• The EnSeñas Center uses a comprehensive care approach.
  • More than five million pesos were delivered for rehabilitation equipment
  • Without the support of President Enrique Peña Nieto, we would not have had this Center: Arturo Núñez Jiménez, governor of Tabasco.

Villahermosa, Tabasco, February 7, 2018.

President of the Citizens’ Advisory Board of the National DIF Angélica Rivera de Peña inaugurated the Comprehensive Care Center for Hearing Impairment, EnSeñas, which will cater to 70,000 people a year and delivered 5.6 million pesos for the purchase of rehabilitation equipment. This new program is intended to serve as an innovative model for the whole country.

"We are doing all this with the support of my husband, President Enrique Peña Nieto. He is committed to quality education for absolutely all the children in our country,” she said.

A few days ago, she said, my husband the president was here, meeting all the commitments he made to you, the people of Tabasco and today, we signed this agreement of collaboration with the Tabasco DIF to continue improving your lives and those of your families.

This Center, she said, is an example of comprehensive care for people with hearing disabilities.

Later on, Mrs. Rivera de Peña said she was happy to be able to deliver the funds, because, “Commitments are meant to be met and my husband has also met his commitments to you, people with disabilities. He asked us to work for you, but also with you”.

This bilingual education you will have in your school, in both Spanish and Mexican Sign Language, will allow you to communicate with your loved ones and all those around you. It is important because children will learn new communication technologies and be able to say what they need and what they are dreaming of with their hands. And it is worth remembering that the first stone of what is now this innovative model was laid seven months ago.

”Thank you very much to the staff who are with us, to the doctors, nurses, therapists, teachers, our DIF people and all the people who care for our children who make it possible for them to be cared for with love”.

Accompanied by Health Secretary José Narro Robles and Social Development Secretary Eviel Pérez Magaña; Governor of Tabasco Arturo Núñez Jiménez; general directors of the National DIF System Laura Barrera Fortoul and the National Council for the Development and Inclusion of People with Disabilities (CONADIS), Mercedes Juan López, the president's wife toured the facilities of this center and visited the Montessori room, the audiology hall, the classrooms and the early and sensory stimulation areas.

It is important to note that each of these areas was designed so that children and teenagers can be looked after and develop in an environment of respect, equity and harmony. The medical area of the Center will not only attend people with hearing disabilities, but all those at risk of having this disability. It has been proven that prevention and support for parents is extremely important and they will have this here.

Before the end of the event, the president’s wife said the following:  “There will be nothing to stop you; I am sure you will become what you want to be, because education is the most powerful tool for transforming the world. Moments earlier, a child called José Manuel, with hearing impairment, presented the president’s wife with chocolates, which she was delighted to receive.

After unveiling the inaugural plaque, Rivera de Peña also presented the donation for the acquisition of rehabilitation equipment and witnessed the signing of a collaboration agreement between the National and state DIF.  

The EnSeñas Center, inaugurated by the wife of President Enrique Peña Nieto, will provide medical, therapeutic and educational assistance to deaf people and those with hearing impairment as well as creating bridges to enrich society by making it inclusive for everyone, since according to the 2010 Population and Housing Census, there are over 2,400,000 people with limited hearing.

After thanking Angélica Rivera de Peña for her visit, in his speech, Governor of Tabasco Arturo Núñez Jiménez said that her presence serves as an incentive and encouragement for the state DIF team. At the same time, he acknowledged the support President Enrique Peña Nieto has given the state, not only with this public work, but with many others, which are of great benefit to the people of Tabasco.

He explained that 87 percent of the EnSeñas Center funds were provided by the federal government and 13 percent by the state of Tabasco, and added that, without the strong support of President Peña Nieto, it would not have been possible to achieve this project. He added that his wife has accompanied him during his 48 years of public service, performing various social actions, but none like the one she has performed as the head of the Tabasco DIF. 

For her part, Martha Lilia López Aguilera de Núñez, president of the Tabasco DIF, thanked Mrs. Rivera de Peña, for her valuable interest in the programs that the National DIF undertakes throughout the country, while acknowledging the good will of DIF director Laura Barrera Fortoul, who has visited the state on several occasions.