09/08/2025
Today is International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples. It was established in 1994 to raise awareness and protect the rights of indigenous people groups all over the world. Today, we want to show you a glimpse of some of the challenges these precious people face today.
In our state of Durango, the predominant group is the Tepehuanes (Tepehuan), followed in much smaller numbers by Huicholes, Mexicaneros (Nahuas), Tarahumaras (Rarámuri), and Cora. In the municipality of Mezquital — the heartland of Indigenous presence — about 70–76% of people aged 5+ speak an Indigenous language, with Southern Tepehuano being the most spoken, followed by Huichol and Nahuatl.
In Durango’s southern region (including Mezquital), 345 schools with 612 teachers serve approximately 11,025 Indigenous students through intercultural bilingual programs. Breakdown shows that 7% in preschool, 8% in kindergarten, 64.4% elementary, 16.5% middle school, 4% in high school, and under 1% in higher education. Still, over 1,642 children ages 5 to 14 are not in school.
A recent participatory-diagnostic project (“digital transformation in education”) in Mezquital revealed staggering gaps:
• 91.1% live in poverty, 65.5% in extreme poverty
• 33.9% face educational backwardness
While specific data on Indigenous women in Durango are limited, they face similar systemic challenges as in other parts of Mexico:
• Access barriers: Language barriers, remote locality, institutional bias, and lack of culturally sensitive services complicate everything from education to accessing justice and healthcare.
• Healthcare shortcomings: Reports highlight limited access to preventive healthcare, including maternal and child health services, and difficulties in receiving culturally appropriate care.
A 2020 INEGI Census found that 7.5 % of Indigenous adolescent girls were married or in a union. According to the 2018 ENSADEMI survey, of the approximately 13 million Indigenous women, about 607,200 were married against their will — including as minors. The National Population Council (CONAPO) estimates that every day, around 1,000 babies are born to mothers under 15 years old in Mexico — a statistic that notably affects Indigenous girls.
Soy Mujer, through Vicky Witt Ministries, has worked with different people groups to reach these young girls with education and the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Our mission is to prevent child marriages and provide a safe environment for young girls to finish school and, if they so wish, to continue with higher education or to learn a trade to earn an income when going back home. Your prayers and financial support help bridge the gap that prevents these precious girls from reaching adulthood safely and in health, but also introduce them to a loving Savior. Thank you
