While recently on a typical photo-stroll through the village of Punta Mita, Mexico, I happened upon this hand-painted wall that I thought made an interesting image. Later, upon returning home and doing some editing, I came across the image again. Aside from being graphically interesting, I also found the message interesting and decided to look into what this meaning of PEACE may be. What I found was that PEACE stands for Protection, Education, Animals, Culture & Environment. They are a community and environment centered non-profit that works along the coastal region of the Mexican states of Jalisco and Nayarit surrounding the Bahia de Banderas. Their Mission, Vision and Values are as follows:
Mission:
PEACE works hand in hand with communities in Mexico to provide holistic education combined with community action programs that enable people to improve their quality of life as well as their financial stability.
Vision:
We envision a peaceful co-existence between human beings and natural treasures, between foreigners and locals, between those who can give and those who need assistance, between progress and preservation.
Values:
- We believe in providing hands-on learning that results in empowerment, increased ownership and social responsibility.
- We believe that one of our greatest responsibilities as beings on this earth is to protect the natural resources that surround us.
- We believe it is of utmost importance to preserve and celebrate the richness and beauty of Mexican culture.
PEACE began in 2003 when one veterinarian with six volunteers formed Ayuda los Animales (Help the Animals) to help spay and neuter local animals. Since then they have continued to increase their scope of programs to help local communities.
For an example of what PEACE can do visit livepuntamita.
To learn more about PEACE, the programs and the wonderful people who make things happen go to www.peacemexico.org
