All three components of Comunidad were at work over the Halloween weekend this year.  Salud (Health) was represented by our quarterly dental clinic, where we treated over 100 tribal members.  Our Infrastructura group was out at the local orphanage sheetrocking the dental clinic we’ve been constructing over the past year.  And the Escuela-a-Escuela program continued with the distribution of scholarships to over 125 tribal students.

October 31 was a long day for the tribal students.  They woke up early to meet the bus that Comunidad chartered for the day.  For the next two hours they traveled from their tribal communities to the Museo Historico Regional in Ensenada for the annual Beca (scholarship) program.  The program began with the lighting of a sage bundle and a blessing from Leonor Paulo, one of the tribal elders.  After a few words from Tom Hogan, President of Comunidad, Armandina Gonzales, head of all the Nativo schools, gave a speech (in PaiPai and Spanish) about the importance of education to both the students and their tribes.  The students then presented their paperwork to representatives of Comunidad and CUNA (the Institute for Native Cultures) and received their scholarships for the year.

The students and their families then boarded the busses and crossed Ensenada to the dental clinic.  Co-sponsored by Comunidad and the NorCal Rotary Club, the bi-annual dental clinic is conducted in a clinic donated by 1000 Smiles.  Over the weekend the group of three dentists (later joined by two Mexican dentists), two hygienists and a score of translators and volunteers treated over 100 Nativos for everything from simple extractions to complicated root work.

With evening falling, the Nativo children were treated to an event that they wouldn’t see back in their tribes.  Mexican families have recently embraced Halloween as a holiday, with the same costumes and door-to-door activities as in the US.  So the tribal children who were finished with their dental work joined some volunteers in trolling the neighborhood around the clinic for candy.

South of Ensenada, in the little town of Zorrillo, Bill Rush, Comunidad’s Director of Infrastructura, led a group of US construction professionals in tiling and sheetrocking the small dental clinic at Casa Hogar, a local orphanage that Comunidad has been supporting for the past eight years.  It’s amazing the progress the orphanage has seen over that time, partly from Comunidad’s efforts but mostly due to the dedication of two men, George Warf (who works with a California-based church) and Larry Tabor, Comunidad’s head dentist.  Over the past eight years this group has turned Casa Hogar’s dirt floors to cement, installed toilets and showers, and brought in trailers to house the staff.  All of this, though, pales in comparison to the current project:  a two-story school (with the aforementioned dental clinic) and a vocational school next door.

Over a hundred Nativos treated; 135 students guaranteed another year of schooling; a dental clinic receiving walls and a floor.  All in all, Comunidad’s most productive weekend yet.

To join the next Comunidad trip or to sponsor a student through the Beca program please contact Tom Hogan at thogan@bajacomunidad.org or 408-355-0108.

The occasion was Day Two of Camp Comunidad, a program that brings together Northern California families with the leaders, elders and children of the PaiPai and Kumeyaay tribes. Organized by Pamela Pearson, Director of Comunidad’s Escuela program, the camp is a combination of cultural exchange and ecotourism. “The goal of Camp Comunidad is dual,” she explained. “To bring together the two cultures in an educational manner that shows our American kids how another culture lives, and to help the tribes create ecotourism programs that allow them to earn a living while preserving their culture.”

The program started the evening of July 12, as the families all arrived at the San Nicolas Hotel. After a swim in the Olympic-size pool, the families headed down to Chapultepec, where they stuffed themselves as Poblano’s, Comunidad’s favorite taqueria. The families then bought a round of fireworks and headed down to the beach, where the parents treated the kids to an hour-long amateur firework display.

Day One was spent at San Antonio Necua, a Kumeyaay tribe. After a ceremonial greeting by the tribe’s shaman, the kids and parents headed out on a nature and archeology hike, where they saw a variety of fauna used for medicines, as well as a centuries-old grinding site, a huge stone table dotted by holes, with pestles nearby. The kids then headed back through the animal graveyard (each child was allowed to take a small bone back with them) to the lunch area, where they were served a traditional meal by the tribal parents. “The Shaman led nature hike really opened my eyes,” said Stacey Geiken, one of the parents. “What appeared to be a dry river bed, turned out to be a veritable pharmacy. The Shaman showed us medicinal herbs and plants and described how they could be prepared to cure various ills.”

After lunch, as the parents helped clean up, the kids—both Californian and tribal—headed off to a variety of games: Frisbee, baseball, and a spirited game of soccer. At the sound of a bell, the tribal children led their Californian friends back to the crafts area, where everyone learned the weaving techniques of the Kumeyaay, taught by tribal artisans. Every participant worked with willow to create a tightly-woven medallion. “It was calming and rewarding to try and weave a medallion of my own, but since I wanted to actually wear it,” said Patti van der Burg. “I was relieved there were some for sale by the local artisans!”

When the crafts were over, the tribal children and elders, now dressed in traditional garb, performed a number of tribal dances, with the Comunidad kids and parents joining in. Then it was on to the bus and back to Ensenada.

Day Two was a longer drive out to the remote tribe of Santa Catarina. The exposed, harsh landscape is normally in the low 100’s during July, but some rare cloud cover kept the temperatures in the 80s. The first stop for the campers was Teresa Castro’s pottery workshop. Castro, a renowned Pai Pai potter, had set up stations for each participant, along with examples of her highly-acclaimed pottery, which uses traditional hand-made and unique firing techniques. The campers made either bowls or animal figurines, which they brought home with them. They then headed over to the adobe pits, where they built bricks for upcoming tribal construction projects. “It was cool to see how they used to make the bricks that we see when we visit the missions,” said Riley Friar, a sixth-grader at Fisher Middle School. “But this wasn’t history—this was real life.”

Lunch was posole and tortillas made by the Comunidad children, with direction from the tribal cooks. Afterward the group headed over to the tribal school, where they heard a fascinating presentation on the history of the PaiPai language and the tribe’s attempts to preserve it. They then played sports with the tribal children until it was time to get on the bus and head back to Ensenada.

On the way back the kids all completed their “Seek and Find” booklets, small exercises generated by Pam Pearson and Horacio Moncada, Comunidad’s Ensenada-based employee. Each page gave the kids a chance to either draw or write something they had learned in the past two days, with the kids encouraged to work in groups to come up with the answers. A completed booklet was rewarded with a much-prized Comunidad baseball cap, which Pam handed out at the farewell dinner.

Overall, the trip was a great success. The tribal leaders and Pam, with input from the participants, are already planning the next trip. Plans call for two school-based Camps, with the possibility of offering Camp Comunidad as a team-building exercise for businesses and organizations.

Perhaps the best evidence of how successful the trip was came from Anya van der Burg, who asked her parents on the way home: “We’re doing this again next summer, right?”

The project began in 2004, when the construction of new schools in Los Gatos began. Then Superintendent Mary Ann Park (now a Board member of Comunidad) approved the donation of the Blossom Hill furniture to Comunidad. The organization’s Director of Transportation, Bill Rush, took it from there. Working with Jim Silva’s LGUSD’s head of facilities and Karen Miller, principal of Blossom Hill, Bill organized a group of volunteers to disassemble, move, and load over 400 desks, 600 chairs and 75 tables. Led by super-volunteer Mike Lambert, the group worked for three days under a blazing sun. But on July 6 the trucks rolled to Mexicali, where they were met by Horacio Moncada, Comunidad’s sole Mexico-based employee, and Professora Lourdes Oliva, who facilitated the customs and distribution process for the Mexican government. The trucks were unloaded in 115 degree heat, with temperatures inside the trailers exceeding 130 degrees. But on Monday, July 9, they were transported to San Antonio Necua, the central distribution point for all the tribes.

As part of Comunidad’s focus on intercultural exchange, Blossom Hill students, under the direction of Pamela Pearson, Comunidad’s Escuela a Escuela (school to school) director, wrote letters in Spanish to their desks’ new owners. The letters will then be taped to the inside of the desks, to be opened in September when school resumes.

Special thanks go to Bill Rush for coordinating a complicated mix of schedules, legal restrictions, documents and groups of volunteers to pull this off. Also to the truckers who volunteered their services to transport the furniture and to all the volunteers who braved the heat to help on both ends of the loading process.

Photos of the new classroom furniture in place will be available on this website in the fall.

Sonia Marquez started to cry as she thought about her trip to Hillbrook School in Los Gatos.

Everything is completely different from the school she works at in Mexico, she said. The school where she teaches is the size of one classroom at Hillbrook, and she must buy materials for her students because the government won’t supply them and parents can’t afford them.

Marquez, 42, visited Hillbrook due to a four-year partnership between the K-8 school and the Cucapah tribe. The partnership began when the nonprofit organization Comunidad Para Baja California reached out to Los Gatos schools looking for a school to “adopt” the tribe.

Hillbrook signed on immediately.

“It was very important for us to come here and teach our traditions,” Marquez said through an interpreter. Although some teachers from Hillbrook have visited the tribe in Mexico, this was Marquez’s first trip to Los Gatos.

Marquez visited Hillbrook on Thursday and Friday, teaching students some of the traditions of her culture. She showed the students a food storage basket made of willow leaves. Willow leaves, she explained, are used because bugs stay away due to their smell.

She showed the classes pottery used to carry water and honey and taught students how to make a traditional beaded bracelet.

For the past few years, the children from both cities have communicated through letters and pictures. Hillbrook students have sent items to the Cucapah tribe items such as soap and toothbrushes.

Horacio Gonzalez Moncada, who has worked as a liaison for the two cities and doubled as Marquez’s interpreter on her trip, said many of Marquez’s students are from poor families who find it hard to afford the basics.

When families were asked to help out by chipping in $2 for school supplies, some couldn’t afford to do it, he said.

But Pamela Pearson, one of the founders of Comunidad, said the group is working to better the tribe’s quality of life.

She said the organization broke off from the “Flying Doctors,” a group of doctors and pilots that give medical aid to residents in rural and poor areas of Mexico. Pearson said she and others noticed a “great need” on the tribe’s reservation and decided to focus on helping to give them and three other tribes medical treatment and help rebuilding decaying buildings.

Pearson said the group thought a sister-city-type program with a Los Gatos school would be good for teaching students about life in another area unlike their own.

“It’s a way for the Los Gatos kids to communicate in a global way, in a way they never have before,” Pearson said. “We think both will benefit immensely from this.”

Marquez said the supplies from Los Gatos have enabled her 45 students to do projects they otherwise could not have.

Jodi Kittle, a teacher who has spearheaded the relationship between the students, said children are perfect ambassadors because they are very interested in each other.

“This is just an empowering experience, and a humbling experience for the students,” Kittle said.

See the original article here.

2007

There will be quarterly clinics in Ensenada that combine dental clinics with health fairs. Dates will be posted in January.

There will be at least 3 facilities trips down to work on tribal infrastructure (sanitation systems, school repairs and upgrades)

Comunidad will sponsor a children’s program, where Nativo children will host their California counterparts in a program that combines hiking, native traditions and games. Details of this trip to come.

If you’re interested in participating in any of the above events, please contact Tom Hogan at thogan@bajacomunidad.org.

We first started out in hopes of communicating the history, culture, special events, news and needs of Mexico’s Kumiai people of the Guadalupe Valley area [spelled Kumiai in Baja California, and Kumeyaay north of the border]. Now in just eight weeks we’ve become a communication network for all the native peoples of Baja California, including Kumiai, Paipai, Cucapah and Kiliwa. In addition, we’re now including news and project information from Comunidad para Baja California, a volunteer organization dedicated to providing education services to improve the lives of indigenous peoples in this region of Mexico. This column is a real challenge for me personally because I have to overcome two language barriers (with the help of translators), and now I understand that staying in Spanish classes rather than skipping out to go surfing on the beaches of San Diego would of been a wiser move! Regardless of the language and cultural differences, it has been a very rewarding experience in learning about the history and culture of our indigenous peoples. Also, it has given our readers and myself an opportunity to meet and learn about the many unique and dynamic individuals involved in this community and the various support groups.

In the first column of Auka we mentioned the need for some community support, and in just a few weeks we have received an overwhelming positive response from the wine community, interested individuals, businesses and organizations. It’s inspiring and refreshing to know that there are so many compassionate and caring people who are willing to support our indigenous peoples in creating a sustainable economy while helping them protect their lifestyle, culture and community.

This region of Mexico is experiencing economic growth in the wine, business, real estate and travel industries and it’s wonderful to see our indigenous peoples given an opportunity to participate through the understanding and generosity of the community. And it’s even better to see the pride in the eyes and feel the spirit in the hearts of our native brothers and sisters as they blend their artisan economics in harmony with their cultural and traditional lifestyle while integrating and communicating with modern society. The most important element I’ve learned from being the coordinator for this column is, “when you give to others without condition and with good intent, ultimately, your gift of giving is returned hundred fold.” In addition, by working with the native peoples of Baja California and their support agencies, I’ve met the most appreciative and respectful community I’ve ever dealt with.

Last week’s event, Nativa, held at the harbor side in Ensenada, was hugely’ successful for the native peoples of Baja California. Over 5,000 visitors attended the two-day event featuring native art, jewelry, pottery, and crafts. Many of the ninety native artisans were completely sold out of goods by the final day. Guests to the event were delighted with native song and dance from local tribes, and from native communities of Arizona and California.

The event was designed in advance to give participating artisans an opportunity to learn business skills, marketing techniques, money exchange, point of purchase methods and sales tips. Awards were given to the vendors who best presented the learned skills using creative merchandise displays, quality customer service, and quality products. First place awards went to a group from the community of San Antonio de las Minas in Guadalupe Valley.

The event was important in the fact that if gave members of the various native communities of Baja California an opportunity to mingle, visit, trade and share information. Special thanks from the native communities for support of this event go out to the Viejas and Pechanga Bands; Indian Affairs Commission; local, state and federal agencies; Global Green Grant; Beatrice de la Torre de Mancillas (the mayor’s wife); CUNA; ADESU; and Comunidad. Additional gratitude goes out to the members of the wine community in Guadalupe Valley who are interested in supporting the event next year.

A visit to the Kumiai community of San Antonio Necua in Guadalupe Valley will give you an opportunity to see the work of Comunidad Para Baja California. Volunteers from this group and members of the Kumiai community worked together to build a new septic system and bathroom facility for the community school. The project included the installation of new sinks, toilets, and building materials, all donated by Comunidad. This joint venture was designed to incorporate members of the native community so they can maintain and repair the facilities as needed. In addition to this project, Comunidad will be transporting fourteen Kumiai children from the community of San Jose de la Zorra to Ensenada for dental work as part of the 1,000 smiles program.

Tom Hogan, a former technology-marketing executive in Silicon Valley, founded Comunidad three years ago. This former VP of corporate marketing at Oracle, Bay Networks, Lucent and VitalSigns Software now splits his time from teaching college studies to directing projects for Comunidad para Baja California. This nonprofit organization is dedicated to providing health care and educational services to improve the lives of the indigenous tribes of Baja California.

Comunidad follows a medical philosophy called “symptom to source” with its aid. This program follows medical and dental care projects by setting up a system of ongoing assistance such as medical records, documenting constituents’ history, preventive medicine and follow-up care. In addition, the regular care of native communities and the interaction from these projects gives Comunidad the ability to address infrastructure issues that affect health and quality of life. Two primary goals of this organization are Salud (medical services) and Escuela a Escuela (educational outreach), with considerable attention also focused on infrastructure problems that are impacting the health and education of native peoples.

Comunidad works in cooperation with local Mexican agencies such as CUNA, ADESU, and DIF, which are likewise dedicated to creating a self-sustaining model in which native peoples will receive the needed support and training to be able to take charge of their future. The most unique feature of this organization is in the fact that it is a true startup. They apply the rules of Silicon Valley to what they are doing. For instance, they use MBO’s (management by objective) and spreadsheet grids for each project. When a donor comes along they can show exactly where the needs are, how much they cost, and how the money is spent. For example, US$13,000 can immunize an entire tribe against hepatitis, or even a few dollars can have a major impact of the lives of native peoples.

Comunidad seeks project-specific sponsorship based on the needs identified by their representatives, the tribes, and local authorities with whom they work. Projects could involve development of potable water systems, clinic construction, school facility improvements, and many other needs. Comunidad is seeking doctors and dentists in the region who are interested in helping our native peoples. To learn more or to volunteer, visit their web site at www.bajacomunidad.org, or call Tom Hogan at (408) 358-9686 or (408) 691-2915.

See the original article here.

In addition to his job as vice president of strategic services at Catapult Direct Marketing, Hogan has co-founded non-profit Comunidad para Baja California with his wife, Pamela Pearson, to implement healthcare services and educational outreach programs for extremely impoverished indigenous tribes in Northern Baja California.

A longtime human rights activist, Mr. Hogan previously taught Holocaust and Genocide studies at Santa Clara and UC Santa Cruz. He was teaching when he decided to start Comunidad, focusing his attention on 2,000 people in four native tribes of Baja living on harsh, barren land without running water, electricity, or decent sanitation and who had only minimal access to healthcare or education.

“We don’t dismiss the considerable needs here in the U.S., ” he emphasizes, expressing hope that what they are learning may become a sustainable model which can be applied in areas hard hit by recent disasters. “However, our return on investment is much greater in Baja where the dollar goes much farther and makes a bigger impact.”

Established three years ago as a chapter of the Flying Doctors (now independent), Comunidad has operated on a software business startup model and timeline with most of the $75,000 annual budget coming from Mr. Hogan’s foundation and venture capitalists like Jim Goetz of Sequoia Capital.

A core team of 12 volunteers created the initial business plan and developed the first phase of action items based on a needs assessment of the tribes. Information was logged on a spreadsheet, so projects could be budgeted and then donors and volunteers could be recruited. This has maximized funds and volunteer resources and allowed for management by objective.

“We’ve now gone through alpha and beta phases, figured out what works and what doesn’t,” Mr. Hogan said. “It’s been a humbling experience.”

Comunidad provides what Mr. Hogan calls “symptom to source” medical care; treating an immediate health crisis and then tracking it back to the root cause, which may be linked to economic conditions or infrastructure problems. An outbreak of gastrointestinal illness may lead to the need for a new water system or teaching people the importance of boiling water, cooking food properly and washing hands.

In addition to some of the governmental challenges posed in Mexico, there have been cultural hurdles to overcome, which have been very complex. Comunidad invested $7,000 recently to build a badly needed water system in the village of Santa Catarina. Previously, villagers had drawn water in buckets from unsanitary, brackish pools. The volunteers were surprised that there wasn’t more excitement when the system was turned on and were really taken aback about the fighting over who would pay for the electricity to run it.

“We quickly realized we had to implement some tough love welfare reform to get them over the ‘what are you going to do for me next?’ mentality,” Mr. Hogan remembered. It was difficult to get the tribal leaders to understand they were responsible for running it. However, the team gained invaluable information that will make future projects run more smoothly and help every village to become fully self-sustaining.

Motivated both by passion and pragmatism, Mr. Hogan stressed, “our dental program, however, is phenomenal,” Volunteers who used to go out to remote tribes with generators to drive the drills and other equipment recognized the inefficiency.

“We worked out a deal with the 1,000 Smiles organization and now we rent buses and take them to a clinic in Ensenada with modern facilities. We’ve seen over 845 patients. Every child has received dental care. That’s over $500,000 in free services and now we’re working on the adults, even doing some dentures. For most of these people this is the first dental care they’ve ever had.”

Some of the biggest strides for Comunidad have come in the “Escuela a Escuela” education programs, boosted by partnering with the Los Gatos School District. “The Mexican government funds K-6 programs, but the schools were essentially uninhabitable, “Mr. Hogan explained. “We’ve made necessary repairs and when Los Gatos completes it’s remodeling program, all the chairs and desks will go to Baja, so students don’t have to sit on the floor.”

Maryanne Park, the retired Los Gatos K-8 school superintendent, met Mr. Hogan when he helped on a school initiative and became an early supporter of Comunidad. Now a board member, she encouraged each school to adopt a tribe, writing letters to students and raising funds to provide clothing and supplies. Mr. Hogan’s businesslike approach as well as his sincerity made a big impression.

“Tom is a marketing genius with a good heart, and he truly believes in doing what’s good for children,” she noted. She decided that the outreach program was an excellent learning opportunity for everyone involved.”

Los Gatos is a district that has a special focus on developing well-rounded people with compassion for their fellow human beings.” Discovering how children were living in another part of the world and understanding how her students could make a difference has been a valuable educational project.

The organization’s impact on education in the 10 communities it serves continues to grow. Previously when a student finished the sixth grade the options for contributing to the community were to choose between working the fields, a factory job or, for the young women, getting pregnant.

“If we sponsor a child for middle school — fees, materials and books –it only costs $100 a year, and to fund high school or college, just $250,” Mr. Hogan reported. “The parents are liking that the kids are learning and our Beca scholarship program is a commitment that guarantees any child who wants an education will get one.” They now have 120 children taking advantage of this opportunity.

Eventually each community will have a volunteer resident advocate who lives in the village and can facilitate the delivery of services based on a list of priorities. They will work closely with native “promopores,” nurses aides trained by Comunidad volunteers to be the eyes and ears of the community. In addition to learning basic diagnostic skills, they will study and implement resource management programs.

Running a startup is a lot of work, so how does Mr. Hogan manage his other job–directing strategic development at Catapult — and find time for his family and his passion for surfing?

Admirably, according to his boss, CEO Tom Beck, who is also a Comunidad sponsor. “Tom was a client of ours for a long time and he has been instrumental in helping us redefine ourselves.” he said. ” An intellectual and a great communicator, Tom adds a lot of depth to our thinking and the clients love to interact with him. He can drill down past the smoke and mirrors and get to the core. ”

Mr. Beck has deep respect for Mr. Hogan’s commitment to human rights issues and for the level of energy he brings to everything. ” The man is indefatigable, he even has time to coach his kids’ teams, yet he has a wonderful laid back, calm way about him — that’s the surfer influence, I guess.”

See the original article here.

Hogan’s Comunidad Para Baja California is dedicated to providing health care and education outreach to improve the lives of indigenous tribes in Baja California.

Hogan, who is the vice president of strategic services for Campbell-based Catapult Direct, utilizes the expertise of the staff to reach potential donors though strategic list sourcing and the creation of targeted fundraising packages.

“Our job is to help Tom and Comunidad be more successful in soliciting donations,” says Tom Beck, president of Catapult.

To accomplish this, the staff at Catapult first identifies the key objectives and target markets for Comunidad, and then the group develops a response strategy, direct mail and email lists which support the desired market. Finally a creative approach is carefully developed and implemented.

“Everyone involved with Comunidad thinks like a businessperson,” Hogan says. “The last thing a volunteer wants to do is give up a weekend, come down to Mexico and sit around for hours waiting to do something. If someone gives us a weekend, we will make it the most rewarding weekend of his or her life. The same goes for donations. We think in finite, measurable terms. Give us $600, and a targeted tribe will receive vaccinations for Hepatitis C. Give us $6,000, and all tribes will receive the vaccination. We don’t say, ‘Give us a check, and we will do the best we can with the money.’ ”

Hogan says this approach also gives donors, big and small, the opportunity to choose how their money will be spent.

Comunidad is organized around two programs: Salud, which provides medical services, and Escuela a Escuela, which provides educational outreach. In addition, the organization seeks to resolve infrastructure problems that affect the health and education of the tribes.

“Other groups go into villages and do as much work as they can and then leave,” Hogan says. “We focus on treating symptoms but also on prevention and vaccination programs, health education and establishing medical records.”

With a symptom-to-source approach, Comunidad treats the immediate medical condition and tracks the patient’s progress. In instances where a majority of villagers suffer from similar conditions, the organization seeks to find the source for the problem.

“If for example, 80 percent of the people in one village suffer from stomach disorders, we will treat the individuals and then look to see if the water supply is contaminated and try to rectify that problem,” Hogan says. “Our focus is on long-term solutions, not quick fixes.”

Because of this, Comunidad requires villages commit to a preventive care regimen and actively participate in any infrastructure programs.

“If we put in a septic tank, we will bring down the contractor and the equipment, but the villagers need to provide the labor,” Hogan says. “If we extract a decayed tooth, the patient must commit to coming in every six months for routine cleanings and exams. We are seeking to create communities that in three to five years will be able to sustain themselves.”

To this end, Comunidad also works with the local government to make sure resources are available to the tribes. Approximately 1,600 Nativos live on remnants of their ancestral lands in eight federally recognized indigenous communities that stretch approximately 200 miles south of the US.-Mexico border between Tijuana and Mexicali.

These communities lack most modern conveniences, including electricity, running water, sewage systems, telephone service, paved roads and schools.

Detailed information about Comunidad Para Baja California can be found at www.bajacomunidad.org. Information about Catapult Direct can be found at www.catapultdirect.com.

See the original article here.

Tom Hogan didn’t retire from a software career to enter the field of human rights – he returned to it.

In the early 1980s, Hogan was a professor of Holocaust at Santa Clara University. . (”My friends used to say, ‘He’s a nice guy but don’t ask him about work.’ I could bring down any party…”) In 1983, Hogan met an executive from the Silicon Valley who predicted the area’s future success and recruited him to be a part of the technology industry.

“Anyone who knew me during my 15 years in high tech would not be surprised at what I’m doing now,” says Hogan. “I always assumed I’d go back to teaching and human rights. It was an easy call for me.”

The former VP of corporate marketing at Oracle, Bay Networks, Lucent and VitalSigns Software now splits his time between teaching Holocaust and Genocide Studies and his post as president of Comunidad para Baja California , a non-profit organization dedicated to providing health care and educational services to improve the lives of the indigenous tribes of Baja California.

“You don’t have to go too far south of the border to enter the Third World,” says Hogan. “Most of the villages we serve do not have running water, proper sanitation, electricity, or healthcare.”

Comunidad follows a medical philosophy called “symptom to source” with its aid. Where some groups fly in to remote villages and provide emergency care over a weekend, Comunidad has set up a system of ongoing assistance. In addition to preventative medicine and follow-up care, the regular attention enables Comunidad to address infrastructure issues which affect health and quality of life as well.

SandHill.com spoke to Hogan about his experience at Comunidad.

What Comunidad achievements are you most proud of?
We’ve been pleased with our achievements in the areas of water and sanitation. We’ve brought water systems with pumps, pipes and purification systems to communities that used to get their water by lowering buckets into brackish pools. We partner with other organizations that know more about water issues in order to make this a reality.

We’ve also made a tremendous impact on secondary education in the villages. The Mexican government does not fund education beyond the sixth grade. The families are poor so at 12 or 13 years old, the kids are often forced to choose between the fields, the factories or getting pregnant.

It only costs about $100 per year to provide the fees, materials and books for middle school and $200 per year for high school and college. Our “Beca” (scholarship) program is our commitment to the tribal children that they’ll never be denied an education because of heritage or poverty.

How did your experience in the software industry shape your involvement with Comunidad?
We run Comunidad as a true startup. We are always applying the rules of Silicon Valley and other startups to what we’re doing.

For example, our organization and business plan are structured around the needs of the indigenous people – not the capabilities of our volunteers. This allows us to identify resources we need in terms of volunteers and funding.

We use MBOs (management by objective.) and spreadsheet grids for each project. Think about a spreadsheet with the rows as tribes and the columns as programs. When a donor comes to us, we can show that person exactly where the needs are and how much they cost. For $13,000 you can immunize an entire tribe against hepatitis. For $48,000, you can fund a whole village and take it from the 17th century to the 21st century.

What have you learned running Comunidad that you feel software executives would benefit from?
When I used to speak at industry conferences, I would start by telling them that high-tech marketing is like one of those bad first dates where the guy goes on and on about himself and then finally stops and says. “…But enough about me, let’s talk about things I like to do…”

High tech companies are often similar: “…But enough about features, let’s talk specifications…” They become so enamored of their product that they lose sight of the market and the original problem the product was generated to solve.

To ensure that we don’t lose sight of our clients, we created a program we call, “Representante.” This program assigns each village a Representante. The volunteer is fluent in Spanish and specializes in understanding the life and needs of a particular community. While we are in the village running a medical or dental clinic, the Representante is visiting homes and schools, assessing how various programs are working and what is needed for the next visit. The Representantes are trusted, stable sources of assistance and advice and become advocates for the village.

In essence, we treat the indigenous people as if they were a market. Rather than us coming in and saying, “Isn’t it a drag that you don’t have this, this and that,” and starting work on those issues, the Representante can tell us that “that” is actually number 10 on the community’s priority list. And on medical trips, the Representante can prioritize our activities, saying “Next trip, reset Jaime’s leg first, and then check out Sonya’s eye problem.” One Representante noticed an increasing incidence of cervical cancer in her tribal community. The information enabled us to test all the women in the village on the next trip and to begin the process of identifying the source of the problem.

Software vendors could deploy Representantes to “live” with important clients. This person is not a spy but an ambassador who experiences life through the marketplace’s eyes. The Representante would become the client’s advocate within the software company and could provide information during the product development and marketing process, and prevent the vendor from veering away from what really matters to the client.

Of course, many companies have user groups and conferences to stay in touch with customers which can be very effective. But I believe that a true Representante program would be worth its weight in gold to software vendors. It is a different way of doing things but a very productive one.

To find out more about Comunidad, visit www.bajacomunidad.org or email Tom at thogan@bajacomunidad.org.

See the original article here.