Cancún Council Approves Programs for Caregivers, Students and People With Disabilities

Cancún, Quintana Roo — The Benito Juárez City Council has approved a slate of initiatives designed to strengthen social programs in Cancún, targeting caregivers, families, students and residents with disabilities.

Councilman Marcos Basilio Saldívar, who chairs the council’s Commission on Wellbeing, Citizen Participation and Human Rights, presented the proposals during the body’s 50th session.

Support for Unpaid Caregivers

Among the approved measures is “Cuidando al Cuidador” (Caring for the Caregiver), a program that provides financial assistance, training and emotional support to people who permanently care for relatives or others who need special attention because of age, illness or motor and cognitive conditions.

The initiative is intended to assist those who carry out that work without pay, offering tools to improve the care they provide while strengthening their own wellbeing and economic independence.

Beach Access and Student Talent

Council members also added “Ruta Mar” (Sea Route) to municipal regulations, a social tourism program that will allow residents of neighborhoods far from the hotel zone to travel to Cancún’s public beaches. The measure is meant to give local families access to recreational spaces and guarantee their right to leisure through social transportation alternatives.

A further proposal, the Municipal Program for the Development of Student Talent, calls for school competitions to identify and nurture the abilities of children and young people in civic, cultural, artistic, scientific, technological, sports and social disciplines.

The council also approved “Encuentros con Causa” (Encounters with a Cause), a program to raise donations for Cancún’s Multiple Attention Centers (CAM). In addition, it agreed to fold the Directorate for the Inclusion of People with Disabilities into the Secretariat of Wellbeing, a move aimed at speeding up services and providing comprehensive attention to that segment of the population.

Basilio Saldívar said adding these initiatives to municipal regulations will institutionalize the social programs and establish a basis for their enforcement. He said he will continue to push measures aimed at improving living conditions and the wellbeing of Cancún families.