*6.1.1. Dimension of the circle: inclusion and educational equity*

Inclusion and educational equity has been considered as a strategic development circle because it contemplates factors that provide opportunities for all the people of a community to develop their potential, regardless of gender, age, or any other sociocultural condition. Sen [26, pp. 297–298] stresses that "development is, in fact, a transcendental commitment to the possibilities of freedom." And that "freedom is inherently a diverse concept, involving considerations related to processes, as well as considerations related to opportunities." As a consequence, the actions taken by the Federal and State governments in relation to the social development objectives include the strengthening of the education sector, deepening of human rights, democracy, and gender equity. Therefore, in this dimension, the following factors were identified: gender equity, bilingual education, community learning center (digital village), and digital literacy preponderant in children and adolescents.

#### *6.1.2. Dimension of the circle: development*

Development requires the elimination of the main variables identified as weaknesses in the social structure of the Ñuu Savi people (see **Figure 5**), such as illiteracy, migration due to the scarcity of economic opportunities, the limitation of public services and the poverty they entail to the deprivation of liberty, necessary to satisfy the needs of the human beings. In this regard, Sen [26, pp. 282–292] states that the development can be conceived like "a process of expansion of the real freedoms that enjoy the individuals." Sen still says: "Focusing on human freedoms contrasts with stricter development visions, such as their identification with the growth of gross national product, with increasing personal incomes, industrialization, technological advances, or with the social modernization." Sen further states, "Development has to do more to improve the life we live and the freedoms we enjoy." Likewise, according to Gimeno and Monreal [27, p. 5], "development is a product of the imagination of each other, an imagination that is always the result of a social, cultural and material history. To consider development as a social and historical construction is to recognize that it is a contingent product and, therefore, can be modified."

The strategic dimension of the development circle presented here is part of the expansion process of freedom raised by Sen [26] and of the sociocultural foundation expressed by Gimeno and Monreal [27]. Therefore, development and quality of life are conceptualized from within the ethnic group; that is to say, taking the liberty that the government entails of its uses and customs, its values, beliefs, and symbols that give meaning to the daily life of the Ñuu Savi people. It has already been shown that among the members of the Ñuu Savi people, there coexist principles of fraternity, cooperation, and collaboration that are socially cohesive for the economic and sociocultural growth of the people, through collective and community projects that are implemented in the ethnic community. These projects are mainly aimed at economic development, social and human development, basic social infrastructure, human rights, cultural development, technological communication networks, and environmental protection. According to the interviews conducted with the municipal presidents and with the data provided by the National Commission for the Development of Indigenous Peoples, the main dependencies and associated programs, contributing to the development process that impacts on the quality of life of the Mixtec people are SAGARPA (projects for the development of the agricultural field), SEDESOL (social development programs), SEP (scholarships for education), CDI (production projects), CEVI and SINFRA (housing projects), and health sector (medical consultation and food supplements). It should be mentioned that in addition to the aforementioned units and government programs, by linking the Technological University of the Mixteca through the Division of Promotion to Development, the State has implemented programs to support communities in the Mixteca Region. The main objective is to provide technical assistance and training in the different productive areas for the human, economic, and cultural development of the social sectors of the region. With the formation of interdisciplinary working groups, where teachers and students participate, projects for the development of communities have been undertaken. In some cases, financial support has also been received, mainly from calls issued by the Federal and State governments. In general, these resources have been applied to the training of women, men, and children involved in entrepreneurship, such as backyard orchards, nurseries, design and creation of handicrafts, metal management through blacksmithing techniques, courses for improvement and human development, among others. Although the immediate impact is on adults, it also helps to create an entrepreneurial and regional belonging mentality in children and young people, in order to reduce migration rates.

#### *6.1.3. Dimension: safety and well-being*

quality of life, as mentioned earlier. Although these factors are not exclusive to an ethnic minority group, in this study they were a constant in the diagnosis of the 11 communities studied: El Molino, San Francisco el Chico, San Francisco Yosucuta, San Jerónimo Silacayoapilla, San Pedro and San Pablo Tequixtepec, Santa Maria Camotlan, Santa Maria Chachoapam, Santa Rosa, Santos Reyes Yucuna, Saucitlan de Morelos, and Villa de Tamazulapan del Progreso.

The crown of leaves that forms the top of the palm is composed of branches representing six circles in red: inclusion and educational equity, development, safety and well-being, collaboration environment, ecosystem sustainability, and cultural values. The circles represent the strategic dimensions that have been identified as priorities for fostering actions that reduce the digital divide and promote social inclusion. Thus, for each dimension, there are a number of influential factors in the process. The following describes the dimensional circles that concentrate the relevant factors in the context sociocultural of the Nuu Savi

Inclusion and educational equity has been considered as a strategic development circle because it contemplates factors that provide opportunities for all the people of a community to develop their potential, regardless of gender, age, or any other sociocultural condition. Sen [26, pp. 297–298] stresses that "development is, in fact, a transcendental commitment to the possibilities of freedom." And that "freedom is inherently a diverse concept, involving considerations related to processes, as well as considerations related to opportunities." As a consequence, the actions taken by the Federal and State governments in relation to the social development objectives include the strengthening of the education sector, deepening of human rights, democracy, and gender equity. Therefore, in this dimension, the following factors were identified: gender equity, bilingual education, community learning center (digital

Development requires the elimination of the main variables identified as weaknesses in the social structure of the Ñuu Savi people (see **Figure 5**), such as illiteracy, migration due to the scarcity of economic opportunities, the limitation of public services and the poverty they entail to the deprivation of liberty, necessary to satisfy the needs of the human beings. In this regard, Sen [26, pp. 282–292] states that the development can be conceived like "a process of expansion of the real freedoms that enjoy the individuals." Sen still says: "Focusing on human freedoms contrasts with stricter development visions, such as their identification with the growth of gross national product, with increasing personal incomes, industrialization, technological advances, or with the social modernization." Sen further states, "Development has to do more to improve the life we live and the freedoms we enjoy." Likewise, according to Gimeno and Monreal [27, p. 5], "development is a product of the imagination of each other, an imagination that is always the result of a social, cultural and material history. To consider development as a social and historical construction is to recognize that it is a contingent prod-

*6.1.1. Dimension of the circle: inclusion and educational equity*

village), and digital literacy preponderant in children and adolescents.

*6.1.2. Dimension of the circle: development*

uct and, therefore, can be modified."

people.

14 Indigenous People

This strategic dimension arises from the point of view where safety is the state of well-being that the human being perceives and enjoys. Consequently, the most relevant factors are health and well-being, which for this study have been considered health services, water, and housing. Generally, the communities have a health clinic installed in the municipal head of the localities, which only provides service from Monday to Friday. To reduce this fact, the Federal and State governments have implemented vaccination, health and nutrition programs and campaigns. Due to the insufficient drinking water that the Mixteca Region suffers to cover the needs of the population, especially in the months of February to May, rainwater harvesting systems have been implemented for human consumption, through construction of cisterns made of ferrocement or acquired through the support of a social program. The cisterns are stocked with rainwater captured through the laminated ceilings of houses in the months of June to October. Each family unit is responsible for ensuring that the tank is hygienically clean, the water is free of impurities and chlorinated, which does not penetrate the air or light, as well as the stored water is aerated, to prevent it from generating a bad odor or extraneous agents. This strategy, undertaken by the National Water Commission, has been successful due to the commitment and active participation of its municipal agents and the Tequios carried out by the members of the community. As for the housing factor, communities in extreme poverty have been favored with the support that the Federal Government has given for the construction of standard and affordable housing in the communities. The program envisages sustainable construction model involving water and electricity services, education for the treatment of solid waste, as well as recycling and care for biodiversity.

#### *6.1.4. Dimension: Tequio (collaboration and cooperation)*

The Tequio is one of the principles of the Ñuu Savi culture and is present in all dimensional circles of the MODIEM model, through the collaboration and cooperation of the Mixtec. Efforts by governmental agencies and non-profit non-governmental organizations (NGOs) would not be successful without the community-made Tequios that facilitate actions and tasks to achieve goals. That is, there is an added value that the community gives to the development and inclusion, which involves voluntary non-profit work, only the satisfaction of having contributed to public works, to social welfare. Likewise, the convergence in the commitment made by the members of the groups guarantees the equality to eliminate the inequalities. The effort and the active participation of the Mixtecos and all the actors involved who provide public goods and services to the communities allow teamwork for community development and a better quality of life.

#### *6.1.5. Dimension: ecosystem sustainability*

The biological and cultural biodiversity of the Mixteca Region is an ancestral heritage for present and future generations. At present, municipal governments have given importance to the strategic circle of ecosystem sustainability; it has begun to raise awareness in the ethnic communities about the benefits of maintaining a balance between species and the environment. This is why the population is sensitized, informed, and educated through environmental education. Programs and actions have been implemented, for example, recycling techniques for materials such as paper, books, plastic bottles, among others. Techniques for the elaboration of composts such as organic fertilizers, "biodigestor baths," "ecological stoves," and "packing of materials for housing" include material for the construction of housing with thermal and ecological characteristics. In the last three years, 506 homes have been built in 14 municipalities in the state. Fifty-five percent of the study communities have benefited from these programs, impacting their quality of life.

#### *6.1.6. Dimension cultural values*

harvesting systems have been implemented for human consumption, through construction of cisterns made of ferrocement or acquired through the support of a social program. The cisterns are stocked with rainwater captured through the laminated ceilings of houses in the months of June to October. Each family unit is responsible for ensuring that the tank is hygienically clean, the water is free of impurities and chlorinated, which does not penetrate the air or light, as well as the stored water is aerated, to prevent it from generating a bad odor or extraneous agents. This strategy, undertaken by the National Water Commission, has been successful due to the commitment and active participation of its municipal agents and the Tequios carried out by the members of the community. As for the housing factor, communities in extreme poverty have been favored with the support that the Federal Government has given for the construction of standard and affordable housing in the communities. The program envisages sustainable construction model involving water and electricity services, education for the treatment of solid waste, as well as recycling and care for

The Tequio is one of the principles of the Ñuu Savi culture and is present in all dimensional circles of the MODIEM model, through the collaboration and cooperation of the Mixtec. Efforts by governmental agencies and non-profit non-governmental organizations (NGOs) would not be successful without the community-made Tequios that facilitate actions and tasks to achieve goals. That is, there is an added value that the community gives to the development and inclusion, which involves voluntary non-profit work, only the satisfaction of having contributed to public works, to social welfare. Likewise, the convergence in the commitment made by the members of the groups guarantees the equality to eliminate the inequalities. The effort and the active participation of the Mixtecos and all the actors involved who provide public goods and services to the communities allow teamwork for community development

The biological and cultural biodiversity of the Mixteca Region is an ancestral heritage for present and future generations. At present, municipal governments have given importance to the strategic circle of ecosystem sustainability; it has begun to raise awareness in the ethnic communities about the benefits of maintaining a balance between species and the environment. This is why the population is sensitized, informed, and educated through environmental education. Programs and actions have been implemented, for example, recycling techniques for materials such as paper, books, plastic bottles, among others. Techniques for the elaboration of composts such as organic fertilizers, "biodigestor baths," "ecological stoves," and "packing of materials for housing" include material for the construction of housing with thermal and ecological characteristics. In the last three years, 506 homes have been built in 14 municipalities in the state. Fifty-five percent of the study communities have benefited from these pro-

biodiversity.

16 Indigenous People

and a better quality of life.

*6.1.5. Dimension: ecosystem sustainability*

grams, impacting their quality of life.

*6.1.4. Dimension: Tequio (collaboration and cooperation)*

The main cultural values that strengthen their social development are collaboration, cooperation, equity, solidarity, tolerance, and respect present in their government of uses and customs. In the Ñuu Savi culture, value emerges from coexistence with the members of the community and its context; it is a social consequence that forges its identity. Principles such as the Guelaguetza, which alludes to an attitude with which one is born and grows, is a feeling through which the ethnic brother is accepted and esteemed, feeling of kinship, of brotherhood. Their values are forged and cultivated today; however, these can change due to the effect of time and space, and the Mixtec people wisely recognize the positive impact these values bring to the community. The solidarity and mutual help they keep among themselves are feelings that reflect when receiving the economic supports and that is distributed in an equitable way among the members of the community.
