Rosa Es Rojo, Inc.

Rosa es Rojo makes wellness and prevention accessible for the high-risk cancer population of Latino women in North Texas, by promotion nutrition, physical activity, emotional health and positive thinking. Through our educational model "The Rojo Way", shared in Spanish, women are able to apply what they are learning with us and most importantly, they are able to impact at least 4 other people besides themselves. If Latino women tend to their physical and emotional health, they will be actively promoting the formation of strong families and communities through positive influence.

Resilience is contagious! If Latino women tend to their physical and emotional health, they will be actively promoting the formation of strong families and communities through positive influence.

The Need

There is a lack of education within the Latino community in the US regarding wellness, health and prevention. Most of the information available is English and not customized for their culture within the proper context. This is causing a profound impact on their physical and emotional well-being.

They are dealing with cancer, obesity, overweight, depression, anxiety disorders and complex cultural adjustments, among other problems (most of these situations can be prevented). They are getting sick not because they don’t have enough economic resources, but because they are not well educated on how they can achieve wellness and live a healthier lifestyle, for them and their families.

Cancer is the leading cause of death among Hispanics/Latinos, who represent the largest racial/ethnic minority group in the United States, accounting for 17.4% (55.4 million/318 million) of the total US population in 2014. Breast cancer is the leading cause of death among Latino women in the United States.

In Rosa es Rojo, we want Latino women to feel confident in taking charge of their health. Most of the women we work with are coming from socio-economic backgrounds that include immigrant families and lower income households. The Latino community is rapidly growing and currently the largest minority group in the U.S. However, the health disparity gap is also increasing. We want our participants to feel empowered enough to make conscious health decisions.The effects of a positive and healthy outlook on life are contagious and go beyond matters of health.

History

Aideé Granados, founder, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2013. She decided to share the wealth of knowledge from her experience with those in the community she serves. Founding this non-profit organization in 2016 became a passion for her. She recognized the need for more health and wellness resources in Latino communities, more specifically, a need for support of Latino women who have survived a breast cancer diagnosis. Most organizations with cancer focused programs tend to target diverse populations. Given the fact that most of the female Latino population is immigrant and native Spanish speaker, there is a need for services that are tailored specifically to counter the many health and wellness issues facing women in the Latino community.

Why "Rosa es Rojo" (Pink is Red)? During Aideé’s cancer treatment she realized how much bad-information and mist raining existed around breast cancer. She learned from good sources, about "surviving" cancer. Some things did not fit to be better, quite the opposite. The "pink ribbons" for example, she ran into them in many places and researching a little, she realized that whoever said to support the cure, was really promoting the disease. That is why Aideé concluded that the "pink" around breast cancer was not accurate. It did not mean what she needed to get ahead and live many more years. A stunning, shiny, crazy, even aggressive “red” instead, quite the opposite to pink is what she found as the answer.

Impact

During 2017 and with less than $10k total contributions, we were able to touch the lives of 314 Latino women and their family members in the DFW area equivalent to 1,256 hours of training. Thanks to partnerships with other nonprofits in North Texas, we have been able to reach the Latino women community. We have been close to them, listening and working side by side for understanding their needs and watching how our educational programs are improving their lifestyle and well-being. During the first half of 2018, we have facilitated 6 workshops reaching 62 participants, equivalent to 248 hours of training. We have also streamed 8 Facebook live videos with 13,647 views in the same time period. Through our coaching and 1-on1 support services we have served with more than 37 hours. For the second half of this year, we expect to have 80 more women participating in our trainings, equivalent to 960 hours of training and 240 hours of one-on-one support sessions.

We educate Latinas on wellness and cancer prevention! Our 6-month community wellness model is called The "Rojo" Way.

The "Rojo" Way allows Latino women to grow and flourish by equipping them with the knowledge and resources to maintain an active and healthy lifestyle. Thanks to the resilience skills (superviving skills) that they are learning with us they will be improving their lifestyle by promoting nutrition, physical activity, emotional health awareness and positive thinking.

The “Rojo” Way includes 20 hours of direct training (4 workshops: Nutrition, Emotions and Thoughts in your Favor, of 4 hours each + 4 hours of one-on-one support sessions and technological resources for continuing education and support). Everything is shared in Spanish, using culturally relevant content.