The Effect of a Non-Profit’s Christian Identity on Providing Healthcare in Mexico

Project: Mexico

Adviser: Rev. Paul V. Kollman, CSC

Final Report: 

“No somos católicos ni cristianos,” the highschooler explained to me. At the youth camp, students milled around in the dusk before bedtime, sharing snacks from the tiendita (shop), and we continued chatting. She went on to explain to me the differences between Catholicism and Protestant Christianity in the area and why her family had chosen to identify with neither. From conversations like these, I gained context by hearing about different people’s perceptions of religion in the area. The community surprised me with their warm welcome into their social circles and their willingness to sit and chat, helping me to understand their culture and perceptions. I was invited to so many family birthday parties, dinners, and church events that I did not have time to go to them all.

During my month in the town of Estancia de Animas, Zacatecas, Mexico, I was involved with a Christian community development organization called Bethshean that provides elderly care, employment opportunities, support for local churches, and health care through outreach events and their clinic. I was exploring the effect of the organization’s Christian identity on its goals and strategies as well as its relationship with different faith groups in the community. Although it was impossible to come away with definitive, evidence-based answers to these broad questions, I gained many useful insights through being involved with the community and conducting interviews. I spent most of my time at the health clinic interviewing patients and staff members and helping with community outreach. Additionally, I became familiar with the elderly home and churches through conducting interviews and volunteering.

In this specific community, Catholicism and Protestant Christianity are generally viewed as two distinct religions. Although it has been quickly diminishing in recent years, there is still some tension between the two groups. My preliminary conversations suggest that Bethshean’s Christian identity influences the community’s awareness of its services. Due to their social circles, Protestant Christians know more about Bethshean and are more likely to use its services in addition to being more comfortable with involvement with an organization that shares their faith. On the other hand, Catholics were not as familiar with its services, and sometimes they expressed wariness toward interacting with a group of a different faith. However, Catholics occasionally recounted that after interacting with Bethshean, their perception of and relations with Protestant Christians improved.

Much of the staff described how Christian values very clearly informed the organization’s goals and strategies to reach them. One of the main goals communicated was to spread the Evangelio, or Gospel. Their methods include activities directly related to sharing these ideas, such as supporting local churches. They also work toward this goal by engaging in more general development work, such as providing health care and supporting economic development. The staff very distinctly linked their motivation for many kinds of development work to their Christian faith, which informed their values and overall goals.

From these introductory conversations, I am even more curious to understand how religion affects human development work. During my time there, the people of Estancia de Animas gave me a small look into the religious dynamics of their town and how a Christian human development organization fits in.