Emiliano
LETTER
From our Chair
Dear Friends, Staff, Board Members, Donors, Volunteers, and Partner Programs,
As we reflect on another remarkable year at Los Cabos Children’s Foundation (LCCF), I am filled with immense pride and gratitude for the extraordinary work being done to uplift the lives of our community’s most vulnerable children. With the support of our dedicated staff, generous donors, and innovative leadership, we made significant strides in helping 11,762 children through 36 partner programs.
This past fiscal year, countless children relied on us for critical surgeries, nutritional programs, therapeutic treatments, and counseling. These essential services not only address their immediate needs but also lay the foundation for healthier, more promising futures. It is heartwarming to see how our collective efforts have transformed lives and provided hope where it is needed most.
I would especially like to acknowledge our passionate Executive Director, Marisa Comella. Her unwavering commitment to our mission has been instrumental in driving our programs forward. Marisa inspires our team, Board, donors and our community, ensuring that we remain focused on our goal: Changing the World, One Child at a Time.
To our valued donors, who invest in the children of our community, I say thank you for your continued trust and support. Your generosity enables us to tackle the challenges faced by children and youth, and ensures that they receive the care and support necessary to flourish and be upstanding members of our community. Together, with the amazing Staff of LCCF and the dedicated Board Members, we are making a profound impact, One Child at a Time.
As we look ahead, we are committed to expanding our reach and enhancing our programs to serve even more families in need. Our goal for fiscal year 2024/25 is to help 16,800 children through 40 partner programs. This is a 45 percent increase in the number of Children supported, and yet our work is far from over. Los Cabos Children’s Foundation has a long-term view of ensuring that no child is left behind. Your support is vital in helping us achieve this goal, and we are excited about the possibilities that lie ahead.
Thank you for being an essential part of the LCCF family. Together, we are making a lasting difference in our community.
With heartfelt appreciation,
Rob Harris Board Chair
Rob Harris and Fernando Landeros, Teleton Founder and President.
Improve the health of Children and Adolescents in Baja California Sur.
Since our founding in 2002, we have been the voice for families who want their children to have opportunities for a healthy and happy life. Geographic isolation and lack of services in our state inspired us to act by identifying needs, finding solutions, and innovating to adapt to new realities. Our journey has changed the history of this region.
Los Cabos Children’s Foundation seeks strategic support for its cause beyond Baja California Sur through a continuous effort to increase awareness and engagement with key stakeholders and the community. Our purpose as advocates for the right to health and well-being of children and adolescents is the result of years of continuous improvement.
23 Years Supporting Families in Baja California Sur
97,400
Children and Adolescents Benefited
83 Programs Supported
20
Million Dollars Invested
LOVE for the community. SERVICE in favor of Southern Baja families. RESPECT for the dignity of all individuals. TRUST to build relationships based on transparency. COLLABORATION because together we achieve more. EXCELLENCE to fulfill our mission effectively. HOPE to change the world, one child at a time.
These values are at THE HEART OF WHO WE ARE.
THESE ARE OUR ACTIONS.
OUR TEAM
Gathers and shares ideas
Drives efficiency
Develops strategies for change
Advocating for children’s rights
Creating innovative solutions
Working with transparency
WE HELP FAMILIES BY WE STAND OUT FOR
Partnering with organizations
Collaborating on collective projects
Bringing opportunities to the community
THIS IS HOW WE BRING OUR VISION TO LIFE.
We build a system that offers positive results for Children and Adolescents living in vulnerable conditions in Baja California Sur and facing health challenges. The organization is focused on advancing solutions across core areas: Cancer, Disabilities, Congenital Heart Defects, General Health & Prevention, Critical Health, Mental Health.
We work throughout the year to offer not only financial investment to our Partner Programs, but also close support based on accountability, evaluation, and continuous improvement in order to offer better services to children in Baja California Sur. Our intervention begins with an annual call in February, through which the programs submit their applications and a thorough process of objective evaluation and available resource optimization initiates; it ends in July with the decision of our board of directors. Once we know the approved list of Partner Programs and amounts, the financial investment begins, as well as strengthening and promotion, and we carry out a joint analysis of quarterly results.
IMPACT ZONE
During the 2023-2024 period, Los Cabos Children’s Foundation provided comprehensive support to
36 Partner Programs
offering financial resources, training, and guidance to enhance their impact and strengthen their work within the community.
Together, we benefited 11,762 Children and Adolescents with 249,921 services.
La Paz
2024-2025
HEALTH ISSUES AND PROGRAMS SUPPORTED
PREVENTION
Sarahuaro
Club de Niños y Niñas de B.C.S.
Alianza para la Seguridad
Alimentaria de B.C.S.
Centro de Integracion Juvenil de Los Cabos
Centro de Integración Juvenil de Baja California Sur
Boquitas Felicess
Centro Comunitario La Playa
CERCA - Centro de Energia Renovable y Calidad Ambiental
Como Vamos La Paz
Por Los Niños de la Sierra - Dar para Recibir
CRITICAL HEALTH
Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
Pediatric Intensive Care Unit
Pediatric Residency, Training & Investigation Program
Pediatric Surgery Program
Pediatric Pulmonology Program
Cleft Lip & Palate Program
B.C.S. Cleft Program
LCCF Community Attention
CONGENITAL HEART
State Pediatric Cardiology
CANCER
Pediatric Hematology-Oncology
Fundacion Mark
Registro de Cancer de B.C.S. Casa Valentina
HEART DEFECTS
Cardiology Program
GENERAL HEALTH
Casa Hogar de Cabo San Lucas
Fundacion Astra
Fundacion Azul Cerralvo
Padrino Children's Foundation
Vida y Familia Nacional
Instituto Marco Tulio Ciceron de La Paz, B.C.S.
Danza que Da Esperanza
LCCF Capacity Building
LCCF Volunteering
LCCF Awareness Fund
DISABILITIES
Comunidad Autismo Los Cabos
Equinoterapias Hossana
Fundacion Teleton - CRIT B.C.S.
Casa Rame Los Cabos Red Autismo
Los Niños del Capitan
Casa Cuna-Casa Hogar
Improving Health with More Pediatric Specialists
Dr. Jesus Armijo is originally from Torreon, Coahuila, and entered the pediatrics residency at Juan Maria de Salvatierra General Hospital with Specialties in 2017. Jesús says, “We had an ambitious and well-focused program in pediatrics and I think it was the best decision I could have made.” Once graduated, he decided to begin his training as a neurologist at Federico Gomez Children’s Hospital of Mexico and studied a specialty in neuromuscular pathology at Sant Joan de Deu Hospital, in Barcelona, Spain.
In Baja California Sur there are very few pediatric specialists. So in January 2024, we invited Dr. Armijo to a neuropediatric clinic at the Teleton Children’s Rehabilitation and Inclusion Center (CRIT) in Baja California Sur and Salvatierra Hospital, where he evaluated more than 80 children.
JANUARY FEBRUARY
This inspired him to make another great decision that was life-changing for him and thousands of Baja California Sur families. In April 2024, he moved to La Paz to work with neurodevelopmental disorders and neuromusculoskeletal disabilities at CRIT, in addition to collaborating with the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Salvatierra Hospital, focusing on the neuronal development of premature babies. Dr. Armijo shares, “I returned to the state to be able to give back a little of the much that this city has given me; I love witnessing the positive changes in the lives of my patients.”
In 2017, the seed of hope was planted by investing in pediatric residents and today we are reaping one of the fruits of that investment, attracting highly trained health professionals to care for Baja California Sur children.
13 pediatricians have decided to study another specialty.
6 continue to provide their services to the children of the State.
Preventive Health through Nutrition
The Food Security Alliance (ASA) was born in 2014, as a project of one of our Strategic Allies, the International Community Foundation. During the COVID-19 pandemic it was strengthened as the pillar for the delivery of 216,000 food packages in our state, in coordination with the Baja California Sur Community Alliance (ACBCS). ASA wove a network of 83 community kitchens and food collaboration groups throughout the state, which receive training and the supplies from its food banks.
This is the second year that we’ve collaborated with ASA through the Resilient and Healthy Community Kitchens project, which seeks to bring doctors and nutrition specialists to detect children with poor nutritional conditions.
They also offer follow-up through a biweekly pantry that addresses these needs and thus improves their quality of life.
Nereida and her family attend the community kitchen “Todo por la Niñez,” which is part of the program supported by Los Cabos Children’s Foundation. Her youngest son, Edwin, was diagnosed with acute malnutrition. Thanks to the vitamins and food packages she receives, Nereida has not only noticed an improvement in her son’s health, but she can also allocate part of her financial resources now to school expenses that further contribute to his development.
19 residents graduated from 5 generations who have studied the 3 years of pediatric specialty at Salvatierra Hospital.
In Los Cabos, 31.7% of the population lives in poverty and 24.2% suffers from food insecurity. 82 Children and Youth from 4 community kitchens in vulnerable areas of Los Cabos are supported to improve their nutritional needs through ASA. Since 2021, the Association of Parents and Friends (APA) of Delmar School created a program to provide access to healthy food to Children and Youth with cancer living in Los Cabos, which has benefited 20 families with 1,429 food pantries in these 3 and a half years.
Adoraelia, Nereida and Edwin
Los Cabos
MARCH
Critical Care of the Highest Quality
In 2024, we celebrated 10 years since the opening of the first and only Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) in Baja California Sur. Existence of the PICU means access to critical health services, as well as highly specialized equipment and supplies for children and youth, which represents an opportunity for lifesaving care.
In 2012, we began a relationship with the Government of Baja California Sur through investment in the pediatric area of Salvatierra Hospital with pioneering pediatric programs that have since served children and youth with cancer, congenital heart disease, and other critical health needs. After 12 years, we have increased the investment from 3 to 8 pediatric programs that offer specialized care in neonatal critical care, surgery, pulmonology, neurology, and gastroenterology, among others. The PICU leads a team with all the medical programs we support at Salvatierra Hospital and with the private and public hospitals that send their patients to them so they can recover their health as soon as possible and return to their daily lives.
APRIL
Atzel likes video games and swimming and had a full life until September 2017, when, after Tropical Storm Lidia, his family’s economic conditions forced his mother to work. Atzel was 11 years old and, since he was home alone, he had to heat his food in a kitchen with no ventilation. One afternoon, the stove exploded and he was admitted to the PICU with severe burns, with his hand being the most affected as he tried to turn off the gas flow. After he was stabilized in the PICU, the Los Cabos Children’s Foundation Community Attention program referred the case to the local Shriners association and Atzel was transferred to Sacramento, California, to receive specialized care at a Shriners Hospital.
Since then, our Community Attention program has supported him with transportation to follow-up appointments in Sacramento, which will continue until Atzel finishes developing in his recovery. In 2024, he received a new graft to regain proper movement in his body and will require more grafts in the future. Today, Atzel is 15 years old and is recovering at home in Cabo San Lucas. Atzel is in high school and aspires to be a psychologist to help others in situations similar to those he has experienced. Maribel, Atzel’s mother, shares with us, “It not only affects the children, but also the parents, and knowing that there is this type of support is a relief for us in our chaos... I want to thank the people who donate and make our children happy, so that we as parents can see the light at the end of the tunnel.”
Rights-based Approach for Communities that Care for their Childhood
At Los Cabos Children’s Foundation we work for the rights of Children and Adolescents and, since 2018, we have been doing so alongside the Network for the Rights of Children in Mexico (REDIM) to be able to deepen the rights-based approach in our operation, bring it closer to civil society organizations in Baja California Sur through training workshops, and promote it in the community through our communications.
In 2023, we were invited to be part of the State Protection System for Children and Adolescents (SIPINNA) in Baja California Sur and SIPINNA in Los Cabos, Baja California Sur, as a member organization representing civil society. This led us to go further by creating capacity building spaces where civil society personnel and government institutions could have access to training in rights perspective and restitution, which we brought to the municipalities of Los Cabos, La Paz, Loreto and Mulege, reaching 262 people.
262 people trained in the rights-based approach for Children and Youth:
- 193 are public servants
- 56 people work in civil society
- 13 people work in private educational centers
Although the exercise of our mission prioritizes the right to health, through our investment in 40 Partner Programs, we have the opportunity to also promote the right to play, to a life free of violence, to conditions of well-being and healthy integral development, to freedom of expression and access to information and to participation. As a first exercise of the right to participation, in 2024 we held a series of dialogues with the candidates for elected positions at the three levels of government and the children of the municipality of Los Cabos at the facilities of the Boys and Girls Club of Baja California Sur, where 23 Children and Adolescents and representatives of eleven Civil Society Organizations had the opportunity to talk about their concerns with eleven candidates in order to let them know their needs and desires to improve their communities. The civil society agenda was also addressed with the signing by the candidates of the “Commitment to Children” and the “Pact for Early Childhood”.
In the last 6 years, the PICU has reduced infant mortality by 49%, which is in line with one of the Sustainable Development Goals: ending preventable deaths of newborns and children under 5 years of age.
Over 10,000 Children and Youth have benefited from an investment of more than 5 million dollars in 11 years of work with Salvatierra Hospital.
95 health professionals have been supported with half of that investment, ensuring that children have access to highly trained health professionals for their care; the other half has been invested in state of the art equipment, high quality supplies, and support for families to achieve access to medical services.
Los Cabos
Effective Access to Health for Children as a Driving Purpose
Our Community Attention program was created in 2016 with the purpose of serving Children and Adolescents with critical health needs that are not covered by their healthcare provider and that their family cannot afford. We provide guidance through our knowledge of the health context, we make referrals through our network of Partner Programs and Strategic Allies, and we offer in-kind support, such as medications, tests or procedures that improve the quality of life of the Child or Adolescent.
One of the goals of Community Attention is the constant growth of its support network to expand knowledge of the public and private health services available in the state and to be a bridge for effective access to health. The approach with the newly-created National Public Health Service’s Coordinating Center for Well-being (CECOSABI) has been vital to work in a coordinated manner with health institutions for timely access to adequate medical care, with quality and equity.
MAY JUNE
We also want more people to know about our program, and that is why in 2024, we reached the municipalities in the north of the state to share with health professionals and people from these communities how to refer cases that require our support.
Isabella is an 8-year-old girl who lives in La Paz, Baja California Sur, and who, at her young age, has presented endless liver problems. After seeing several specialists, undergoing 4 surgeries, and having limited access to medical care during the pandemic, it was not until December 2023, after contacting our Community Attention program, that Isabella finally managed to have an accurate diagnosis: congenital liver fibrosis. Community Attention has provided Isabella with access to health services such as the Pediatric Surgery Program, as well as the necessary supplies to improve her health condition. Thanks to the efforts and support of our program with CECOSABI, the care process was expedited so that Isabella could complete the transplant protocol and is stable while waiting for a liver that will give her hope for a better quality of life.
Commitment and Will in Action for Children
The Los Cabos Children’s Foundation Volunteering program was born in 2015, in response to the interest of people in the community to offer their talents, skills, and passions for the benefit of Children, Adolescents, and their families. For nine years, our volunteers have worked on the objectives and structure of the program, managing to consolidate it as an internal program with its own mission, vision and values, aligned with those of the organization. Our volunteers carry out activities based on values such as collaboration, respect, service, love, joy, hope, and commitment, knowing the great responsibility that comes with being in contact with families in vulnerable conditions, and happy to be able to contribute to improving the quality of life of children in Baja California Sur.
In June we celebrated the sixth event organized by volunteers for families benefiting from our Partner Programs, Celebrating Life, which seeks to impact the entire family unit to celebrate the present, their health and lives, and inspire a vision for the future of each Child and Adolescent, as well as the contribution to the construction of a better place for them and their community.
Maby has been a volunteer at Los Cabos Children’s Foundation since 2018 and knows our work firsthand through the State Pediatric Cardiology Program where her son, Michel, received open heart surgery. During her stay in the hospital, Maby was able to witness the work that volunteers do and was amazed and moved. Some time later, when Maby saw one of our calls for applications, she joined and is a committed and responsible volunteer who lives the spirit of solidarity with a smile in each of the activities she does, standing out as the group’s teacher when it comes to crafts and artistic activities such as painting, embroidery, and crochet. Maby shares with us: “It has been 6 years, during which time I have had the opportunity to carry out different activities for children, as well as support other parents in their difficult moments. I am grateful for everything I have experienced and I am happy to be a volunteer for LCCF.”
In 10 years of volunteering, 181 people have donated 20,527 hours in 804 activities like Julieta and Maby.
In the last 5 years, Community Attention has increased the number of Children and Adolescents benefited by 777%, going from 39 in 2019 to 316 in 2024.
$309,131.51 USD invested in 2,665 services that have provided diagnosis or care for children.
Isabella is stable while waiting for a liver that will give her hope for a better quality of life.
and staff
Beneficiaries of the Cleft Lip and Palate program during Smile Day, at Cabo Adventures, October 2024.
Opening of the playroom at La Paz CRIT, November 2024.
the groundbreaking ceremony for the
2024.
Fernando Landeros at the LCCF Gala, February 2024.
LCCF volunteers
during “Celebrando la vida” event, June 2024.
The Los Cabos Children’s Foundation team with Fernando Landeros during
Los Cabos CRIT, July
PICTURES
Building capacities in the people that improve children’s lives every day, February 2024.
Guests and beneficiaries at our Gala for the children, February 2024.
Voluntouring event where a company group made teddy bears and blankets for hospitalized children, February 2024.
Tom Walsh, LCC Founder, Perla, cardiac patient, and Dr. Jim and Dawn Hammel, at our Gala for the Children, February 2024.
Noble House employees assembled bikes at Corazon Resort and Spa during a voluntouring event, September 2024.
JULY
Resilience and Teamwork for Inclusion
At our 2024 Gala for the Children, our board of directors awarded Fernando Landeros, founder and president of Fundacion Teleton, the annual Caminando Juntos Award, which recognizes a group or individual for demonstrating a sustained commitment to our mission, contributing to the success of our programs and walking alongside our organization to facilitate and promote solutions to improve the health of children. The impeccable track record and tireless work of Landeros and Teleton for Mexican children with disabilities and the willingness to open a second CRIT in Baja California Sur in Los Cabos were the motivations for the award.
A CRIT in Los Cabos is a dream of our founder and in 2024 we witnessed the laying of the first stone of the CRIT Los Cabos that will open its doors at the end of 2025 as “The Flower of Hope.” This CRIT will be able to meet the needs of 500 Children and Adolescents with disabilities annually while opening spaces for care at CRIT La Paz, which we have supported for the last eight years with the special support fund that complements the rehabilitation of hundreds of Children each year.
The Teleton buses have benefited 765 Children, Adolescents and their caregivers through 24,496 services.
CRIT BCS serves 1,200 families each year, of which 30% are from Los Cabos.
534 Children and Adolescents are waiting to access its services, in one of the longest waiting lists of the 27 CRITs.
AUGUST
In addition, for the last four years we have supported the existence of two adapted buses to transport Children from Los Cabos to receive rehabilitation and other specialized medical services every day in the city of La Paz and to prevent families from having to abandon their treatments due to high transportation costs.
Miguel lives in Cabo San Lucas and is one of the bus users. He is a very happy 9-year-old boy who loves to sing, has a prodigious memory, and enjoys horseback riding. Miguel was born prematurely 9 years ago and this caused him blindness and cerebral palsy. His motor disability makes it difficult for him to control and move his body and, although the doctors said that he would never be able to walk, his effort and that of his mother, together with the support of Equinoterapias Hosanna and CRIT have managed to allow Miguel to move freely.
Robust System that Makes Hearts Throb
After 30 Children and Adolescents with congenital heart disease from Baja California Sur were treated in the United States for 10 years, in 2013 biannual surgical programs began at the facilities of Salvatierra Hospital with the intention of forming a team that would provide permanent and quality care in the state. The State Pediatric Cardiology Program continues to offer diagnostic services and cardiological follow-up, in addition to surgical services and corrective and diagnostic catheterizations, and has benefited 909 Children and Adolescents who have access to a better quality of life every day.
Emma is friendly, talkative, and affectionate. She was born in 2017 in serious conditions, so at only 48 hours old she required immediate heart surgery and a catheterization at two months of age.
Thanks to the State Pediatric Cardiology Program, Emma, 7 years old, is a super active, healthy, and very athletic girl who continues to attend consultations with the pediatric cardiologist. She loves baseball, her favorite team are the Dodgers, and she is very happy that they won the World Series. The team she plays for in Todos Santos took third place in a recent tournament.
The isolation of our state from the rest of the country makes it essential to have specialized medical services on a permanent basis. Los Cabos Children’s Foundation will continue to invest so that girls, like Emma, can have the opportunity of a healthy, full, and happy life.
909 Children and Adolescents benefited from 372 procedures performed, of which 56% are surgeries.
In 11 years, the age of cases requiring surgery has been reduced by 42%, guaranteeing an early diagnosis and timely care.
10 health professionals have been supported with grants and training within the State Pediatric Cardiology Program.
Thanks to the State Pediatric Cardiology Program, Emma is a healthy and very athletic child.
SEPTEMBER
Collective Learning and Strengthening
Teamwork with other organizations and the desire to always do things better for our cause has distinguished us since our creation as an organization. This spirit of collaboration and continuous improvement led us in 2019 to start a relationship with the Mexican Center for Philanthropy (CEMEFI) through our incorporation as members and the subsequent search for Accreditation in Institutionality and Transparency (AIT). CEMEFI was founded in 1988 as a community of organizations and people committed to generating fair social change in a collaborative manner. Its purpose is to enable and activate citizen responsibility to generate social value, focused on people.
In 2020, we consolidated our relationship by relying on CEMEFI to carry out 4 virtual strengthening events during the COVID-19 contingency, as part of our commitment to strengthening the capacities of the non-profit sector in Baja California Sur.
OCTOBER
Team Support for a Community
In March 2023, we received a request from the community of Loreto through the Municipal System for the Comprehensive Development of Families (DIF), since the families of Children and Adolescents with suspected autism were in great need of receiving accurate diagnoses for their children, not only to ensure adequate treatment, but also to have adequate access to their right to education. In response to the community, we called on our Pertner Programs focused on neurodiversity to create a special project that would address the need detected by parents, teachers, and authorities.
We visited the community of Loreto accompanied by therapists from Red Autismo, Gupo Rame, Comunidad Autismo, and ORCAS Explora tu mundo, as well as the pediatric neurologist, Dr. Monica Balderas and the neuropsychologist Sandra Balderas on five trips until October 2024. In a period of 17 months, 87 Children and Adolescents were treated through 275 services, such as neurological consultations, therapeutic evaluations, and electroencephalograms. In the end, only 22% of Children and Adolescents treated had an autism diagnosis.
In 2021, we began the process to become a Regional Ally of CEMEFI in Baja California Sur, which was completed at the end of 2023 and with which we acquired a deeper commitment to the promotion of philanthropy and accountability with transparency that generates trust in civil society organizations in our state through instruments such as the AIT.
Los Cabos Children’s Foundation has a firm commitment to strengthening civil society organizations and that is why since 2016 we have been working to offer training spaces open to the general public and focused on topics of strategic and operational relevance to nonprofits in Baja California Sur. In eight years, our Capacity Building program has trained 262 people through 22 training events and has been a tool that has not only promoted our internal development, but also the growth of our Partner Programs, expanding knowledge and collective learning that allows us to do our work better for the benefit of children in Baja California Sur.
The challenge continues, since access to diagnoses is not the end but the beginning of the path for Loreto families. Our commitment in this project, an example of collaboration between civil society, government and the community, is to continue supporting them so that children in Loreto have access to permanent therapeutic services, developing the capacities of the personnel available in the community and strengthening the alliances that allow them to ensure inclusion and the right to health and education.
Dr. Monica Balderas is originally from Mexico City and has more than 13 years of experience in the pediatric neurology specialty. Monica has a special connection with Baja California Sur, having completed her pediatrics community service in Ciudad Constitucion, north of La Paz, and having worked as a pediatrician at Salvatierra Hospital. When we contacted her in 2023 through a teacher of hers and a great friend of Los Cabos Children’s Foundation, Dr. Rene Urcadiz, the first neonatologist in Baja California Sur, to tell her about the Loreto project, she not only joined immediately, but donated all the medical services in gratitude and, in her own words, to “give back a little of the much that this land gave her.”
54 civil society organizations have been trained by LCCF
There are 4 organizations with current CEMEFI’s Institutional and Transparency Accreditation (AIT) in Baja California Sur:
Fundacion Ayuda Niños La Paz (FANLAP)
Liga MAC Sarahuaro
Los Cabos Children’s Foundation
In Mexico, a study by Autism Speaks and the Mexican Autism Clinic (CLIMA) estimates that 1 in 115 children has autism.
Ricardo Bucio, CEO for the Mexican Center for Philanthropy (CEMEFI) and Marisa Comella, Executive Director for Los Cabos Children’s Foundation, during the annual CEMEFI Regional Allies meeting.
Los Cabos Children’s Foundation
Worldwide, it is estimated that every three minutes a baby is born with cleft lip and/or palate.
As for Mexico, 1 in every 750 births has this condition, that is, an estimate of 3,500 babies each year.
In Baja California Sur, approximately 16 babies are born with cleft every year.
NOVEMBER
Investment and Innovation in our First Cause
In 2024, we celebrated the 11th anniversary of the Pediatric Hematology-Oncology Unit (UHOP) at Salvatierra Hospital, which transformed healthcare for children in Baja California Sur. The UHOP, our first cause for childhood cancer, offers high-quality services thanks to its alliance with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, who evaluated its feasibility in 2007 and continues to provide support. St. Jude also aids the UHOP and doctors across Mexico with training and care protocols, while its philanthropic arm, ALSAC, strengthened our efforts through a 2024 collaboration agreement, enabling us to better serve children with cancer.
We also consolidated the Alliance for a Childhood without Cancer, uniting organizations supporting childhood cancer in Mexico, where we hold the presidency until 2026. In 2025, we’ll affiliate with Childhood Cancer International, improving services for families through network collaboration, from treatment to survivor status.
DECEMBER
Diego is 19 years old and has one more year of surveillance to officially be called a survivor. He entered the UHOP when he was 12 years old in October 2017, where he was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Diego always received his treatment with a beautiful smile, accompanied by his mother Ruth. In October 2020 he received his last chemotherapy and in January 2021 he entered surveillance. Thanks to the love of his family, the dedication and professionalism of the multidisciplinary team at Salvatierra Hospital, and the seed of hope from the investment of our donors, today Diego is a young man who finished high school and wants to continue discovering his own potential and the infinite opportunities that life offers him.
Permanent and Interdisciplinary Teams for Better Quality of Life
In February 2024, we signed a collaboration agreement with the Baja California Sur Health Ministry, ComuniCabo and Smile Train to formalize our collaborative work to offer comprehensive care for Children and Adolescents with Cleft Lip and/ or Palate, as we have proven that working together achieves more and better results for the benefit of children.
In two years, eight surgical programs have been carried out with multidisciplinary screenings and in December the first one was carried out only with local professionals certified by the Smile Train medical board, which marks the consolidation of permanent care for the state’s children. 165 Children and Adolescents have benefited from comprehensive treatment.
Cristian is one of them; he is 8 months old, his parents are farm workers and live in Vizcaino, Mulege. They learned about the Baja California Sur Cleft Program from a psychologist who was at a Los Cabos Children’s Foundation training event in that northern municipality’s capital, Santa Rosalia. In June 2024, he had his first consultation at Salvatierra Hospital, where he was treated by a multidisciplinary team made up of plastic surgery, dental care, pre-surgical orthopedics, and pediatrics, among others. Cristian receives recurring support for his transportation from Vizcaino to La Paz to guarantee his access to comprehensive treatment and had his first of several surgeries in December 2024.
6,000 to 8,000 new cancer cases are registered per year in Mexico of patients under 18 years of age.
Since the founding of Los Cabos Children’s Foundation 22 years ago, 207 Children and Adolescents have had access to treatment:
9 in the United States between 2002 and 2006
60 in Sinaloa between 2007 and 2012
138 in La Paz between 2013 and 2024
Strengthening Our Mission Together
Collaboration is the foundation of our mission, and in 2024, our Strategic Allies were essential in achieving transformational impact. Thanks to these alliances, we funded innovative medical programs, strengthened the social sector, and advanced together in favor of Children’s health and well-being.
Special Thanks to:
INVEST
BECOME
A SOWER OF HOPE
Every contribution impacts the lives of thousands of families.
BE A VOLUNTEER
Join a community of people who, like you, understand that we can all contribute something to achieve great things.
VISIT OUR PROGRAMS
Sign up for our monthly visits and see firsthand how we improve the quality of life for children and adolescents in the state.
BE OUR PARTNER
Invest in children’s health through your company:
Corporate donations
Employee donations Fundraising program
BE OUR FRIEND
Contribute with in-kind donations of goods, services, and experiences, supporting our operations and allowing us to fulfill our mission more efficiently and at a lower cost.
BE OUR SPONSOR
Through in-kind or financial donations, you can support us through the various events we organize:
Events with a Cause: donations for community events
Internal Events: community awareness or events with beneficiaries
Special Projects or Cases: financial support, resources, or expertise directed at special projects requiring additional help to achieve their goals
Del Cabo Events has been our friend for the past ten years, making it possible for our fundraising events to create unforgettable moments for attendees.
Del Cabo Events and its sister brands — Del Cabo Weddings, Yaya Rentals, and Aria Vera—embrace social responsibility with the same passion they create unforgettable experiences.
Their dedication to excellence goes beyond events, as they strive to leave a meaningful legacy in the community that has been their home for nearly two decades.
Yahwe Garcia, CEO:
“Every action we take to help others reflects our gratitude toward this generous place. In every event and every smile we create, we find the true essence of our success.”
Noble House Hotels & Resorts, through Corazón Cabo Resort & Spa, has supported Los Cabos Children’s Foundation since 2014, with the One Dollar A Day Program, where they offer all their guests the opportunity to donate one dollar for every night they stay at the resort.
In addition, they sponsor internal events where we conduct training for the programs we support, and they carry out voluntouring activities with their employees, raising awareness about the community’s needs and encouraging them to be part of the solution through giveback activities.
This collaboration highlights the power of responsible tourism and philanthropy, creating a mutually beneficial situation for both the local community and the guests who support these efforts
Annual Gala “The Power of Love,” February 2024.
Voluntouring at Corazon Resort & Spa, September 2024.
Thanks to the support of 773 individual donors and 54 companies whose generosity has been instrumental in improving the health and wellbeing of children and adolescents during this period.
We extend a special thanks to our Partners, Friends, and Sponsors, whose outstanding contributions have played a decisive role in advancing the health and well-being of children and adolescents throughout this time.
Accreditations
Since 2019, we have received three consecutive Optimal-Level Institutionality and Transparency Accreditations (AIT) from the Mexican Center for Philanthropy (CEMEFI).
In 2023, CEMEFI named Los Cabos Children’s Foundation as its Regional Ally in Baja California Sur to continue promoting transparency and best practices within our network of programs and to strengthen the entire nonprofit sector in our state.
In the United States, we have consistently been recognized with the highest ratings from Charity Navigator (4-Star Organization) and Guidestar/ Candid (Platinum Transparency) since 2020
Fiscal year 2023-2024 Financials
Individual Donors & Events
Corporate Donations
Grants & Restricted Contributions
In-Kind Donations
To view our full annual audit report, please visit our website loscaboschildren.org.
