Help us start DDA, a nonprofit organization that will work to reduce poverty and encourage democratic accountability in Mexico.  We are looking for volunteers with all kinds of skills.  Email us at roygermano@gmail.com if you would like to be part of this project. 


UPDATE: DDA IS HAPPENING!  WE ARE FORMING OUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND ARE APPLYING FOR TAX-EXEMPT STATUS FROM THE IRS


Project description:  Democracia Desde Abajo (which means “Democracy from Below” in English), or DDA, is a non-profit organization founded by Roy Germano, director of The Other Side of Immigration.  DDA’s mission is direct and practical: aid people in the Mexican countryside in their efforts to obtain government funding for productive projects.  By forming cooperatives and small businesses with government support, rural Mexicans will have fewer incentives to leave rural Mexico for work in the United States.


The Logic Behind DDA:  The Mexican government has established many programs to fund and support the development of small cooperatives in impoverished rural communities.  Funds, however, rarely reach their target populations for the following reasons: (1) The Mexican government’s out-reach efforts are modest at best; many who are eligible to participate are therefore unaware of the existence of these programs.  (2) To receive funding, applicants must organize with their neighbors, propose a creative business strategy, and engage in a complicated application process.  Most of those who are eligible for these programs, however, have very low levels of formal education and are unable to meet the demands of the application process on their own.  (3) Corruption is endemic to Mexican politics, particularly on the local level in rural areas.  Some applications therefore do not receive fair consideration and funds are sometimes not disbursed as promised.


DDA’s Mission: With these hurdles in mind, DDA will work with the citizens of impoverished Mexican communities and their representatives in the Mexican government.  Specifically, DDA will perform the following services: (1) DDA will disseminate information about government programs, traveling to rural communities to educate citizens about the funding that is available to them and their rights to apply for such funding.  (2) DDA will facilitate the organization of willing participants in rural communities and work with these community members to devise business strategies and think about potential markets for the products or services their cooperatives produce.  (3) DDA will rely on its many contacts in the Mexican government to help applicants bypass corruption, acting as a liaison between applicants and government officials to ensure that applications receive fair consideration and are ultimately funded.



Other ways you can be part of the solution...


VERY EASY   Join our Facebook page.  Then, click the “Suggest to friends” link under the main picture and tell all of your friends to join too.  Anytime we post an article or statement about immigration reform on our page, share the link on your page.



EASY   Donate $5, $20, $100 or more.  Donations help us bring the film’s message of empathy and understanding to more communities.  We are also starting an organization that will help people in rural Mexico obtain government funding to start small businesses.  With more opportunities in Mexico, fewer Mexicans will need to migrate to the United States. 




EASY   Write your Congressperson and Senator.  Tell them what you learned from watching The Other Side of Immigration.  Tell them that it is time to reform our immigration system.  Tell them to establish a guest-worker program so more Mexicans can work in the US legally, save some money, then return to their families after a couple of years.  Tell them it is time to work with the Mexican government to reduce poverty in Mexico.




MEDIUM  Host a screening.  Bring The Other Side of Immigration’s message of empathy and understanding to your community.  Send an email to roygermano@gmail.com for information about scheduling and screening fees.





MEDIUM  Find volunteer opportunities.  Provide services to immigrants in your community. Teach English.  Donate to or volunteer with groups like “No More Deaths,” which provide water and food to those making the dangerous journey through the Arizona desert.

 

Take action today! We hope The Other Side of Immigration inspires you to take action to work for immigration reform in the U.S. and promote economic development in Mexico.  Here are some things you can do to help...