Baja California Sur’s state welfare agency has partnered with the Universidad Internacional de La Paz (UNIPAZ) to expand services at Casa Valentina, a residential support center in La Paz for children with cancer and their families.
The collaboration, announced on April 20 by Perla Janneth Berumen Cordero, director of Social Assistance, Management, and Integration at SEDIF (Sistema Estatal para el Desarrollo Integral de la Familia), will bring university students into the center through volunteer hours and community service projects. The arrangement gives Casa Valentina additional hands without requiring new budget allocation.
What Casa Valentina Provides
Casa Valentina operates as a social assistance center for pediatric cancer patients and their caregivers who travel to La Paz from across the state’s five municipalities: La Paz, Los Cabos, Comondú, Mulegé, and Loreto. Many families must relocate temporarily during long oncology treatment cycles, and the center helps cover the practical burdens of that move.
The facility provides lodging, meals, transportation to medical appointments, and professional accompaniment during treatment. It also runs occupational therapy sessions and training programs designed to help family members cope with the emotional and logistical demands of caring for a child with cancer.
How the UNIPAZ Partnership Works
SEDIF staff presented Casa Valentina’s mission and services directly to UNIPAZ students, outlining specific roles they could fill. The opportunities include community service placements (known in Mexico as “servicio social,” a graduation requirement at most universities) and structured projects focused on pediatric cancer care.
This model is well established in Mexican public health. Universities require students to complete hundreds of hours of community service before graduating, and agencies like DIF regularly absorb those hours to stretch limited staff resources. For Casa Valentina, the influx of students could expand its capacity to run therapy programs and provide day-to-day support to families in residence.
A Resource for Families Across BCS
Because La Paz is the state capital and home to the region’s main public hospitals, families from remote towns throughout Baja California Sur often face long, costly trips for treatment. Casa Valentina’s role is to remove financial and logistical barriers so that families can focus on their child’s health rather than worrying about where to sleep or how to get to the hospital.
Berumen Cordero said the UNIPAZ partnership will allow SEDIF to broaden Casa Valentina’s reach and strengthen the comprehensive care it offers to families facing childhood cancer.
First reported by the Baja California Sur state government (bcs.gob.mx).