According to Rosa Es Rojo Co-Founder Laura Mendivil,
“Information is power; access to education changes lives, especially when talking about people’s health and well-being. When people feel informed, heard, and in community, they make better decisions for themselves and their families, regardless of socioeconomic status.
“Rosa Es Rojo makes wellness and cancer prevention accessible to Hispanic women and their families in North Texas. We educate them on nutrition, mental health, and physical activity, using Cultural Humility and Community Care as part of our social innovation.
“Many of us Hispanics who have emigrated to this country have felt lost, isolated, and not understood. Leaving our countries and feeling foreign to a different culture and language has repercussions. We try to fit in, and our lifestyle is often deeply affected. Statistics show the high incidence of cancer and other chronic diseases among Hispanics and the lack of health insurance coverage. Suppose we add the lack of economic resources, preventive health programs, and education. The breeding ground is created so that physical and mental diseases are the order of the day.
“Therefore, Rosa Es Rojo improves Hispanics’ health disparities through culturally tailored workshops/mentoring (‘The Rojo Way’) and a successful podcast (‘SuperVive’), now piloting as a virtual Hispanic Wellness Community app called SuperVive- Comunidad. As of 2021, Rosa Es Rojo has delivered 21,000+ hours of wellness education, reaching 1,051 women in The Rojo Way, and now, SuperVive- Comunidad has 226 members.
“We are not the only solution to the Hispanic community’s needs. We know we must work in synergy with other institutions working with our target population.
“For instance, Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas Multi-Cultural Affairs Manager Mónica López considers that ‘SuperVive-Comunidad is a very valuable tool for our community. I love the content. In my opinion, no organization in this country is providing the type of content in an accurate and culturally appropriate way.’
“Also, Isabel, a Hispanic woman registered in our virtual community says: ‘I’m delighted to share with other women who seek the same goals as me, such as improving health in all of its aspects. Integrative health education is what I was looking for, and I have found it in the SuperVive- Comunidad.’
“Next year, Rosa Es Rojo plans to serve at least 220 low-income Hispanic women and their families in The Rojo Way and 300 new users in SuperVive-Comunidad.
“We had done our best with limited resources to create a great impact in our community. Nevertheless, it has been challenging to find funds for capacity building. Also, we plan to continue investing in our virtual community as an evolution of our programs and looking to amplify our model.
“As part of my job as development director of Rosa Es Rojo, I have seen firsthand many Hispanic women that amid adversity, have found a way to live better with less. I have seen poverty, illness, violence, and depression, among many other situations. Yet, a healthier lifestyle depends on decision-making, something we all have within our reach, in learning to order our priorities and be an example for our children and loved ones.”
* Photo credit: Laura Mendivil ** Graphic/photo provided by Rosa Es Rojo
Communities Foundation of Texas’ North Texas Giving Day helps build awareness and support for nonprofits like nothing else. In 2021, $66 million was raised through 103,000 donors benefiting over 3,300 local nonprofits, bringing the 13-year total to over $441 million for our community. NTx Giving Day is the largest community-wide giving event in the nation.
On Thursday, September 22, support ROSAesROJO by linking here and spreading the word. #NTxGivingDay