Oasis in No Man's Land

by Michael Smith with Virginia McCrimmon
The Salvation Army War Cry, Jan. 21, 2006

It is 4:30 a.m. in Juarez, Mexico. Even at this early hour, the steady drone of hundreds of engines of the white school buses can be heard. The buses collect the day's factory workers from the city and its outskirts. Juarez, across from El Paso, Texas, is the largest production-sharing center in North America, with more than 290 factories (maquilas) employing more than 206,000 workers. Around 70 American-owned "twin-factories" (maquiladoras) have sprung up here to take advantage of inexpensive production and labor costs.

Depending on Day Care
Here on the border between two countries worlds apart, this small Salvation Army corps is making a real difference in the lives of children and families. At this early hour preparations are being made at The Salvation Army's Juarez Day Care Center. The children arrive early and stay late. Most of the 200 children who find a home at the center during any given week have single mothers who work hard to make ends meet, usually in a maquila. Many also cross the border each day into the United States to labor in low-paying jobs, such as domestics or in restaurants. Knowing their children will be safe, nurtured, fed and protected at the day care center while they work brings these struggling parents a degree of comfort.
They hug their children goodbye before they disappear into the early morning darkness for another long day of hard work. As they leave, they often say a quick word of thanks to one of the five Army staff members.

A Mean Border Town
Besides being the largest city in a three-pronged border complex, Juarez holds another record. It is one of the most violent of all Mexican-American border towns. The homicide rate for women in Juarez is disproportionately higher than similar border cities. Mexico reported the brutal killing of 268 women between January 1993 and January 2002. Some have linked the killing--often of young, attractive female maquila workers--to serial offenders. Others suggest a connection to prostitution and human trafficking. Still others have cited multi-causal factors for the slayings, such as organized crime, drugs, poverty, sexual violence and domestic violence.
Women between the ages of 15 and 29 and pregnant women seem particularly vulnerable to violence. Disturbingly, hundreds of abandoned street children are also vulnerable to sexual exploitation at the hands of locals and sexual tourists.
Against this backdrop, the work of The Salvation Army is crucial. Undaunted by harsh realities of life in Juarez, the staff at the center press on each day to provide a safe retreat for children, along with nutritious food, exercise, music, play, arts and crafts, academic and religious instruction, tutoring and most of all hope. The center serves between 160 and 200 children a week. The children range in age from 2 months to 12 years. The center serves between 80 and 100 meals a day to children, plus meals served to needy locals who come to eat. No one is turned away.

Shoestring Budget, Visions of Growth
For the past seven years, Captains Rene Rodriguez and Alma Ojeda-Rodriguez have operated the day care center on a shoestring budget. Maquila workers earn about $55 a week, a fraction of what their American counterparts earn just a few miles to the north across the border. Few of the low wage earning parents can afford to pay the full cost of the day care. Families generally enroll several children. What money is collected from student fees is applied directly to the salaries of the five child care staff members. Little is left for food, supplies and building maintenance.
It costs $25,000 a year (U.S.) to run the center. It receives some support from the El Paso Optimists Club and in-kind assistance from the Salvation Army El Paso corps, but there are restrictions on the amount and type of aid Mexican authorities will allow. For instance, clothing donations are not permitted to be brought in from the U.S. The support, much appreciated, falls short of the total financial needs of the center.
To make up the difference Captain Rodriguez engages in his own personal style of fundraising. At night he canvasses local bars and restaurants seeking donations.
Lack of building space is another challenge. Given the vital importance of the center, the Rodriguez' want to expand the facility in order to accommodate more children. "We want to help more children and families," he says, "but we need to fix the building." To do so would require rebuilding a portion of the structure where the adobe walls have decayed from the heat and rain. A permanent cement building addition could take 50 more kids a day off the dangerous streets.

Making Progress
For staff members at the Juarez Day Care Center, each child who is off the street, staying and playing in a safe environment, is one step closer to their goal of protecting and caring for as many children as possible.
One staff member, Virginia, says the stories of what some of their children and families have been through are heart-breaking, but also a reminder of how God works day to day and how important it is to count your blessings.
"One day after a church service, a woman knocked on our door and pleaded with us to help her because she was in labor. We tried to take her to the hospital, but her baby was stillborn on the way there. After that, we helped her and her two other children, ages 6 and 12. We gave them food and clothing. Today, the woman is a soldier in The Salvation Army.

You can contact the center at the following address: Captains Rene and Alma Rodriguez, The Salvation Army, Ulises Irigoyen 1674, Col. Chavena, C.P. 32060, Apartado Postal 807 Juarez, Mexico.
Salvation Army World Services Organization
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Human Trafficking:
A Pervasive Problem in Mexico and Around the World

Human trafficking occurs when people--through acts of recruitment, provisioning, harboring, transferring and sale by means such as force, fraud and coercion--are exploited for commercial sex or labor. It is a form of modern day slavery. According to the U.S. Department of State, human trafficking violates the universal right to life, liberty and freedom. It also promotes social breakdown.
  • Trafficking fuels organized crime--Human trafficking is the third largest criminal enterprise in the world, generating an estimated $9.5 billion each year.

    Trafficking undermines public health--Victims of trafficking have high rates of anxiety, insomnia, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. They are more likely to become involved in substance abuse and be associated with criminal activity.

    Trafficking deprives countries of an educated workforce--Many trafficking victims are children. They are forced to leave school and work 10 to 18 hours a day. This reinforces the cycle of poverty and illiteracy in many countries.

The Salvation Army is working to eliminate human trafficking. For information and to support the Army's efforts go to http://www.salvationarmyusa.org. In the "Quick Links" box in the left column (javascript required), click on "Human Trafficking."
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Dr. Laura Lederer, who has been studying the issue of sexual trafficking for 20 years at Harvard University, reports:

"Over the last 10 years, the numbers of women and children [who] have been trafficked have multiplied so that they are now on par with estimates of the numbers of Africans who were enslaved in the 16th and 17th centuries."