In February I joined 10 Leaders from Warwickshire to attend this 9-day event with 20 other leaders from Scotland, Canada, Argentina, Australia, USA and El Salvador at our World Centre in Cuernavaca. We were joined by 300 Mexican girls and their leaders for a weekend of activities to celebrate Thinking Day.

The Theme of the event was “Empowering Girls will Change our World”. Of people living in poverty, 70% are women; there are only 14 women Heads of State and during any conflict 80% of victims are women and children. The activities provided for the girls challenged them to have high hopes and to consider if they could change the World in the future.

The Guides in Mexico are known as Guias and were founded in 1930 and the World Centre where we stayed was opened in 1957. The Guias are divided into five sections Girasoles (aged 4-6), Haditas (6-9), Guias (9-13), Guias Intermedias (13-15) and Guias Mayores (15-18). I gave the Thinking Day Cards made by the Wellesbourne Guides to the Guias from Monterrey who had travelled 6 hours by coach to be there.

During the weekend we all took part in International activities to share our cultures and understand each other better.

A stay at a World Centre always involves a Service project and we hosted a group of Seniors from an organisation ANSAM which works with impoverished small communities.

Our part of the morning involved a pampering session and we were able to give the ladies (and two men) hand and back massage, facials – not the men – and the chance of a haircut. We learned about the culture of Mexico by having the opportunity to make Mexican crafts and visiting the “Silver city” of Taxco and the pyramids at Xochicalco. Great fun was had at a Mexican Fiesta when we were serenaded by a

Mariachi band and took turns to try and break a huge piñata we had made previously.

Our event ended with a trip to see the monarch butterflies which travel from the Canadian borders to hibernate in Mexico at the El Rosario Butterfly Sanctuary which is at 11,000 feet in the Sierra Madre. Millions of butterflies cluster together on pine trees and as the day warms up they start to fly in search of food to build up energy and lay eggs before returning to USA at the end of February. I think this should be classed as one of the wonders of the world – an amazing sight.

If you ever have the chance to visit a World Centre, take it, it will be a memorable experience.

Liz Walker

Tools with a Mission

Many thanks to everyone who has donated unwanted tools. We took them to the Unit in Coventry where they are checked over and refurbished. Having been given a guided tour we were surprised at the range of items collected. Carpentry & building tools of every kind, garden tools, sewing machines, printers, photocopiers and in the haberdashery department, knitting needles, wool, material, ribbons and trimmings, buttons, cottons and zips. Last year 20 containers were sent to Africa to enable people to be trained in a trade, to earn a living and support themselves and their families. For the schools, student packs of pens, paper, calculators and our old school books are a benefit to teachers who are often working with little or no resources.

If you have any of the above items which are no longer used, please think of donating to this Christian charity.
Contact: Eileen Hollis 01789 841011.