Although the national poverty rate for Mexico has reached almost 50% of the population, almost 70% of Oaxaca suffers economic poverty, with extreme poverty 3 times higher than the national rate (Coneval, 2010).
Among the various causes of this poverty, we focus on three:
Many rural communities face a shortage of local skills to develop, manage, and finance solutions that improve their social and economic well-being, building on the abundant knowledge and skills already present locally and regionally.
Formal channels, such as personal and professional networks, remain largely absent, eliminating potential access to more financial and human capital.
A lack of access persists to adequate financing based on the real needs of local groups, planned in such a way to reduce dependency on external organizations and promote self-sufficiency, taking into account local input.
Many interventions have failed or are unsuitable for various reasons:
There is an abundance of skepticism and lack of trust in outside organizations to successfully tackle these issues while taking into account local input and participation.
A culture of dependency has prevailed fueled by a history of state and federal paternalism that does not currently foster self-sufficiency or innovation to create solutions to address local needs.
Lack of companies or sustainable fair-pay initiatives that employ residents.
Although there are many examples of local community solidarity (eg Tequios, community festivals and traditions, religious celebrations, etc.), in many places individualism and limited employment opportunities generate jealousy, fighting, suspicion and little or no collaboration with groups outside one's family network on projects that would benefit other residents. This seriously hinders the productive capacity and impact of any given initiative.
There are many outside organizations that treat working with local groups as an impersonal transaction, nothing more.