Efforts of charity group hindered by drug war
By Aileen B. Flores / El Paso Times
Article Launched: 06/08/2008 12:00:00 AM MDT



The sound of gunfire now threatens to silence the sound of hammers in the poorest neighborhoods of Juárez.

Every year hundreds of U.S. missionaries travel to outlying areas in Juárez to help low-income families build new homes. But some volunteers are now afraid to cross the border because of the violence believed to be linked to warring drug cartels, program officials said Wednesday.

Alfonso "Poncho" Cisneros, a member of El Chaday Temple in Juárez and Casas por Cristo in El Paso, said that the violence in Juárez has put on hold the construction of homes for low- income families in colonias.

"Some
projects have been canceled; the missionaries from the United States don't want to come because they're afraid of crossing to Mexico," Cisneros said.
At least 14 groups from the United States and Canada have canceled their summer trips to Juárez, program officials said.

"That means 14 families that were expecting homes will have to go back on the waiting list and wait longer. It's hard because the families were looking forward to, and expecting a home," said Brandon Broach, marketing manager for Casas por Cristo.

About 200 families have been helped annually since Casas por Cristo was formed 15 years ago, and the group had hoped to build at least 400 homes this year.

Casas por Cristo is a local nonprofit organization with a partnership among churches of the United States, Canada and Mexico to serve the needs of Mexican families. In all, it has built about 3,000 houses.

Last week 12 wood-frame houses finished with stucco were being constructed on the desolate edge of the city, where at this time of year, volunteers have to fight blowing dust and searing heat.

According to Cisneros, the organization was planning to build at least nine houses in the Anapra area, west of Juárez, beginning next week. But after the cancelation of some volunteer groups, the organization expects to construct fewer homes.

Cisneros said that volunteers are divided into teams of 12 to 30 people who spend about a week hammering chicken wire and insulation to the walls of the one-story structures. During the summer, however, 100 volunteers might make up a team as groups from New York, California, Arizona, Florida and Canada head into town.

Now the organization is feeling the backlash as potential volunteers learn more about the wave of violence in Juárez.

"A lot of the volunteers are afraid of coming to Juárez because what they hear and see on national television," Cisneros said. "They don't know that most of the crime has taken place in areas where the wealthy families live, and not on the poor areas where we work."

He said it's not fair that people in the most need are suffering because of a war between drug cartels.

"I can see the excitement and happiness in peoples faces when they realized that they'll stop living in a small room of cardboard," Cisneros said. "They need us, and our ministry will continue working in the projects."

As a precaution, Casas por Cristo has instituted new policies for its volunteer workers in Juárez.

"We are no longer taking our groups to the mercado Juárez," Broach said. "A majority of the violence has taken place in the central area of the city. We have suspended travel to that area until further notice."

He also said no one working with the organization is to travel in any part of Juárez after sunset because most of the violent incidents have taken place during late hours.

The organization has also suspended travel on the downtown bridges and has decided to use alternative ports of entry because of shootings on Avenida Juárez last month, in which a police officer's son and two taxi drivers were killed on the tourist strip.

"We fully recognize that taking these steps in no way guarantees the safety of our staff and volunteers, but it is our highest priority," Broach said.

Casas por Cristo missionaries said they would not stop their work in the colonias "in the face of unrest and drug-related violence in Juárez."

Aileen B. Flores may be reached at aflores@elpasotimes.com; 546-6362.







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