Yet, it’s worth taking a brief look at what poverty looks like in this town.<\/p>\n
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Where do they come from?<\/strong><\/p>\n Because of the booming tourism in Playa del Carmen, many poor farmers and village folk from throughout the Yucatan Peninsula, as well from other parts of the country \u2013 especially the states of Tabasco and Chiapas \u2013 have moved here to find work.<\/p>\n Many find reasonably good jobs (relative to their situation) in tourism. Many work in construction, which is a healthy industry these days.\u00a0 A few never make their way very well and live in fairly harsh poverty.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n What does it look like? In almost all cases \u2013 whether they do well or not \u2013 many of the newcomers live in shacks to begin with \u2013 usually concrete block walls with fiberglass roofs, sometimes huts made out of wooden polls.<\/p>\n Those who do well usually begin to build up a nicer home little by little, as they have the cash to invest in materials (the work they’ll do themselves.)\u00a0 The process of completing a home like this can take years upon years.<\/p>\n Thus, the most common sight in the poorer neighborhoods is partially built concrete homes. Some are abandoned and \u201cregress\u201d to the shack status.\u00a0 Others are completed to be modest but comfortable and decent homes for their owners.\u00a0 A few are even beautifully finished to become attractive, nicely designed homes by any standards.<\/p>\n Of course, there are some who, although starting out poor themselves, build substandard apartment buildings which they rent out to others for very low prices. (There are also some that are fairly decent.)<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Who Needs the Help?<\/strong><\/p>\n In all the cases mentioned above, when families first arrive to Playa, they usually have young children to think of \u2013 some of whom need to go to school.\u00a0 That’s why the KKIS program Bea wrote about yesterday is so important.<\/p>\n There are other forms of charity to help families as they try to establish themselves, helping with items such as clothing and healthcare.\u00a0 There are also programs for the homeless \u2013 often people who never manage to make things work.<\/p>\n There are plenty of ways to volunteer, donate and contribute; it’s always worth giving back to the community that you choose as your new home!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n -by Thomas Lloyd When we write about communities in Playa del Carmen and other places, we obviously focus on the nicer communities that would appeal to expats. Yet, at the same time, we’ve been writing about charities recently in this blog. You may … Continue reading
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