Niños Incapacitados
Who We Are and How We Work
• We are an all-volunteer, non-profit, charity that has worked in the Lake Chapala area since 1974.
• Our mission is to help Mexican families, who require financial assistance, pay for the on-going and/or major medical expenses for their children. We believe that healthcare is a human right, not a privilege.
• We meet with children and parents monthly in clinics to reimburse parents for medical care and to ascertain their needs.
• We currently serve 120 children from ages of birth to 18 who suffer from serious disabilities or life-threatening illnesses. A qualified child is never turned away. A qualified child may remain with us until the age of 25 in specialized circumstances.
• We use 95% of every peso donated to help children.
• We are an active civil association and a donataria level charity that is registered in Mexico, Canada and the United States, allowing us to issue tax receipts and facturas to our donors.
• We can do our work because in 2021 we received:
- 1 bequest/legacy gift
- 7 corporate donations
- 146 individual donations that ranged from $100 pesos to $1,500,000 pesos.
• We collaborate with DIF and are recognized, respected and trusted in the communities we serve as a provider of life saving care for ill children.
Our Governance:
• The Board of Directors is comprised of a multi-national group that includes Mexicans, Argentines, Canadians, and Americans. They sit for two-year terms that are renewable.
• We also utilize an Advisory Council who assist the board in formulating policy and directions for the organization.
• We hold an annual general assembly that is open to the community, as required by Mexican law and our Acta Constitutiva.
• We are audited by Amistad Canada and the Foundation for Lakeside Chapala Charities.
How We Spend the Money Donated:
• Major Expenses
– Medicines/Medical Services 65% (dental, vision, and related assistance)
– Transportation 30%
– Business overhead 5%
• The average cost per child for a year is $26,500 pesos.
Lydia Bodin has lived at Lakeside since 2018. Before coming to Lakeside from California, Lydia was a deputy district attorney for the Los Angeles District Attorney’s office for 32 years. She specialized in cases that involved child sexual assault, child physical assault, domestic violence, and crime victim services. She has worked on prosecuting numerous high profile cases and became a managing attorney in the Los Angeles District Attorney’s office. Before practicing law, she worked as a teacher in the area of special education.
Currently, Lydia is the President of Programa Pro Ninos Incapacitados del Lago and assumed that position in 2019. It is important to Lydia to be of service in her community and she finds that the work of Ninos Incapacitados to be fulfilling.
Lydia and her husband together have four adult children. Her husband, Michael Bustos, formerly an engineer for Boeing, was born in San Nicolas Ibarra.