Hector Meza Delgado is a former PMA student who recently launched a non-profit called Futurero.org in Mexico City, Mexico. Hector graduated in 2003 with a Double Major in Theatre Studies and Biology (with a concentration in Physiology). After graduating Hector moved to New York City, where they began their career working in the fashion world and in finance tech.
“I had been working as a financial consultant for tech start-ups for almost 15 years and, to be honest, I was tired of dealing with this type of client,” said Hector. “They were not very creative outside of their domain and I wanted to support projects that had the potential to do some good in their communities, instead of just extracting and not giving back.”
Eventually Hector found a different calling. He moved to Mexico City and started the non-profit Futurero.org, where he organizes and facilitates a wide range of community projects. PMA Professor Bruce Levitt said “Hector was an energetic and inquisitive student. He was in the fashion world when he was in New York and I’m thrilled he has found something he really loves.”
One of Futurero.org’s projects launched in 2023, is aimed at amplifying the mission of Casa Itzamná, a bee sanctuary helping to preserve traditional Mayan medicine and the endangered Melipona bee species. Casa Itzamná is nestled near Cobá in the Yucatán Peninsula.
“For a while, I had been meaning to help out a sanctuary for Melipona bees in the Yucatán peninsula but I just did not have the time,” said Hector. “Meliponas are a type of native bee that accounts for approximately 40% of the pollination in the Mayan jungle and produce a very potent medicinal honey that is a pillar of Yucatec indigenous medicine. Unfortunately, these bees are endangered because of deforestation to build tourist resorts, highways, and a recent train line (the “Tren Maya” and its controversies have been recently in the news).”
Hector’s organization has been offering a number of services, including business planning workshops, and working with Casa Itzamná on producing engaging content to further their mission. “At the beginning, I hired a project manager to help me out with this project and a couple more projects —aiding an environmental activist set up a preservation project in the North of Mexico, and a queer-run soup kitchen called “Manos Amigues.”
Manos Amigues, founded in 2021, is a LGBTQ+ community center and soup kitchen located in Mexico City's Guerrero neighborhood. The center serves as a sanctuary, offering over 5,000 meals a month in an art-infused space while challenging homophobia and transphobia. “A lot of the work that we do is helping these projects with their strategy, planning, financial projections, as well as help them form partnerships to companies, NGOs and government organizations.”
In addition to comprehensive financial strategies, Hector draws on their theatre studies background in envisioning future projects. “I believe that theatre will regain importance as a valuable social cohesion tool in the coming years with all the major societal upheavals that are likely due to our current climate crisis. I do believe that studying theatre and the humanities has provided me with incredible analytical, creative, intuitive, and social tools that I still use in all my projects up to these days.”
“A project that I would really like to develop is a queer retirement community/ecological preserve,” said Hector. “A lot of queer people do not have great relationships with their families and most don’t have children. I would like to create a place for queer people to retire in dignity. In the meantime, I am hoping to keep helping other projects here in Mexico that provide ecological, social, or cultural value to their communities.”
Futurero.org is a groundbreaking consulting agency committed to advancing projects with the power to create profound social, environmental, and cultural value within communities. Their pro-bono services include business plan development, financial forecasting, branding, communications strategy, and funding guidance. They proudly offer these services through our dedicated in-house team and an extensive network of volunteer professionals from around the globe.
Read more about Hector’s work with Futurero.org.
Read more about Manos Amigues.
