- The Construyendo project, which receives donations on its website, www.construyendo.org is a development initiative, not a charity, and seeks to get families to commit to the process of building their homes.
Acapulco, February 27, 2025.- Asociación Construyendo, in collaboration with Mextenis, continues the reconstruction of houses in the port of Acapulco that were destroyed by Hurricane Otis in 2023 and Hurricane John in 2024.
Renata Burillo, president of the Board of Directors of Mextenis, Alfonso Serrano, president of the Board of Trustees of Construyendo, and Cristina Pilgrim, general director of the Construyendo Association, gave details of the reconstruction they have promoted in the area of Puerto Marqués.
After almost a year and a half of Otis’ passage, Pilgrim said that so far they have a census of more than 500 families. It has been an important effort in itself to reach the families, not only those who have lost their homes due to Otis, but also those who are really vulnerable.
He specified that they currently have 138 projects (housing) in their construction schedule and are about to start the construction of a school, as well as two chapels; this is the plan they have for 2023, 2024 and part of 2025.
Serrano pointed out that this is an integral project and not just construction.
“Our greatest wish is that this project becomes part of the community and that once Construyendo is no longer here, the community will live differently because of what we did,” he said.
They also pointed out that there are two types of beneficiaries, direct and indirect beneficiaries.
“The direct beneficiaries amount to 750 people and the indirect beneficiaries amount to more than 1, 500, while the local jobs generated on a temporary basis that are specifically for people who have helped us build the homes and, additionally three more people who are part of the Construyendo payroll, amount to 75 jobs,” Pilgrim said.
The focus of the association “is really to support people in an integral way with projects that go from the recovery of material goods and infrastructure to generating temporary employment, local economic spillover, reactivating the communities, psychosocial support, accompaniment of the families, involvement of the families. We want the families to feel that this project is theirs and that they make it theirs,” he reiterated.
The Construyendo project, which receives donations on its website www.construyendo.org, is a development project in itself, not a welfare project, and seeks to get the families to commit to the whole process of building their homes.
One of the beneficiaries, Reina Choquín Ramírez, said that thanks to Construyendo and people who donated, she has a house for her and her husband.
“The association does help the poor, those of us who really need it, those of us who don’t have the possibility of building a house, because at least I wouldn’t have been able to do it on my own. My husband is a farmer and I am a housewife,” said the woman, who said that a month after Hurricane Otis hit, she began the construction of her house, which has all the services, water, electricity and drainage.
“One day they came to my house to tell me that they were going to rebuild my house and now I am happy, calm, I have a safe roof. When they came, I couldn’t believe it because I said, ‘Who comes to knock on your door and say, “I’m going to build your house”?
For Mextenis, which organizes the tournament from February 24 to March 1, it is important to include the community in its activities in order to give back to Acapulco with socially responsible actions.
Committed to Acapulco, its home, the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presented by HSBC collaborates with foundations and sponsors in community support programs.
