Principal Leadership


Eugenio Araiza, is a Veterinarian, with 22 years of experience in community work. He is an active participant of an Anabaptist church, professor in the Theological Community of Mexico, and a consultant for churches and organizations that run holistic service projects. In community work, he has begun and coordinated projects on health, environment, education, peace education, agriculture, cattle raising, holistic transformation, emergency relief and microfinance, in the state of Oaxaca, in Ajusco to the south of Mexico City (1992) and in the Valley of Chalco in the Estado de Mexico (1990). As operations manager and urban director he managed projects in the southeast and center of the country, and the development of two community centers. He has theological, administrative, managerial, and Biblical capacities and techniques for leading community transformation projects.

Alejandra Castillo Roldán, is a Public Accountant with 13 years of experience in general accounting, fiscal and legal obligations for nonprofit institutions, administration of functional areas like: human resources, finances, accounting, fiscal and material resources. She has held positions as Subdirector of Administration and Finances, Manager of Administration and General Accountant. She has knowledge and experience in community work from two years in the Chalco Valley with responsibilities as a local promoter and administrator. She provides consulting for the administration of resources in microfinance and educational projects. She has participated in training workshops on strategic planning, project administration, leadership, institutional values, financial planning, accounting principles, fiscal aspects, and microfinances, promoted by AMEXTRA, Foundation Merced, School of Public Accountants from Mexico, Tearfund, University Anahuác of Mexico and University of the America of Puebla, among others.

Amado Sanchez Moreno is an Economist with 21 years of experience in activities from the social sector, initially as an urban and rural promoter in different areas of the public sector. He has participated in training activities with social and cooperative organizations. From 1993 he has been involved in microfinance activities with private organizations from rural and urban areas. He has served as a consultant for establishing microfinance programs in different municipalities in the State of Mexico. He is currently the general coordinator for the microfinance program in Amextra in Chalco, Chiapas and Ajusco regions.

Verónica Vera, is a graduate in Psychology from the Autonomous University of Morelos. She is certified in educational therapy from TANESQUE, A. C. and in Infant Abuse from the Autonomous University of Morelos. She has official training as a community promoter from CED in Morelos and has taken different workshops on community health. She has 14 years of experience in community processes. She has served as a facilitator in the formation of three community infant centers and has worked as a psychotherapist for women and children who are victims of sexual abuse and mistreatment for more than 10 years. She has worked with Amextra, A. C., a voluntary government organization SECOFI and private institutions such as Associate Francoise Dolto, Dabreis, and Tonatzin and as a private therapist. She has been a professor for the graduate certification on the Family at the Theological Community of Mexico for subjects such as domestic violence and community development for more than three years. She has also participated in national forums on children’s development and women's role.

Pastor Rebeca González Torres is a graduate from the Evanglical Institute of Mexico in Biblical Theology and is certified in Pastoral Psychology from the Theological Community of Mexico, and has taken diverse courses on Peace and Conflict Transformation and seminars on community development, infant education, theological formation, and gender. She has 20 years of experience in holistic service with diverse organizations like World Vision and Mennonite Central Committee. Experience in the construction of service projects in Santa Cruz Tlapacoya, Ixtapaluca, in the State of Mexico where a community center for children was built. She has more than 12 years of experience as an educator. She has been the coordinator for the Ministry of Service to our Neighbor with projects on disasters, peace education, and promoting service experiences in the Conference for Anabaptist churches in Mexico and Puebla for 4 years. Currently she also serves as pastor for the Anabaptist Mennonite Followers of Christ Church and as coordinator of the school for families in this same church.

Jennifer Allen has a degree in Literature from the University of California Santa Barbara, with a minor in history. She has experience in the Communications Area in Amextra, web page building, informative newsletter in English and Spanish, reports, and proposal writing for national and international foundations. She has experience as the assistant for the Seed Contribution program for a woman’s rights organization, Semillas. This also included organizing activities for the Women investing in Women’s network, reflection meetings using Myers Briggs Type Indicator materials and assisting the planning for John MacArthur scholarship holders. She was also a member of the team of leaders for Campus Crusade for Christ in Mexico, D.F.

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Social Recognition

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Program Impact

• Valley of Chalco, State of Mexico: In 1985 the percentage of malnutrition in children under 5 years old in 4 local colonies, was 70%, with a population of 2500 children. We begin a nutrition program based on soy grain and 10 years later we were able to invert the situation from 70% suffering from malnutrition to only 30%. We have evidence of this in the nutrition files that we kept during this time. The consumption of soy remained as a habit within at least 4 colonies in the Chalco Valley and has continued spreading into other areas.

• North of Chiapas, in 4 municipalities of the indigenous Chol region, we worked in 50 communities that were suffering from a very difficult situation, included a lack of food, infant malnutrition and environmental destruction. We implemented a system of using green plants and beans which, in 10 years, increased corn production by 500%. We also improved the soil and stopped the destruction of the forest. This process was further enriched by incorporating the planting of beautiful wood trees, animal fattening programs and by promoting the use of local vegetable plants for improved community health. In Chiapas the corn production model with other green plants has impacted 4 municipalities, much more superior than our direct influence achieved and now the regional systems of agricultural education promote this model of not burning the Selva.

• Ajusco Medio, Mexico City: Amextra was carried out an after school tutoring project for 15 years. It diminished the percentage of failing children by 20%. It also had an impact at the community level as it decreased drug addiction, gang activity, unwanted pregnancies and assaults. People from this project were properly trained and have continued their own educational projects in other houses and other community centers in the area by using Amextra’s model.

• The Union, Cañada Chica in Oaxaca, Amextra achieved an integrated process where the participants had goats which gave milk and produced and then could be sold for up to five times its normal price. This process gave a larger income and better nutrition for the beneficiaries. To complement the impact on health and nutrition that began with the increment in milk, the community was also able to have latrines in 90% of the houses. When their level of transformation had been maintained and in order to have control of illnesses, local promoters were trained as veterinarians.

• In three regions in Chiapas, Mexico City and the State of Mexico; Amextra opened up a microfinance program, which after 5 years has grown to include over 4,000 participants, saving over $600,000 USD and loaning more 1,100,000 with a recovery rate of 99% and a participation of 77% women.

• In Villa Victoria, State of Mexico due to the use of herbicides the bean plants and other vegetables could not be mixed and only corn could be grown. Amextra promoted the use of the traditional system of combining corn, beans and local vegetables in order to rescue the soil, the people’s nutrition, the natural wealth and an environmental balance.

• The model of daycare centers using educating mothers from the community has now reproduced in 7 more places using the same system that continues to be run in 4 of our regions.

• The multiplication of social leadership has been important, many of the people who developed in Amextra now serve in the Chiapas and Mexico City government or direct other social organizations.

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