Fearless Women, Champions of Change: Why does San Miguel Allende captivate many who wish to help others?

By Carolina de la Cajiga

The local culture of helping started when Stirling Dickinson arrived in San Miguel after WWII and opened an art school for U.S. veterans funded by the G.I. Bill. He then began using his own money to assist locals in need through charities and teaching craft programs.

San Miguel continues attracting national and international foreigners who fall in love with the town and feel compelled to help. Although many charities, non-profit organizations, and foundations now abound, Ann Marie Jackson and friends identified a gap yet to be filled.

"Once settled in San Miguel in 2012, I started using my skills to give back to this welcoming community. I joined the board of Casita Linda and served as Vice President for several years," recounts Ann Marie. While she was there, they began offering easy-to-approach free workshops on nutrition and self-esteem to women in Casita Linda's communities. After building trust, they introduced more challenging topics, such as family planning, addiction, and domestic violence.

Ann Marie began to focus on the problems affecting disadvantaged women who work in the informal economy and have no access to credit. In 2018, she co-founded Mano Amiga with various friends. She explained, "Our mission is to empower women through interest-free micro-lending so they can create their source of income. We have granted over a hundred micro-loans, most in the amount of $15,000 pesos." Additionally, they provide mentoring and training to help women launch or expand their small businesses. "Invest in women to reduce poverty and change the world!" Ann Marie urges. "Our women entrepreneurs' ventures range from handicrafts, jewelry, embroidery, and cooking to operating corner stores and florist shops. Some of the projects we have funded include an electrician, a beautician, a psychologist, and even a mechanic who has San Miguel's only female-owned muffler shop!"

Ann Marie Jackson is a true inheritor of the spirit of Stirling Dickinson, although the desire to help is just one of her interests. For many years, she dreamed of writing a novel. Even with her multiple occupations, Ann Marie finally wrote The Broken Hummingbird in 2023, published by She Writes Press and distributed by Simon & Schuster.

The Broken Hummingbird grapples with dissolution and dissonance as the protagonist struggles to know her new country and her own heart. The story is about a couple's marital crisis. With the crazy idea that living abroad would save their marriage, they dropped everything and moved the family from New York to their favorite city in Mexico, San Miguel de Allende. Of course, they carry their problems with them. "Wherever you go, there you are," says Ann Marie with a nod of irony.

But that's not all. Ann Marie goes on, "There's an important secondary storyline. Once in San Miguel, 'Jane,' the protagonist, tries to distract herself from her failing marriage by volunteering with an NGO that helps impoverished families. Despite her sincere intentions to help, she becomes overly wrapped in one family's life and suspects her bumbling efforts may cause more harm than good." To learn the novel's outcome, purchase Ann Marie's The Broken Hummingbird at Aurora Books and other local and online bookstores. The book became a 2023 International Book Awards Finalist, a 2023 American Fiction Awards Finalist, and a 2024 National Indie Excellence Awards Finalist. It was also recently shortlisted for the Story Circle Network's 2024 Sarton Award for Contemporary Fiction.

"My novel started as a memoir. I learned the power of telling our stories, though it was limiting as I censored myself to avoid hurting my sons. Instead, I opted to fictionalize my story. This liberated me and opened up endless possibilities. It was therapeutic and empowering to tell my story free of self-imposed restrictions. Many people find this happens when they share their truth and say the quiet part out loud," Ann Marie observes.

There's much more to Ann Marie: "I love to write about non-profit organizations, activists, artists, documentary filmmakers, and other amazing people working to make a positive impact here in Mexico, my adopted home. I also edit and ghostwrite other people's books."

Besides all these activities, Ann Marie is raising her sons, two remarkable young men. The eldest is in the Interdisciplinary Honors Program at the University of Washington. The younger one is in Prepa Sanmiguelense's International Baccalaureate (IB) Program and competed with Guanajuato's team in national math and informatics competitions. As an almost empty nester, she looks forward to exploring the world but always returning to her beloved San Miguel de Allende.

Are socially minded people attracted to San Miguel, or does the desire to help develop once here? What do you think?

To learn more about Mano Amiga,visit manoamigasma.org.

Contact Ann Marie Jackson to learn about her writing at annmariejacksonauthor.com