Aiding and empowering indigenous Oaxacan immigrants in Ventura County.
Who We Are
Mixteco/Indigena Community Organizing Project (MICOP) was founded in 2001 to address the pressing concerns of Ventura County's most vulnerable and marginalized residents: indigenous farm workers from the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca. Speaking only the Mixteco language, Mixtecs are subject to discrimination and exploitation at work, in the marketplace, and in housing.
MICOP is comprised of English-, Spanish-, and Mixteco-speaking people who have come together to empower and help improve the health and well being of indigenous Oaxacans in Ventura County. We mentor leaders, train promotores de salud, or healthcare outreach workers, and work to organize local Mixtecs to develop a collective voice for advocacy and action. Members of the Mixtec community serve on our Board of Directors and take an active role in all of our activities.
What We Do
MICOP offers a range of programs to mentor, train, support and empower Ventura County's Mixtec population, including:
Community organizing
Promotor/a training and mentoring
Spanish-Mixteco interpreter training
Linguistically accessible parenting classes
Cultural competency training and consulting
Cultural events including celebrations of Dia de los Ninos, Dia de los Muertos and Fiesta Navidena
and much more
The focal point of MICOP's work is monthly community meetings designed to build a sense of community and self-sufficiency among Ventura County's Mixtec population, while helping Mixtecs access healthcare and educational and social services.
Each meeting features an educational presentation, plus a traditional Oaxacan meal prepared by community members. In addition, food, clothing, disposable diapers, healthcare items and other necessities are distributed free of charge to approximately 200 families per month.
