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With his parents’ approval, Ortiz has been setting up shop every Sunday for the past few weeks from noon to 2 p.m. On a good day he makes about $50. But don’t go thinking that he’s splurging his earnings on random crap. His parents said that he’s actually using his money to buy food for kids who can’t afford it. What an angel!
So what makes Ortiz a qualified counselor? Well, his mom said that Ortiz is wise beyond his years and is extremely sensitive, which is why his advice is usually on point.
It’s no secret that there’s a shortage of programming out there for Latino children. Latino children are expected to consume children’s programming that features mostly white protagonists and simply put up with it. And when it comes to bilingual programming? Forget it. But a new show called “Club Mundo Kids” is trying to change all that.
“Club Mundo Kids” is a bilingual, educational program aimed at children of first and second generation Latino children.
The new show, hosted by former ABC News correspondent, Romi Puga, is aimed at the underserved audience of American Latino children who speak Spanish as their first language. However, “Club Mundo” also smatters in some English words here and there as part of their programming.
“There is very little content being created that is speaking to U.S. Hispanic, Latinx children and telling their stories,” Romi Puga recently told The New York Times. “The younger generation doesn’t really have anyone breaking things down and talking directly to them in a way that is digestible.”
Unlike “Dora the Explorer” or “Elena of Avalor“, “Club Mundo Kids” aims to talk to children about Latino life in a real world context.
While “Dora the Explorer” and “Elena of Avalor” are invaluable for showing Latino kids versions of themselves on screen, they function more as escapist entertainment. “Club Mundo Kids”, however,” features real-world Latinos in front of the camera–as well as a few Latino puppets.
Romi Puga hosts “Club Mundo Kids” from her backyard along with her “neighbors”, a friendly pink puppet named Maya and Coco, an adventurous puppet shaped like a coconut.
Together, Romi and her friends educate their young audience on important, real-world topics, like space exploration, recycling, and the Endangered Species Act.
They also discuss topics directly related to Latindad, like why different Latin American countries use different words and have different accents.
“We do a lot of that,” Romi told NBC News. “Just opening their minds to, ‘Hey, my classmate speaks Spanish but his Spanish doesn’t sound like mine. Why is that?’ And so we’re explaining that but in a fun way, and our hope is to encourage empathy, curiosity and that feeling of identifying with this show, which embraces multicultural identities.”
Above all, the creators of “Club Mundo Kids” hope that the show will create a space for American Latino children who feel like they don’t completely belong in either culture.
Since 2018, more than 1 in 4 newborns in the U.S. are Latino. These children have a complicated, multicultural identity that is being overlooked by the mainstream media. Romi, who was born in Miami but has parent from Chile and Argentina, understands this conflict firsthand.
“To me, that’s what I want ‘Club Mundos Kids’ to be — that group for kids, a place to identify, where they don’t need to pick one or the other,” she told NBC News. “They don’t need to pick English or Spanish but they can celebrate and be proud of their multicultural identities.”
“Club Mundo Kids” is currently airing on both Televisa and Universo.
Aaron Moreno started his plant business in response to the Covid pandemic. His mother lost her job because of the virus and with only $12 left, they family invested in the little boy’s dream. Since then, thanks to social media and a GoFundMe page, the family’s life is forever changed.
Aaron Moreno changed his family’s life after creating his business, Aaron’s Garden” to save his family.
Like a lot of families right now, Aaron’s mother lost her job because of the virus leaving the family financially uncertain. The family was on the verge of losing everything when they invested in Moreno’s business venture.
“I feel happier because we don’t have to struggle as much as before,” Moreno told KABC.
The boy’s business and a GoFundMe page have given the family a chance to buy a house.
Credit: GoFundMe
Berenice Pacheco, Moreno’s mother, now has a part-time job and the mix of funds gave the family a crucial lifeline. Not only were they able to buy a new home, but they also bought furniture and a car. What started as a dark time has changed dramatically for the family. The GoFundMe page has raised more than $60,000. The money has also helped to bring his sister back from Mexico, where she was sent to live because of financial struggles.
“The best part of what Aaron has done for us is bringing back his sister,” Pacheco told CNN. “It was so hard being without her and we are a whole family again. And I was so happy to see they still had their amazing bond even if they spent so much time apart. It’s such a blessing.”
Original: Covid-19 has forced families to figure out the best way to make enough to take care of things. Some have had to find new jobs after being laid off and having to make up enough to save their families. A young boy in Los Angeles is doing that to help his mom makes ends meet.
The young boy and his mother were on their last $12 when he had an idea of creating a business. According to a GoFundMe account, the young boy convinced his undocumented mother to start a business selling plants to help them make it through the pandemic.
Aaron’s Garden was the business he and his mom created to make some money.
“Aaron and mom have been struggling from being homeless to shelters and bouncing from house to house and now live in a shed,” reads a GoFundMe account. “He came out with the idea of selling plants and starting a business in his yard to be a provider and buy his own hot Cheetos with cheese without having to ask his mom for money.”
Aaron advertises his plants and when you can buy them on his Instagram.
The LA entrepreneur is creating a lot of buzz with people celebrating his efforts. People in the U.S. are struggling as the additional $600 in unemployment has disappeared and a second Covid-19 stimulus is stuck in Congress. Aaron’s plant selling is helping his family during one of the most difficult times in modern U.S. history.
We are all so proud to see you doing your best to make it through this time. Check his Instagram to see what he has and when and where he is selling the plants. Keep going, mijo!
