Mission 500 and Security Industry Volunteers Travel to Mexico For World Vision Water Sanitation Project

Mission 500 and ESA Gives Back, the association's charitable and philanthropic program, joined forces with the humanitarian agency World Vision earlier this year and raised a total of $12,500 towards a water sanitation project in the State of San Luis Potosi, Mexico. In October, a total of fourteen volunteers from the security industry, including three of the 2014 Security 5/2K top fundraisers who earned the trip as a prize, visited the project first hand.

"After our last mission to Tanzania, in January 2014, Mission 500 made it our goal to organize these trips every year," said George Fletcher, Advisory board member and Mission 500 volunteer. "Traveling and helping in this way enables our fundraisers and donors to have a unique volunteer experience and witness firsthand the transformational effects of our child centered cause."

Mexico is the 11th largest country in the world, with just under 120 million residents and an income per capita of $10,307 USD. Almost 33 percent of the population lives in moderate poverty and 9 percent lives in extreme poverty, meaning over 50 million Mexicans are living under $5 USD a day; more than 20 million of these are children.

The State of San Luis Potosi is located in North Central Mexico and is bordered by nine other states. The population's lack of basic needs leads to a high level of poverty that is related to the incapacity to generate jobs, marketable services and infrastructure, which does not allow them to interact with other economic and labor sectors.

The facilitation of clean water is one of the challenges San Luis Potosi is working to overcome in the municipality of Tepetzintla. Tepetzintla was formed through the efforts of one of World Vision's local Area Development Programs (ADP) and was chosen to benefit from the 2014 ESA Gives Back program. World Vision staff worked with community leaders to determine that one of their biggest needs is a water sanitation system. The sanitation system is most efficiently facilitated by the implementation of ecological latrines.

Globally, approximately two million children die each year due to preventable infections spread by polluted water or inadequate sanitation. The challenges of water and sanitation depend on people's access to these services and on improving quality and operational efficiency. The use of ecological latrines enables the community to prevent pollution, render their waste safe for reuse, and contribute to their food supply through the production of organic fertilizers.

The volunteers traveled to Tepetzintla to help build the ecological latrines and meet the families benefiting from the new system. When they weren't constructing latrines, they were having lunch with the families, passing out small gifts and playing soccer games with the children. After five days of experiencing a culture very different from their own, volunteers left with a new sense of gratitude and outlook on life.

Volunteers also got the opportunity to view a coffee-growing project funded by the efforts of World Vision, visiting the families who locally grow and prepare the coffee beans for final production. They then travelled to a factory where they were educated on the coffee making process and given the opportunity to purchase locally ground coffee. For more information on the Mission 500, contact George Fletcher at [email protected], or call 305-321-3193.

For more information on World Vision, contact Christine Connolly Bell at [email protected], or call 323 208-2444.

Featured

  • 2025 Security LeadHER Conference Program Announced

    ASIS International and the Security Industry Association (SIA) – the leading membership associations for the security industry – have announced details for the 2025 Security LeadHER conference, a special event dedicated to advancing, connecting and empowering women in the security profession. The third annual Security LeadHER conference will be held Monday, June 9 – Tuesday, June 10, 2025, at the Detroit Marriott Renaissance Center in Detroit, Michigan. This carefully crafted program represents a comprehensive professional development opportunity for women in security this year. To view the full lineup at this year’s event, please visit securityleadher.org. Read Now

    • Industry Events
  • Report: 82 Percent of Phishing Emails Used AI

    KnowBe4, the world-renowned cybersecurity platform that comprehensively addresses human risk management, today launched its Phishing Threat Trend Report, detailing key trends, new data, and threat intelligence insights surrounding phishing threats targeting organizations at the start of 2025. Read Now

  • NRF Supports Federal Bill to Thwart Retail Crime

    The National Retail Federation recently announced its support for the Combating Organized Retail Crime Act of 2025. The act was introduced by Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, Senator Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., and Representative Dave Joyce, R-Ohio. Read Now

  • ISC West 2025 Brings Almost 29,000 Industry Professionals to Las Vegas

    ISC West 2025, organized by RX and in collaboration with the Security Industry Association, concluded at the Venetian Expo in Las Vegas last week. The nation’s leading comprehensive and converged security event attracted nearly 29,000 industry professionals and left a lasting impression on the global security community. Over five action-packed days, ISC West welcomed more than 19,000 attendees and featured 750 exhibiting brands. Read Now

    • Industry Events
    • ISC West
  • Tradeshow Work Can Be Fun

    While at ISC West last week, I ran into numerous friends and associates all of which was a pleasant experience. The first question always seemed to be, “How many does this make for you?” Read Now

    • Industry Events
    • ISC West

New Products

  • Automatic Systems V07

    Automatic Systems V07

    Automatic Systems, an industry-leading manufacturer of pedestrian and vehicle secure entrance control access systems, is pleased to announce the release of its groundbreaking V07 software. The V07 software update is designed specifically to address cybersecurity concerns and will ensure the integrity and confidentiality of Automatic Systems applications. With the new V07 software, updates will be delivered by means of an encrypted file.

  • EasyGate SPT and SPD

    EasyGate SPT SPD

    Security solutions do not have to be ordinary, let alone unattractive. Having renewed their best-selling speed gates, Cominfo has once again demonstrated their Art of Security philosophy in practice — and confirmed their position as an industry-leading manufacturers of premium speed gates and turnstiles.

  • ComNet CNGE6FX2TX4PoE

    The ComNet cost-efficient CNGE6FX2TX4PoE is a six-port switch that offers four Gbps TX ports that support the IEEE802.3at standard and provide up to 30 watts of PoE to PDs. It also has a dedicated FX/TX combination port as well as a single FX SFP to act as an additional port or an uplink port, giving the user additional options in managing network traffic. The CNGE6FX2TX4PoE is designed for use in unconditioned environments and typically used in perimeter surveillance.