The Oasis takes those folks in and gives them a chance at proper medicine, a solid roof to sleep under, and companionship where before they often had been shunned by family or friends. Sometimes it is a mother and small children, or even whole families. Sometimes, a young man or woman who was uneducated about safe sex.

Brazos Abiertos – open arms – is yet another side of the need for improved care in Yucatan.

With the intense tourism trade, young Yucatecos often fall under the spell of a dashing foreigner with money like never could be imagined. A few days or weeks and the tourist is gone, yet a deadly reminder remains. Let’s all be responsible tourists – educating ourselves and others.

And whenever possible, let’s help organizations like Brazos Abiertos and Oasis de San Juan de Dios. It’s the very least we can do in return for the richness of culture and experience that Yucatecos so willingly share with all of us. What is only a few dollars to Norte Americanos can mean life or death for those less fortunate.