December 2014

Playa Del Carmen, Mexico

Recycling for Social Inclusion

Objective
To raise 500 pounds for our partners: Save the Children, Integral Care Center, and Cocos Cat
Rescue.
Summary
On December 9, 2014, the Playa Community hub participated in the Social Inclusion fundraising
event where the team picked up recyclable materials in the streets of Playa del Carmen. Their efforts supported the GVI partners and had an impact on the community and poor of Mexico. The
team raised 767 GPB and removed roughly 80 kg of recyclable materials and 300 kg of rubbish
from the streets of Playa Del Carmen.

Figure 1: The volunteers getting ready for Recycling for Social Inclusion.

Report
Toilet bowls. Soda cans. Paper. Cardboard boxes. Clothes. Tires. Metal materials. Cable wires.
These are just some of the items dumped into the jungle area and school near the volunteers temporary home in Playa Del Carmen. Everyday locals, volunteers, and children from the school walk
through heavily littered areas. The GVI volunteers wanted to help change this reality. They decided
to participate in a fundraising event that focused on picking up rubbish and recyclable materials:
Recycling for Social Inclusion. In Mexico, the government donates money to the poor with each recyclable material given to the government. Therefore, this event supported the GVI partners and
had an impact on the community and disenfranchised people of Mexico.
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Figure 2: Volunteers having fun while picking up rubbish.

On December 9, 2014, the volunteers

put on their safety gear to pick up rubbish and recyclables. The day was
very hot, but they were positive. As the
volunteers gathered the litter, they received a lot of support. Locals asked
questions about the event and commended the volunteers for their work.
People drove by the volunteers and
gave them a thumbs-up to show support. A woman donated bottles of water to keep the teams hydrated. A local
man heard what they were doing and
was inspired to donate money. By the
end of the event, the volunteers gained
the attention and support of the local
community and picked up 300 kg of
rubbish and 80 kg of recyclable materials!

The volunteers had only one week to raise money

for the programs: Save the Children Ludoteca,
Integral Care Center, and Cocos Cat Rescue.
They created teams through the GVI Charitable
Trust Fund and quickly reached out to their families and friends back home. The volunteers
shared the inspiring stories of the projects. Save
the Children Ludoteca provides a safe place for
children by offering free childcare to parents who
are unable to afford it. Through these efforts, they
keep the children off of the streets. Integral Care
Center provides quality services to special needs
children since, in Mexico, very little attention and
resources are given to these children. The last
project, Cocos, spays and neuters cats and dogs
to reduce the amount of stray animals in the
streets. Families and friends felt the GVI partners
stories and helped the volunteers surpass their
fundraising goal. The volunteers were excited to
learn that they raised 767 GPB, but their impact
did not end there.

Fig. 3:Volunteers gathering the rubbish and recyclables collected

from the day

A special thank you to the friends and

family of the volunteers. Because of your generous donations, our projects are able to buy items to
help run the Ludoteca, give small scholarships to the special needs children and purchase surgical
materials to spay and neuter cats and dogs. Finally, thank you to the volunteers. You helped make
this event possible. Your passion touched others around the world, and your hard work brought the
community together. Because of your efforts on December 9th, a family of four will be helped
through the recycling program in Mexico. Well done!

For more information on the projects here in Mexico, visit:

http://www.gvi.co.uk/location/yucatan/
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