Success Story: Uriel Avendaño

Uriel is 14 years old, lives in the H3 sector of Bahías de Huatulco and currently attends the 2nd year of secondary education.

Until he was 13 he lived in a ranch called La Rivera in the municipality of Santa Maria Tonameca, in Oaxaca. He is the third of four siblings. The family lived with their maternal grandmother, because the father – a fisherman – was unable to support them financially. Uriel is fortunate to have his sister Laura, 24, who cared about his future and invited him to live with her, her husband and their two young children in Bahías de Huatulco so he could continue his studies.

Uriel is deaf. He communicates through the Mexican Sign Language. In language therapy he works to increase his understanding and expression of the written language, also to be able to articulate some functional words, so he can communicate with the normal listeners. Laura sought information about places so that Uriel could receive language therapy and so it was that they contacted Un Nuevo Amanecer (UNA).

The day Uriel came to UNA was the day a weekly “Cooking Workshop” was held. Uriel was invited to join the Language Program and the cooking workshop. The latter for him was like a revelation. When he saw the other participants making pastries, the emotion reflected on his face.

Uriel started at the Cooking Workshop on July 26, 2019, and he quickly learned how to make pastries and pizzas. In this small area he started making chocolate and orange cupcakes to sell them. Although his dedication was notorious, the motivation grew a little more with the sale of his products.

A special moment for Uriel and his family was when we told him he would be supported with a pedestal mixer and a baker's oven for his house. They immediately fixed up space, installed the oven and our young man began to make a new dream come true, producing on a larger scale.

While he continues attending school, Uriel takes advantage of the evenings and weekends to make his products. His family and friends have organized a sales network, his mother sometimes visits him in Huatulco and together they make traditional breads and pastries. With the money obtained they have bought pizza trays, molds for cupcakes, roller, spoons, measuring glasses, spatulas, bowls, grater, etc. Thanks to the sale of his products, he also purchased shoes and school supplies. His next goal is to acquire stainless steel prep tables.

Uriel is a very happy teenager. There’s no sign of the boy who communicated to his sister his desperation of not knowing what he could do with his life. He dreams of having a bakery with luminous display cases to display his products. He wants to learn more, explore new paths to achieve a prosperous life. The Cooking Workshop offered him a chance, he took it and is taking advantage of it.

At Un Nuevo Amanecer we work with wonderful children like Uriel. Their dreams and motivations inspire us to help them realize the dream of achieving a full life with equal opportunities.

Yes, we can!