Dear Friends, Pseudo-Friends and complete strangers,

Some of you already know I have accepted an amazing Anthropology Internship in Mexico this May. Our group will be working under a non-profit organization known as Fifth Sun Development Fund. Fifth Sun's Carranza-Casillas Sustainable Mountain Development Initiative, which our group will be a part of, is now in its third year. Located in an isolated valley South of Monterrey, Mexico, the people of Casillas and Carranza have experienced centuries of hardship from conquest and colonization to exploitation and globalization. Many families in the area continue to struggle for land, resources and even basic needs such as sanitation, clean water, and food.

Following the United Nations' framework, Fifth Sun has initiated projects to help the people of Casillas and Carranza gain the skills, knowledge, and tools they need to improve their quality of life. The projects are developed through ethnographic research, locally identified needs, and applied anthropology perspectives. With respect to the culture and natural environment, the projects are designed to 1.) decrease poverty and hunger 2.) increase primary education and 3.) improve environmental sustainability. Some of the projects our group will help with include: Teaching furniture making with the use of available materials and sustainable practices, Adult literacy education, and summer enrichment classes for children. We will also help build knowledge and understanding of the people and their environment with visual cultural documentation and by conducting surveys. The ultimate goal is to empower the locals to continue to use the tools and knowledge even after we are gone.

As student volunteers we will be responsible for paying our own way, each of us is expected to contribute a minimum of $700.00 for travel and lodging expenses. Most of us are full time students with part time jobs that is why we are turning to friends and family for support (that's where you come in). I am asking for your help in raising the money I need to participate in the program. Donations of any amount will be greatly appreciated. If your genorisity gets me beyond my goal of $700.00 the surplus will be forwarded to our group coordinator to pay for additional costs we incur on the trip as well as gifts for the locals who will be housing us.

With our departure date soon approaching I have set up a convenient and secure online donation page through PayPal.

I thank you for your time, consideration, and support in all its forms.

With love and gratitude,
Nicole Filosa

PS if you already got my email ignore this post.