Cotija de la Paz, Mich, Mexico.  May 25, 2005. In a show of international solidarity and solidarity with the poor, officials of the Mexican and Spanish governments led the inauguration ceremonies for the new “Center for Development of Cotija” and the “Development Center for the Indigenous Women.”  Antonio Sanchez Diaz Rivera represented the Secretary of Social Development, accompanied by Graciela Andrade, Secretary of Social Development for the State of Michoacán, and the Honorable Gema Amor, counselor of the Generalitat Valenciana of Spain.

Also presiding were Francisco Morant, vice director of Cooperation of the Foundation GENERALITAT VALENCIANA, Oscar Restrepo, director of the Anahuac Foundation, local authorities, Father Conrad Fernandez, parish priest of Cotija, and Fr. Rodolfo Mayagoitia, territorial director of the Legionaries of Christ in Mexico.

These centers for training and development have been sponsored by the Anahuac Foundation, which for over 18 years has promoted and developed projects for helping the most needy.  Its mission centers around bettering the standard of life of persons in unfavorable situations through providing quality health and educational services.  To this end, it makes use of the best technology and professional expertise to reach the most margionalized regions.

The Anahuac Foundation forms part of the Altius Foundation, which unites a series of projects and institutions in the common aim of raising the living standards of those families that are most in need.  It is backed by the more than 140 educational institutions founded by the Legionaries of Christ throughout the world.

During the event, the Honorable Gema Amor announced that in Valencia more than six million euros have been invested in projects throughout the world and that her intention is to continue supporting projects such as the CEDECO (Center for Development of Cotija) of Cotija, Michoacán, which is an example of social progress.  For his part, Francisco Morante of the University of Valencia stated that a people that plans is an intelligent people and that this region of the nation is planning its short, medium, and long-term future through projects such as the CEDECO, sponsored by the Anahuac Foundation.

Finally, the Undersecretary of Social Development for the federal government and the Secretary of Social Development for the state of Michoacán both agreed that the Development Center for Indigenous Women and the CEDECO are excellent projects with immediate results that should be replicated throughout the country as examples of joint work between federal, state, and municipal authorities and civil institutions such as the Anahuac Foundation, directed by the Legionaries of Christ.

While touring the facilities, the local community, as well as the authorities, admired the various faculties, sporting facilities, conference and meeting rooms, library, and modern computer lab.  They also visited the medical clinic, where they witnessed a doctor doing an ultrasound on a patient, while a specialist in the State of Guerrero reviewed it and provided the diagnosis.  This is made possible by the clinic’s Telemedicine technology, provided by the Anahuac Foundation in regions of Guerrero and Oaxaca.

For more information, visit the Spanish-language site at www.altius.org.