The LAT nonprofit committee’s recent reports in our newsletters on the different activities underwritten by our community have focused on undertakings that are larger in scope, such as our Escuelita, the after school program we support in neighboring Macario Gomez, or the National Geographic Society sponsored drone research.

However, the LAT community throughout the year also supports a number of smaller worthy endeavors that address specific concerns in our area.  This past month, for example, we made a contribution to Help Tulum Dogsin support of the organization’s regularly conducted Spay and Neuter Campaign to reduce the stray canine problem in the Tulum area.

The organization is well-established with dedicated volunteers, including LAT residents, and has an excellent record of putting heart and muscle into proactively facing the dreadful conditions resulting from uncontrolled breeding.  We have supported them financially in the past; we also arranged for a large donation of used towels for vets and technicians to use during surgical procedures.  This is but a bandage for the problem. We know we can’t solve it.  But we can help ameliorate it.​

Last month, LAT also made a financial donationto a particularly meaningful mission successfully spearheaded several years ago by midwife, Sabrina Speich von Escher.  Originally from Switzerland, Sabrina founded and directs OsoMayor/The Womb Space in Tulum, a clinic offering midwifery-based healthcare to women.  Working as a midwife had brought Sabrina face-to-face with the frequent partner violence women suffered during pregnancy and post-partem period.  While this problem is not specific to any social class, it is particularly prevalent among the lower income groups.  To these abused and threatened women, OsoMayo provides protection, shelter and health careat a time when they are most vulnerable.  No other such facility exists for them in the entire state of Quintana Roo. Our contribution will go towards much needed infrastructural improvements and expansion of the facility. ​

These smaller contributions, particularly, are poignant demonstrations of how much good we, as members of a community, can do collectively with our annual contribution to our nonprofit fund of what amounts to less than 60 cents/day. We are, of course, very pleased that LAT has attracted the attention of international research teams and preservation organizations.  But there is nothing more gratifyingto our owners and residents to witness first-hand how our annual commitment has literally changed individuals’ lives for the better.   ​

Since the official establishment of our nonprofit in 2012, the LAT community has built a well-respected reputation in the Tulum area, and beyond, of social responsibility and neighborly compassion along with our ecological mission.  For our community, care for the environment extends beyond flora and fauna and encompasses also our fellow women, men and children.​

As always, if anyone wants to join our committee, volunteer for specific tasks or wishes to propose a charitable project, please contact us at nonprofit@losarbolestulum.org ​

Your LAT NonProfit Committee