Forgoing Christmas parties for a good cause: Rödl & Partner Mexico supports a social institution for girls

published on 28 December 2021

The social institution “Casa Hogar Santa Rosa de Viterbo, A.C.” offers girls between the ages of six and 15, whose short lives have been marked by physical, psychological, emotional or sexual violence, not only safe accommodation and food, but also an appropriate school education. The home is run by sisters of the Franciscan order who are committed to achieve the best possible promotion of the girls’ sense of responsibility through holistic education and to prepare them for a dignified life.
 
At the beginning of 2021, the institution was already supported by the Rödl Employee Fund for Children’s Aid and in mid-March it was possible for the first time to personally hand over the donations to the children. In preparation for the Christmas season, we again checked on the welfare of the young residents and learned that the facility had to take in ten more girls who had been abandoned by their families due to the pandemic. However, donations and other aid have continued to drop drastically this year.
 
Our head of Rödl & Partner Mexico, Dr. Dirk Oetterich, together with colleagues, decided that we would once again support the girls during this difficult and special time of the year. The children wrote down a special personal wish in a letter. Surprisingly, the wish list included very simple things like clothes (jeans and T-shirts), trainers and, for the smallest girls in the home, a doll to play with. While reading the letters, we decided to give more presents besides the everyday things. We also planned a special Christmas dinner for the residents of the social institution. Rödl & Partner Mexico decided to forego an office-wide Christmas party – partly due to the pandemic – and made the money saved available for the girls in the “Casa Hogar Santa Rosa de Viterbo, A.C.”, who need the donation much more.
 
On 15 December, our head of the tax department in Puebla, Roberto González, and our accountant Ángela Reyes were awaited at the home by the sisters and, above all, by bright and expectant children’s eyes. The girls paid a lot of attention to Roberto González’s speech, in which he encouraged them to make an effort at school in order to find a job after graduation. He emphasised that Rödl & Partner always thinks of the residents and is ready to continue supporting them. Roberto González hoped for a meeting with other colleagues in the coming year and thanked the sisters for their openness to our help and hospitality, as well as for the great organisation of the donation handover. Furthermore, he wished the children and sisters a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year on behalf of all colleagues of Rödl & Partner.
 
It is very important to the sisters that the girls learn to say thank you for the help and support they receive. After the gift bags bulging with the children's personal wishes were distributed, they emphasised how happy they were that someone out there was thinking of them. The joyful and laughing children’s eyes were priceless. As a thank you, the young residents of the facility performed some dances and songs they had rehearsed. They also thanked our colleagues with little video messages, also in English. Afterwards, the girls enjoyed the Christmas dinner organised for them.
 
We would like to thank all our colleagues from Rödl & Partner for their support, especially the coordinator Katia Oetterich and the two bearers Roberto Gonzalez and Angela Reyes. One thing is certain: we will be happy to come back!