The following report is an abridged version of a more detailed document originally produced in Spanish. The report was commissioned by the International Youth Foundation (IYF) in mid-1995 as it sought to determine the scope of children and youth needs and existing resources in the state of Oaxaca, Mexico and whether or not to establish a new entity aimed at better meeting those needs. A team of local consultants was formed to carry out the report which is laying the groundwork for IYF's strategy in Oaxaca.

In December 1996, IYF, the Rockefeller, MacArthur, Kellogg and Ford Foundations, along with Mexican business leaders and local NGOs, legally constituted the Community Foundation of Oaxaca (CFO), among the first community foundations to be created in Mexico. This unusual partnership between North American donors and Mexican leaders was forged out of a commitment to build civil society within one of the poorest states of Mexico. It grew out of a belief that an indigenous foundation with pluralistic representation from its community is uniquely equipped to respond to the needs of that society's most impoverished members. We also believe that the foundation is uniquely positioned to promote local responsibility, to channel resources from within the state to address local needs, and to offer sustained developmental support to the most marginalized sectors of Oaxaca, the majority of which are young people.

Oaxaca, located in southern Mexico, is one of the richest states in terms of ethnic and geographic diversity and abundance of natural resources. At the same time, 75 percent of its population is living in highly marginalized circumstances with 30 percent of those living in extreme poverty. Oaxaca is predominately rural and lacks any industries as such. Its population of over three million inhabitants is spread throughout the state in 7,210 local communities, 98 percent of which has less than 2,500 inhabitants. Approximately 68 percent of the population is indigenous with 18 ethnic groups. About 20 percent of the population (and 150 of 570 municipalities) is monolingual in a language other than Spanish.

Young persons under 20 years represent 53.3 percent of the population, with 42.5 percent being under 15 years of age. Approximately 55.3 percent of the population has not completed primary school, and only 5.2 percent of the indigenous population accedes to middle and higher education. (The national average is 26 percent.) In fact, 42 percent of the indigenous population of Oaxaca over 14 years is illiterate. Girls are particularly marginated within Oaxacan society. For example, in secondary schools there are twice as many boys as girls since the latter are expected to do domestic chores such as caring for their siblings and yard animals. From 15 years, young women are considered suited for marriage; 39 percent marry when they are 15 to 19.

Given the extreme poverty and marginalization of the indigenous communities, it is said that 80 percent of rural youth must migrate to major cities and to the US in search of employment. In fact, it is said that five million Oaxacans live in the US with two million living in California alone.

Unlike in Chiapas where these is extreme civil unrest, the indigenous communities of Oaxaca, government and local private sector leaders have over the years maintained open dialogue and the government has recognized the indigenous structure and systems. Government and local leaders have directed financial support to indigenous communities, and an emerging NGO sector has also played an increasing role in supporting local development, especially as related to the environment, forestry, coffee production and marketing, health and culture.

Programs for children and youth, although not highly visible, are present in Oaxaca. They fall into four main categories:

1. Development programs which train and involve young people in local development activities. Most of these programs "accidently" involve young people since they are the majority of the population in their community rather than out of intentional interest in developing young people's skills, knowledge and capacities;

2. Relief centers which serve the disabled, terminally ill, and abandoned children;

3. Youth groups which are self-directed efforts of young people, especially in indigenous communities, involved in promoting traditional culture through music, cultural groups and community service activities; and

4. Comprehensive programs for children and youth.

Through the establishment of the Community Foundation of Oaxaca IYF, together with other national and North American donors, expects to contribute to a coordinated effort to identify and strengthen effective and promising programs for young people and their families, as well as to support other key areas of local development. We also expect that the CFO will serve as a catalyst to bring together leaders from government, the private sector and NGOs to seek solutions for local development and to increase local responsiblity. We believe that this initiative represents an exemplary effort where local people create their own, indigenous instrument to further build and weave together the fabric of civil society in Oaxaca.

Carol Michaels O'Laughlin
Director of Partner Development and Grants
International Youth Foundation