Casita Linda means pretty little house. That's what we build for those living in extreme poverty in our part of Mexico, in the mountains about four hours from Mexico City in the city of San Miguel de Allende.

The families pictured on these pages had little that they could call a home before their “Casita Linda” became a reality. Many lived in open-air structures, often cobbled together from scraps of wood, stones and other found and cast off materials.

Exposure to the elements was a fact of life; no place for the children to do their homework, no safe place to keep their belongings, little real hope of improving their lives in a meaningful way.

The volunteers of Casita Linda have experienced the wonderful sense of accomplishment, have seen the glow of pride, shared in the shedding of tears at our home dedications, and sensed the feeling of a new day in our recipient families some 38 times as of March 2011.

We now invite you to share our sense of purpose and mission “to create a dignified, safe and empowering environment that will provide a foundation of hope for families living in extreme poverty.”

Please join us. Your help with our work will make a huge difference in the lives of families in need. To donate or find out more about Casita Linda, watch the video (link above) or choose any of the buttons above. The hard-pressed families of San Miguel hope you will be interested.