Every Friday packs Arsenia Cortez early in the morning, two giant nylon bags in your worn backpack, and is on the way. A whole hour of need, the 47-year-old Mexican woman from your village Amozoc up in the capital of the province of Puebla, twice you must change the Bus. 35 Pesos it costs around 1.50 euros. Although you must turn over every Centavo, saves you on those trips. Your goal: the Foundation of the Mexican food banks (BAMX), a non-profit Board for the needy. The organization has branches all across the country. In Puebla is housed in a large, unadorned block of concrete, in an industrial area directly to the motorway.

"Without the panel I don't know how my family ends would, in this crisis," says the mother of three Teens, while waiting in the queue in front of the building. "The business is bad." Cortés sells beauty products door-to-door. Her husband works in a blacksmith workshop, which has since mid-March, hardly any orders. Earlier you had to take the help of the panel only once in a month, now she comes in once a week.

to supply A quarter more people

In the office on the ground floor, Pedro declared Mayoral a social worker to its location. He writes for the first Time in the program. "I live by the sale of second-hand clothes," says the 72-Year-old. "But now my income is broken away, and I don't know anymore," he adds with shame, before he makes himself walk over to the half-hour way back home. Three-quarters of a Million Mexicans obtained according to the government, already bridge loans, but it is a drop in the ocean, and millions like Mayoral and Cortés fall through the cracks on the network.

The number of aid recipients at BAMX has reached the pandemic a historic high, says Director Miguel Rojas. In Mexico, in a network of closed panels supplied last year, 1.3 million people - in may, the number skyrocketed to 1.6 million. In Puebla were enrolled Beneficiary in January of 130,000, and now there are 160.000. Rojas expects that in the coming months, 200,000: "it will be a challenge, because we need to get more donations."

Elaborate hygiene protection is mandatory

In Puebla, where half of the six million inhabitants live in poverty, is one of the largest and most modern offshoot of the network. In the large warehouse, it's in the loft. The Lord of the bustle, Eric Limon is. The logistics chief keeps records of what comes in and how much goes out. "In February, we delivered 1500 food parcels per day, now there are almost 3,000," he says as the gun shot. Not only that Rojas prepared for long days and short nights. After the outbreak of the pandemic, the panel had to establish itself in record time in addition, new standards of hygiene.

Now a mobile washbasin with soap in front of the entrance. Every visitor must run on at least two disinfection carpets, and through a Tunnel with a nebulised disinfectant spray. At the entrance of fever is measured, the mouth protection is mandatory for all and the yellow-black marked crosses on the ground mark the Waiting area with a respectful distance. The volunteers to wear her gloves and red overalls aprons to be washed every night hot.

organization is all

The beneficiaries are encouraged to organize, if possible, and to not take the help of the collective in reception - where the is delivered to or from the local parishes. "The organization of aid recipients has always been an important part of our work, to strengthen social cohesion," says Rojas.

that worked, for example, in the case of Angelina Alvarez and Janeth Melchor. The two women come from Patria Nueva, 26 kilometers to the Southeast of Puebla. 233 families registered in their farming village at the panel. "We put all the rent every Friday a delivery truck, to the food pick up," says Alvarez, while she puts the packages on the loading surface. "Now with the crisis, the Need has increased, but in the car no longer fits in easy," sighs the 58-Year-old.

How long the money yet?

The list of donors is long: super markets, wholesale markets and Restaurants in the first place. They give mainly perishable, and shortly before the expiry date of food. In-kind and monetary donations also come from the local industrial and manufacturing firms, universities, or the local football club, which is just a visit and a cheque handed over. But the impending recession puts a large question mark behind the donations in the next few years.

so Far, the attention of the BAMX was particularly the eight percent of the people in Puebla, living in extreme poverty. In the pandemic, it is also important to prevent the slipping of other families, told Rojas. For those who live too long under the existence minimum, is suffering health-wise, whose children fall behind in education. Thus, the poverty becomes, not infrequently, in a durable case.

author: Sandra White

*The post "Mexico in the COVID-19-pandemic: The last Centavos for a journey to the table" is published by Deutsche Welle. Contact with the executives here.

Deutsche Welle

Date Of Update: 31 May 2020, 13:27