The project ‘Mija, yes you can’ continues to gain momentum. Seven months into its creation, the project has already made headlines both locally and nationally and has received overwhelming response from the community.

The nonprofit organization was created by women FOR women to provide a platform that allows ALL women to come together to learn from each other, relate to each other and achieve their ambitions in life.

Taking part in El Paso Giving Day for the first time, the organizers was surprised by and grateful for the community’s support, raising more than $5,000 and surpassing its original $1,500 goal. As the project continues to grow, organizers are proud to be a fund of the Paso del Norte Community Foundation.

“I started ‘Mija, Yes you can’ right before a pandemic,” said Iris Lopez, founder of ‘Mija, Yes you can’ said. “Other than volunteer work, I had no experience with non-profit organizations but I knew that I wanted to create something for women in our community and never did I think it would grow so big so fast.”

The Paso del Norte Community Foundation supports the philanthropic goals of individuals, families, corporations, foundations and nonprofit organizations to improve education, health, social services, economic development, and quality of life in the Paso del Norte region. The partnership came as welcome news for the project because it will help establish ‘Mija, yes you can’ as a trusted nonprofit in El Paso, which will in turn help the project make an even greater impact on the community.

“The Mijas have inspired women in a unique way to come together to support each other and this is a special effort that we’re honored to be part of,” said Mica Short, Vice President of Development for Paso del Norte Community Foundation. “We love helping ordinary people do extraordinary things.”

What was once a team of one has turned into a team of three determined young women, President Crystal Saavedra and Vice President Shelby Montgomery, who all spend countless hours keeping up with T-shirt orders, emails and social media engagement.

“It really is a labor of love,” Crystal Saavedra said. “However, hearing other women share their stories and seeing how proud they are to wear our shirts really makes it all worthwhile for us.”

“Donations from our community will help The Mijas begin the process of providing scholarships to women of all ages as well as help us continue our efforts of supporting other non-profit organizations in our community,” said Montgomery.

If you would like to make a donation to The Mija Project, you can find a link to their fund page on their website, www.mijayesyoucan.org.