By Paola Velasco
The Sistema Nacional para el Desarrollo Integral de la Familia (National System for Integral Family), known as DIF, is a Mexican public social services institution focused on strengthening and developing the health, welfare, and well-being of the Mexican family. Brisa Calderón Rosales is currently serving a three-year term as San Miguel de Allende’s Municipal DIF director and recently shared with Atención details of the organization’s day-to-day work with local young children and adolescents. The municipal DIF’s work with children falls into several key service areas:
Rehabilitation. Many children from outlying communities need specialized physical therapy and rehabilitation for various physical conditions. DIF offers these therapies at very low costs. Often, the first time these children arrive at DIF, they are unable to walk, but with the proper therapy, they can improve significantly over time. DIF even sends transportation to those who cannot easily reach their facilities.
Social Assistance. Psychologists and other professionals work in this area to provide support for those who request help. Unfortunately, many come to DIF only when they view it as a last resort, but it shouldn’t be this way because DIF has a team standing by, ready to serve families in need.
Legal assistance. This area is in great demand because through these services, needed legal advice can be obtained, while protecting the integrity of the family. With an objective to prevent, address, and eradicate violence in San Miguel families, the DIF legal assistance team provides free legal assistance to people with limited resources who need such assistance or want to pursue family matter cases through the courts. The team is made up of lawyers, psychologists, and specialists in attending to the primary needs of families. Currently, there are 117 young children and adolescents being served by this team—children who, for various reasons, are being protected by DIF until their family situations improve. Sometimes parents do not fulfill the role of caregivers, so DIF takes responsibility for the care of those children. This might involve placement in foster homes, where their expenses are covered, and providing personalized follow-up. Reintegration into the family is always the goal, but only if the physical and emotional safety of the child is ensured.
Centro de Asistencia de Desarrollo Infantil, (Child Development Assistance Center), also known as CADI. This agency is responsible for providing care and attention to nursery and preschool children, with a focus on cognitive, recreational, and physical and emotional health. In San Miguel, CADI offers first-class facilities, with spacious, colorful, bright spaces and rooms full of joy. Some 250 San Miguel families have benefited from this program so far. Karla Galindo, coordinator for CADI San Miguel, said, «The intention is to offer a safe and loving space to our children.» The CADI facility has a permanent surveillance system with more than 50 cameras to help guarantee the safety of all users, work staff, and parents. It also offers therapeutic support to people who request it.
Casa Esperanza. DIF San Miguel’s philosophy is that there are no second-class citizens; everyone deserves well-being. Many of the citizens served by Casa Esperanza are children of parents who cannot offer decent housing, and the facility addresses the basic needs of street children and adolescents who are homeless or vulnerable, providing workshops, meals, and psychological assistance.
Food support. Mexico’s DIF program began in 1972 to increase the nutritional intake and welfare of the poor. Since then, its food programs have expanded to include several food assistance programs, including community kitchens and school breakfast programs aimed at guaranteeing the human right to adequate, nutritional food. Children at risk of malnutrition are provided healthy meals including milk, vegetables, whole grains, and fresh fruit. DIF food assistance programs include quality assurance measures to help ensure program success, including strict hygiene and food safety standards. DIF’s focus on food assistance is an integrated package of food, health, and educational services. Food education covers proper nutrition at different stages of life, delivered through talks, training, workshops, culinary demonstrations, educational material, and other means. Also, food support programs include nutritional surveillance of weight and height measurements of the children being served.
Beyond support of marginalized children in the community, DIF also provides support to other members of the vulnerable population, such as women, older adults, and people with disabilities, always ensuring respect for their rights. For example, DIF plays an important role in providing care and promoting the quality of life for older adults. DIF provides not only food, but also tools for active aging, including many forms of dance, singing, physical exercise (such as Tai Chi and aqua-aerobics), literacy, and recreational activities such as crafts and painting.
A Critical Need
Data underscoring the need for DIF services are revealed by statistics compiled through Data Mexico. In 2020, 8.24% of San Miguel’s population did not have access to sewage systems, 3.76% did not have a water supply network or water, 6.07% did not have a bathroom, and 1.02% did not have electricity.
In 2020, 40.3% of the population was in moderate poverty, and 3.17% was in extreme poverty. Because of lack social services, the vulnerable population reached 41.6%, while the vulnerable population due to income was 3.52%.
The primary social needs in San Miguel in 2020 were lack of access to social security, lack of access to health services, and lack of access to food. In 2020, the highest educational levels achieved in San Miguel were primaria (elementary)—30,400 people or 26.3% of the total population; secundaria (middle school)—42,600 people or 36.9% of the total; and high school or general baccalaureate—26,200 people or 22.7% of the total.
San Miguel’s illiteracy rate in 2020 was 7.62%. Of the total illiterate population, 38.2% were men, and 61.8% were women.
Regarding DIF’s role in protecting the integrity of the San Miguel family by helping to prevent, address, and eradicate violence, it’s important to note that the most frequent criminal complaints filed during January 2022 were family violence (44), other common law crimes (53), and theft (117), which, combined, made up 51.2% of the total complaints for the month. (Source: Data Mexico). When comparing the number of complaints in January 2021 to January 2022, those with the highest growth were sexual abuse (200%), burglary (133%), and fraud (108 percent). (Source: Executive Offices of the National Public Security System, or SESNSP.)
Political participation
Results presented by the Electoral Institute of the State of Guanajuato, regarding the elections during the period of 2018-2021, in the 46 municipalities are as follows. There were 13 women elected as mayors, representing 28.3% of the mayors in the state. Here, the municipality of San Miguel de Allende does not appear. (Source: Institute for Guanajuato Women 2020.)
Achieving Its Goals
To help achieve its many goals, the Municipal DIF offers constant training and receives support from the state DIF. Funding includes subsidies from the Municipal Council of San Miguel de Allende, and in December 2022, the Municipal DIF will be eligible for support from OXXO’s Redondeo program (round up at checkout). In addition, this year DIF—together with Devlyn Optics—will offer a program to address the needs of those with poor eyesight, providing both the testing and the frames at no charge. In May the DIFF will also sponsor an Oral Health Week, as well as a Kid’s First program that provides help for orthopedic problems.
“I have a professional team of more than 150 people who work at the DIF,” Calderón said. “For us, professionalism and human warmth are very important when dealing with the people who come to us. For me, the humane treatment of those who arrive broken is essential.”
Calderón makes it a practice to regularly go out into the community to stay in touch with the people. This allows her to find out about the needs of the different communities that make up San Miguel. For example, after the pandemic, many areas are suffering because residents stopped coming to work in San Miguel. This has led to social disintegration. To help address this problem, the Municipal DIF is implementing a program in the schools called Healing in Love through which storytellers with an educational and psychological background support the mental, physical, and emotional health of families.
There is also the sad phenomenon of families fragmented by migration. Many adolescents have been repatriated and now live with their grandparents. They too approach DIF to request some type of support. In conclusion, Calderon stated: «For me, DIF is a universe of great actions and great surprises.»
