grant. Once again, the Twin Dolphins Foundation helped create the space. As we arrived, we were greeted by Cecilia and saw the art class that was in progress, with young children at easels creating their masterpieces. One large open building houses five different classroom spaces, with classes going on for both elementary and secondary children at the same time. Several hundred children from this poor neighborhood attend classes at different times of the day. Sarahuaro delivers 80 meals each morning to the community center to help the children start their day right and be ready to learn in their classes.

Our next stop was to the women’s center where the focus is on the mothers and preparing them to make a better life for themselves and their children. In one government building provided to Sarahuaro at no charge, women are taught the skills of massage, facials and doing nails. Four massage tables are in the main room and teachers work with each of the women to train them and help them to get certified in these new skills. On an adjacent property, owned by Sarahuaro, the Twin Dolphins Foundation has provided three converted shipping containers. One is outfitted as a kitchen, the second is a sewing center, and the third is a meeting area where support is provided to mothers and their children for early childhood development. Sarahuaro also helps to focus on sexual abuse of children in working with their mothers. In 2024, they coordinated 87 educational workshops, reaching more than 3,800 participants. These workshops have provided crucial information on sexual and reproductive health, thereby helping children, youth, parents, and teachers make informed and responsible decisions.

In the sewing center, the mothers are not only taught to sew but they create a series of products – pillows, dolls, bags and more that can be sold to support the organization. In 2024, 41 women benefited from the Sarahuaro Women’s Development Program. Through their empowerment workshops, both for personal and human development as well as trade skills and training for the workforce, they reached the impressive figure of 2,248 services provided.Additionally, 17 women achieved their SPA Massage Certification, demonstrating the success of the programs.

Through its educational program supporting both women and children, the Sarahuaro Foundation hopes to fight poverty in the poorest areas of Los Cabos.