Good Works Gazette – December 2025

Ajijic CARES

Sex education is controversial. Layer on top of this the inclusion of diverse sexual orientations and gender identities and frank discussions of sexual abuse and the potential for contentious pushback increases exponentially. When, however, this education is spearheaded by a group that grounds its curriculum in love and acceptance, you get an effective and inclusive program that can make significant inroads into the community. Ajijic CARES, led by its charismatic director Mitsunari Zapata (“Mitsu”), has built just such a program right here in Ajijic.

Ajijic CARES evolved from a network of volunteers who came together in 2014 to coordinate events for the commemoration of World AIDS Day to a nearly full-fledged charity today. They opened their office in Plaza Las Flores, West Ajijic, on December 1^st of 2024 and are in the process of becoming an official nonprofit (Asociación Civil). While the word CARES reflects the organization’s values beautifully in English, it doesn’t translate neatly into Spanish, so it was reimagined as an acronym: Comunidad, Aceptación, Respeto, Esperanza y Salud. Community, Acceptance, Respect, Hope, and Health – these values infuse every program and service Ajijic CARES offers the community.

As an openly gay man who didn’t come out until well into his college career, Mitsu understands firsthand the damage caused by attitudes toward sex and gender that fail to reflect human diversity. This understanding and a degree in educational psychology help him lead the organization to develop programs well beyond the tired (and often ineffective) courses that focus on sexually transmitted diseases and unwanted pregnancies. These realities are addressed but so are the concepts of emotional responsibility, love and heartbreak, bullying, discrimination, sexual and gender diversity, child abuse prevention and more. The result is a holistic program that treats sexuality not as a problem to be managed, but as a vital part of emotional health, community connection, and self-understanding.

Ajijic CARES creates and delivers exemplary and inclusive curricula in an inspiring variety of ways. They have developed five different teaching manuals, one each for elementary, middle and high school students, a teacher’s manual and a manual for parents. Narrowing the focus allows the instruction to meet the developmental and cultural needs of each group. Mitsu also teaches a college-level sexual education class at the Tecnológico Superior de Jalisco Chapala. In addition to learning about the physiological, psychological and emotional components of sexuality, each student is required to create a poster illuminating one of 120 topics related to sexual education. Many of these posters now brighten the walls of the Ajijic CARES office and are incorporated into the organization’s social media outreach.

Another key role of Ajijic CARES is linking community members with health professionals, institutions and resources that can provide the care and support they need. They make regular outreach efforts to local governmental agencies including Chapala’s Center for Women’s Development and Office of Economic Development and have built a strong relationship with Ixtlahuacán’s Women’s Institute and Centros Libres. In keeping with their original mission of AIDS awareness and prevention, they collaborate with COMUSIDA, Chapala’s municipal HIV clinic, the AIDS Healthcare Foundation in Guadalajara and Mesón, a long-standing AIDS advocacy group. Through these and many other collaborations, Ajijic CARES continues to strengthen the network of care that supports Chapala’s diverse and growing community.

Sex education is a minefield of conflicting cultural values, taboos, and misinformation, and is now complicated even further by social media and constant internet access. No single organization can clear the path toward a future where accurate, inclusive and compassionate information about sexuality is simply part of everyday community life. But Ajijic CARES is leading us in that direction. By listening and responding to questions and criticisms, grounding their work in love, humor and understanding, they make this future seem possible – one honest conversation at a time.

If you’d like to volunteer or donate to Ajijic CARES, please reach out through their email AjijicCares2014@gmail.com. You can also learn more about them and their mission at: www.ajijiccares.com.

Good Works Gazette features a different local group doing good work in our community each month. If you would like to nominate a group to be featured, please email Daria Hilton at daria_hilton@hotmail.com.