Group Aids Destitute Mexican Tribe

Members of the Tarahumara tribe in Northern Mexico are malnourished, so much so that children are dying and the population is dwindling.

“They have no electricity, no phones, no clothes to keep them warm in the cold winters, no government assistance, very little food and water, and they live in caves,” said Manuel Borja, who is preparing to take food, clothes and blankets to the tribe in the high mountains of Chihuahua.

Borja is founder of Club Chihuahua de Orange County, a nonprofit organization focused on helping the destitute Indians. He will lead seven trucks departing July 5 with plans to arrive in the village of Choguita two days later.

The Borjas immigrated from Chihuahua in 1980 and have been journeying back to their homeland twice a year for the past two years. In preparation, they are gathering second-hand clothing, shoes, blankets and sleeping bags, and keeping the donations in a storage locker near their home in Stanton.

The club also has raised $1,135 to spend on food for the Indians once club members get to their destination, where they will meet with the Tarahumara chief.

On a recent trip to store more goods in the locker, Manuel and Maria Borja and friend Esiquio Uribe talked about their mission.

“I wish I could go every month, but I have to wait until I get enough donations to fill up the trucks,” said Manuel Borja, who is renting a large moving van that he hopes to load to capacity.

“I was born there, and I know how the people are suffering. They have no animals, no water wells, and they need farming tools so they can plant vegetables,” he said.

Maria Borja, who works at an Anaheim hotel with her husband, said they take their children, ages 9, 12 and 16, on the trips so they can learn that they are fortunate to have a comfortable home, food to eat and clothing to wear.

“We do this with our hearts,” she said. “We want to take away some of the suffering of the Indians who are dying of hunger, anemia and tuberculosis.”

Manuel Borja added: “A lot of people can’t imagine how poor the Indians are. . . . They went from a population of 120,000 10 years ago to 80,000 today.”

“That’s why even the little bit that we do is so important,” he said.

As he examined a bag of donated toys and dolls, Uribe said: “These are old, but they will be very much appreciated.”

Information: (714) 827-7188.