damian trujillo: hello, and welcome to "comunidad del valle," i'm damian trujillo. another spectacular show with lots of information today on your "comunidad del valle." [music] damian: and we begin today with the monthly visit by the consulate of méxico in san francisco. with me is embajadora remedios gomez arnau on the show. embajadora, great to see you again on the show. remedios gomez arnau: great to see you too, damian. i'm very happy always. damian: thank you. and i say on the show because you and i ran into each other a couple of weeks ago, and unfortunately it was during the mass shootings in half moon bay. first, give us--before we get into that topic, give us your

assessment just on everything that's happened there in half moon bay. remedios: yeah, regrettably we met there. i was visiting the families that had been displaced because of that immediately, and we were looking to confirm who were nationals. unfortunately, of the eight people that were shot, three of them were nationals: two deceased, one still at the hospital. and we've been following one side that justice prevails. so we've been following the trial against the person that committed the shootings, and also we've been helping the relatives of the deceased to help them take the body back to méxico and also we've been helping all the families displaced looking into having a dignified living where they used to be. there were some issues. so we've been talking to the authorities too and we've

provided some economic assistance for immediate needs that they had, and we've been talking to the authorities because they've been taking care of them as to their housing and their meals. so this is something that takes a while. and also our consulate in san jose has been overviewing what happens to the person that is hospitalized, and this person will come back eventually to our responsibility here in the area of san francisco and the bay area. so that's what we've been doing; and we will continue doing that because that's one of the primary functions of a consulate, is to be sure that the interests of our nationals are attended. so that's what we've been doing, damian. damian: now, that's a lot of work. we're looking at the video of some of the memorials there in half moon bay. but you mentioned returning the bodies back to méxico.

now, the consulado helps in some way, right? it's still a cost to the family, but you help facilitate it, make sure that everything is prepared? remedios: yeah, we do facilitate with providing names of funeral homes with whom we have agreements so it's at a lesser cost than the average places. but also in these cases because the people died as a result of a crime--a violent crime, there are also programs from united states that help the families in this case. so we just provide them the information and help them to make the connection whenever they don't have it. damian: well, the mass shooting--we're going to get into more topics with the consulado in our next segment, but the mass shooting occurred on the monday late afternoon, early evening. i called your office on tuesday morning because i was on my way to half moon bay to cover this and your office said, "she's been there all morning." you--that's your job, right? you go right there right when it happens to make sure that your

co-patriots are fine and get the--everything they need. remedios: yeah. usually it's the consular protection team, but in this case as--i realized that it was a big thing and we were not sure how many mexican nationals were affected so i also went with the person in charge of consular protection, and that's what we usually do. when there is something that affects a big group of mexicans, i also go with them to be sure that all the interest in all the areas that we have to cover are being covered. so that's why you met me there. damian: all right. and last question on that before we let you go for this segment is, i was there for a week and i left. other stories to cover, unfortunately, across the bay area. your office is still there, right? whenever they need help, your office is still there continuing to help. remedios: yeah. yeah. we are here. we follow up on that. we don't close the case, this is a collective case, because we're still in the process of providing consular documentation

to some of them. they will be coming in--some of them have already come to the consulate. we will have another consulate later there in half moon bay, but--and all the people will be coming in the following days. so yes--and we will follow what happens with the trial. we want to be sure that justice is met. and we will be following also in the case of the person that is hospitalized and be sure that those that are working in the farms, whether it's in that farm or in other farms, that they are being respected, their labor rights, and that they live--when the housing is provided by the employer, that's a dignified place to live. damian: dignified is the keyword. we thank you as a community for the work that you do for that community there, the farmworker community in half moon bay. the consulado, it's on folsom street in san francisco. there is the web address for more information. we'll be back with the ambassador

and talk about other topics of the consulate. so stay with us. [music]

damian: we're back here with the consul general of méxico in san francisco, ambassador remedios gomez arnau. well, again, we thank you for your work in half moon bay, work that will not end. we thank you for doing that. but you're still--the work goes on at the consulado. one of the things that you're doing now is a programa de emprendimiento, it's kind of a startup helping people start their own businesses. remedios: yes, we're very interested in helping our mexican origin or mexican nationals' community that lives here. as you know, we have different programs. so we are about to open a program for small entrepreneurs, women. we're going to help them. so just be attentive. and if you want more information, please call 415-354-1748.

that's the telephone number of the communities department, that they will provide you more details about this course that we'll be opening with the help of other local organizations for small entrepreneur, women. damian: all right. well, there is the number there you can call for more information. another thing that comes up, and there's images of the consulado, is we have--here in the united states people are allowed to maybe sometimes get their bachelor's degrees online from various universities. you can do the same now online. you can get a bachillerato, a ba degree from the unam. remedios: yes, of course. it's still open till march 6th. so this is a time to register. those that are interested, it's free. it's online. for many--for the people that started the studies in méxico, they came as migrant workers and they couldn't finish, this is a great opportunity to continue their studies. education is always very important, and it open doors and

it opens more than anything our mind. and so i invite the community that--if you want to register, just do it. and, again, dial the number of the communities, 415-354-1748, for more details. and also if you take these online free, which is a high school degree, that also helps you to go on and have a bachelor's degree also for free online. damian: all right, a lot of services there. and one last one is because people--we all work a lot and it's hard to get to your consulado during normal office hours. so you have any you've had for a long time--you continue to have the jornadas sabatinas. open on saturdays on certain saturdays and also consulado movil where you go out and you establish a mobile consulate at different communities. remedios: yeah. yeah. we, again, are back with our program of mobile consulates. we will be going to hawaii that we also cover in february--we

just had yesterday the saturday journey of february, but we will have more. just look up into our webpage. there's the calendar for our mobile consulates and our saturday journeys so you can come. and also we are in the process for the people that are interested in voting in méxico--now in the elections this year, the state of méxico and the state of coahuila you have till march to--march 10th to get your voting credential, and you can come without appointment and we will help you. damian: i think there's a story--a new story that we can do with your consulado moviles when you go to hawaii. i think i might volunteer to go to hawaii with you and see what takes place in those consulado moviles over there. remedios: well, it's very interesting going to hawaii. we go to three islands. we go to the main island o'ahu to the city of honolulu; but

also we go to kona, and we go to kauai. so we visit those three islands. we have around 40,000 mexican that require our documents, mainly passport. and then we also go to the more faraway places in northern coastal california that would cover to help the people to get the passports and meticulous the voting credentials for those that are interested. damian: always busy. ambassador, we thank you so much. again, we can't thank you enough for the work that you did for the farmworkers in half moon bay. it was great to see you out there and knowing that they were in good hands. thank you, ambassador. remedios: thank you, damian. damian: thank you very much. well, the consulate of méxico in san francisco is on folsom street. there is, again, the website for more information, helping out the farmworkers in half moon bay in whatever consular services they might need. up next here on "comunidad del valle," some more unique

services for mexicans living here in the us. stay with us.

damian: it's a life insurance of sort. it's also a repatriation service that--it's a program just brand new. it's called méxico lindo contigo, and with me is yael gojman all the way from la ciudad méxico, méxico city to fill us in on this. yael, welcome to the show. yael gojman: hi. thank you so much. --and thank you for having me. damian: thank you. i met you a couple of weeks ago when you and your team came to san jose. tell us about méxico lindo contigo. yael: méxico lindo contigo is a social enterprise that aim to attend to the needs of mexicans who have left the country--who have left mexico to move to either the states or canada to look for a better future for themselves and for their families. we look up to them and we admire them because we know that they

are choosing to leave. it's not easy with all the challenges that it may entail and with all--everything that comes with it. and so we looked for--we wanted to create an opportunity to bring peace of mind to them in a way--in any way we could, which turned into what now is méxico lindo contigo, which are plans to include different benefits; and i guess i'll speak a little bit more about the benefits in a second. damian: yeah. let me ask you first because it just was a coincidence that i met you on the week that we had the mass shootings in half moon bay. you just happened to be in the bay area with your team at the time, and one thing that they talked about in half moon bay was, "we want to send the bodies back to méxico." the repatriation. your program, méxico lindo contigo, provides that peace of mind, a policy, if you will, to--you pay a monthly fee and you can return the body to méxico. tell us a little bit about that.

yael: that is correct. it is not--méxico lindo contigo is not services for separate. it's not just the repatriation or the life insurance. it's a package. it's like a bundle of benefits that we offer; and yes, amongst those benefits we offer repatriation services to méxico -- so in case the person passes away in the states and they want to be buried in méxico. so it is a monthly fee that's paid to méxico lindo contigo that covers the whole service from the moment they--the person passes away there in the states and they manage the body there. they do everything they need to to bring it--to bring the body to the airport, to bring it to méxico, and at the end all the way to the end of the--to the destination of where the person was from or where the family wants their body to be kept. and all of that--well, i don't remember if you mentioned it already, but probably many of you know that a service like that may cost between $6,000 or maybe $16, $17,000 that the

family needs to pay at the moment of the death, and that is something that if you have--our plans is included, then you will not have to pay for it. damian: and that's a very good point because a lot of families go to gofundme right away and they need help sending the body back. and so this is a way--it's a way of having peace of mind, right? let people relax. "okay, if something happens to me, if something happens to my loved one in the united states and the body needs to go back to méxico, it will be taken care of." yael: yes, for sure. and not only will it be taken care of, though, it will also not be--become a financial burden for us--or for them. like--well, not for the person who by the -- a financial burden for the family or for the community because, as you mentioned, they start doing the gofundme or they do car washes or they do different activities to gather the money to pay for the repatriation of the body. so we say if you are experiencing a really sad event, have the freedom to focus your energy and experiencing the

grief instead of having to figure out where to get the money from. damian: yeah. one big thing that we as mexicanos have is trust and how do we trust, especially when it comes to something like this. how can families trust that when they sign up to méxico lindo contigo that it's legitimate, that it's certified, that whatever i'm paying for is--there's something--there's some reward at the end? there is a delay because you are in méxico city and we're here in--can you hear me now? yael: that's probably what it is. okay. so how can you have the certainty-- damian: the trust, yes. yael: --the certainty that you will--the trust and the certainty that you will receive the services? yes, méxico lindo contigo is a brand new company. however, we are supported by--or we're backed up by leading companies here in mexico that have been serving the community for years and years, and actually one of them

is also worldwide. and so first of all is because of the companies that we're working with; and second of all, you purchase your plan and the following day you will receive a certificate and a policy from those companies that come directly to you letting you know with your name, your information saying that you're covered by us. it's not something that méxico lindo contigo will do. we're just inter--we intermediate the service, but you will receive the original information from the company that will provide the services. damian: all right. and if anything, it provides families with peace of mind knowing that there's this type of policy in place in case the unfortunate happens. well, let's give you some information. the program is called méxico lindo contigo. it just launched just a few weeks ago. and we'll find out how you can sign up and what maybe you might need in our next segment, but the web address is there on the screen. you can log on and find out more about the services that they provide, méxico lindo contigo.

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damian: and we're back with yael gojman who is with méxico lindo contigo, and it's just a coincidence that we had embajadora remedios gomez arnau, the consulate general of méxico in san francisco, just before your segment talking about this--these same issues. so how do people sign up, where do they sign up, and how do they qualify? yael: okay. so in order to qualify, if you want to call it qualification, or in order to be able to purchase our plans, all you need is to have a mexican identity to prove your mexican identity with a curp and the unique registration-- population registration code. as long as you have that, you can purchase our plans. and where can you purchase it? this is not open to the public. it's not like anywhere it can be purchased. you need to go to specific points of sale. so so far we have two different points of sales in san jose,

california and one in los baños, and we're looking to expand all over california and all over the states as well. so the purchase is going to have to be directly through these points of sales. damian: yeah. and we mentioned the repatriation, but there's a lot more services that you provide as well and it's all about being financial--financially educated. yael: yes, that is correct. so other services include the funeral services for the person that was repatriated or for the family in méxico. we also offer financial protection or life insurance for the person who passed away that can--that the family in méxico will receive the money. we offer unlimited phone calls so that people who live in méxico can contact their family members in the states without needing data or credit on their phones, and we are building--continuing to build. what we're looking to do is continue--listen to the needs of

the community; see what else it is that they need, that they might want, and be able to provide it so that it's in the same platform and then they can purchase everything in one same place. damian: and, again, it's not a free service, but it's a service that's needed because we've done so many stories on these unfortunate incidents. somebody passes away. "let's start a gofundme and let's see if we can pay for funeral services that way. let's notify family members in méxico." just so many roadblocks that we don't think about when we're alive. this is a way to plan ahead. yael: that's right. that's right. 'cause we like to think that we're not going to die, but the truth is even if we want to think it it's going to happen one day. we just don't know when. or we're not going to get sick, like--that's inevitable. those things are inevitable. so we might as well just plan ahead as you're saying. damian: yeah. and this project for you was planning for 3 years or 4 years until you felt like you have it right, and you just launched it a couple of weeks ago. yael: that is correct.

it's been a little over 2 years in the making. we wanted to make sure that everything is perfectly planned in integrity; that all the legal aspects are taken care of, all the accounting aspects are taken care of, technology functions. most of it is optimized. so yeah, it's taken time and at some point it was difficult to see that it was taking so long, but the moment--the point--at the point that we're at right now we see how worth it it's been that we put so much time and effort to make something that's worthwhile and that when people start receiving it they can be -- happy with and completely satisfied with. damian: yeah. and the reason we wanted to have you on the show is because we see what's happening at the border and people coming across and some--unfortunately, a lot of people pass away there at the border, what happened at half moon bay. just a lot of tragic incidents that have been happening. but if you can just one more time touch on the peace of mind, how it makes people feel at ease knowing that there is something

there in case something happens. yael: yes, of course. so why--how we bring peace of mind is knowing that whatever in case--so life is unpredictable and anything can happen at any time, and the peace of mind comes in knowing if you have these plans that whatever might happen in the health situation or in like if a person passes away that everything is going to be financially taken care of such that you're still going to have to deal with the emotional impact of somebody getting ill, somebody dying. you're still going to have to deal with the emotional aspect of that, but you're not going to have to add to that the stress--the mental stress and the concern of saying, "how am i going to able to afford this?" so we want you to be able to focus on what's really important in those times instead of having to focus on getting the money for it, and that's where peace of mind brings--and also in the case of the person who sends money to mexico, who sends remittances, if something were to happen--a lot of families

depend in a large percent from the money they receive from the states to cover their food expenses or their most basic expenses on a weekly or daily basis. so if the person passes away, their family not--are not going to have what to eat. so what we want to make sure is if something happens to you, make sure that your family still can continue to -- eat based on--that they have a little bit of a cushion of money until they figure out how else they can start generating a different income, but don't leave them unprotected. damian: all right. well, we appreciate you all the way from mexico city, yael gojman with méxico lindo contigo, for sharing this information with us on the show. thank you. yael: thank you so much. thank you for having me. damian: thank you. and if you'd like more information, the website is on the screen. méxico lindo contigo. log on, find out more about the programs that they offer. and if you want to get ahold of us here on "comunidad del valle," you can follow me. on instagram my handle is @newsdamiantrujillo, and on twitter it's @newsdamian. we thank you so much for sharing another part

of your sunday with us. we're going to leave you with a little bit of music. these are los compadres. we'll see you again here next week. [music] ♪ y que yo he de decir ♪ ♪ que yo estoy cansado ♪ ♪ que el camino es largo ♪ ♪ y no se mirar el fin ♪ ♪ desde delano voy ♪ ♪ hasta sacramento ♪ ♪ y hasta sacramento ♪ ♪ mis derechos a pelear ♪ ♪ yo no vengo a cantar ♪ ♪ porque mi voz sea buena ♪

♪ ni tampoco a llorar ♪ ♪ ni mal estar ♪ ♪ desde delano voy ♪ ♪ hasta sacramento ♪ ♪ y hasta sacramento ♪ ♪ mis derechos a pelear ♪ ♪ mi virgencita ♪ ♪ guadalupana ♪ ♪ y que yo he de decir ♪ ♪ que yo estoy cansado ♪ ♪ que el camino es largo ♪ ♪ y no se mirar-- ♪♪

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