Harold and Jodi Bauman founded Oaxaca Street Children Grassroots in 1996. The couple first came to Oaxaca on vacation in 1984, and although they were enchanted by the city's charms, they were deeply troubled by the many young children they saw selling trinkets in the streets and parks during the day and late into the night.

Initially Jodi and Harold began to help one Triqui (a Oaxacan Indigenous group) family enroll their children in school. Each year they expanded their efforts and spent more and more time in Oaxaca, eventually moving there.

By 1996, with the generous help of friends, Jodi and Harold were supporting approximately seventy children. They soon realized that they could help even more children attend school if they formalized their initiative; with the help of others, they chartered Oaxaca Street Children Grassroots creating the child-sponsorship program.

By the end of 1997, 148 children had found sponsors with the help of Oaxaca Streetchildren Grassroots. The number continues to climb and today over 600 children have sponsors who support them through Oaxaca Streetchildren Grassroots and our Oaxacan center el Centro de Esperanza Infantil. El Centro de Esperanza Infantil was chartered in 1999 and holds the Mexican equivalent of a United States 501(c) (3) charitable organization status. As a result, Oaxaca Streetchildren Grassroots is able to fund services on site in Oaxaca.

Jodi and Harold Bauman have since passed away. Harold preceded Jodi in death by several years and during that time Jodi re-married to Carl Risner. Carl was a wonderful person who quickly grew to love Oaxaca and its children and put extraordinary effort in the support of the Oaxacan center and the children served there. Together Jodi and Carl continued the work which led to the purchase and renovation of the center you see in Oaxaca today which continues to expand and serve ever more children.

Jodi, Harold and Carl are sorely missed but their legacy grows ever stronger in the work of Oaxaca Streetchildren Grassroots and Centro de Esperanza Infantil.