By Eliza Brennan | Program Officer
As the conditions in Central America and many other regions of the world continue to drive people from their homes to the border -- and recent changes in U.S. immigration policy such as the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP) are increasingly pressuring Mexico to absorb these immigrant populations for the long-term -- it is the Mexican nonprofit sector that has truly stepped up to meet the needs and defend the human rights of immigrants in their communities.
Recognizing the critical role of civil society in our border communities, and following on our grants to cover basic needs in 2018, ICF and the Border Fund is now investing in tools to strengthen and support the local nonprofit organizations in Tijuana/Mexicali and foster collaboration between local leadership, with the goal of developing long-term resilience and systems for receiving an ever-growing migrant population.
On May 17, ICF hosted a meeting for all of the organizations in Tijuana/Mexicali who are working to support immigrants, with the goal of:
• building trust and understanding of one another's work
• sharing lessons learned and collective challenges
• identifying solutions and opportunities to work together
Following on the enthusiasm and findings of the 30 attendees of this first meeting, throughout 2019 ICF will offer a series of capacity-building trainings specific to the challenges identified. Topics requested included mental health and self-care, "know your rights" workshops, best practices for shelter management, and nonprofit management and fundraising.
ICF's Border Fund will also fund locally-driven initiatives to strengthen the current services, for example;
• formal education, job-skills training, mental health services, and other programs specifically designed to meet the needs of both migrant and deported populations in Tijuana
• systems and communication platforms to improve information-sharing/collaboration
• building permanent infrastructure such as new shelters or community resource centers (as necessary)
• research and advocacy for public policy reform • mental health and self-care for first-responders (those who are working at shelters or serving the population)
In honor of International Refugee Day, you can support the organizations offering comprehensive, long-term solutions to refugees and immigrants at our border! Thank you!
Links:
By Eliza Brennan | Program Officer
By Gabriela Gonzalez | Program Associate, ICF
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