children on the run
FROM THE FIELD: A VISIT TO A
MEXICAN SHELTER By Jordan J. Hay
On a recent assignment in Mexico, I visited the Daily Center for Migrant and Refugee Children in Tapachula. This city is near the southern border with Guatemala, where many of the thousands of children fleeing extreme violence in the NTCA first arrive.
The centre is open from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. on weekdays, serving breakfast and lunch for children and their mothers. On weekends, it’s only open for meals and serves mostly street kids who come to get something to eat and take a bath—a refuge they cannot find anywhere else.
When children arrive in the mornings, they are given a breakfast of eggs, potatoes and atole (a drink made from rice, water and cinnamon). Food is provided by UNHCR and some government support. The UN Refugee Agency also supplies educational materials and personal hygiene supplies.
After breakfast, there are activities, school and lessons on hygiene, plus the opportunity to talk about their situation and their rights as children. There is one teacher for all the children, and she uses the Mexican curriculum to try to prepare them for their transition into regular schools.
© UNHCR/Jordan J. Hay
Anna Bertha, the director, tells us that in the past year alone there has been a 90 per cent increase in the number of children coming to the centre. The centre’s supplies can’t keep up with demands. The roof is leaking and they wash dishes in plastic tubs for want of a proper sink.
But for Anna, every child is worth it. She remembers one little girl in particular, a 12-year-old named Sofia. Sofia’s mother had worked as a prostitute in Honduras. One day, Sofia’s mother gave her news that no child should ever have to hear: that Sofia was almost old enough to become a prostitute herself.
When Sofia revealed this to Anna, Anna took action. She convinced Sofia’s mother to send the young girl to a permanent shelter. Anna checks in on Sofia periodically and is happy to report that she is safe and studying. The mother has also given up prostitution and is working to improve her life.
“I want these kids to have dreams,” Anna says. “I want them to make their life a project; always improving.”
BY THE NUMBERS: THE SOLUTION 2,480
Asylum-seekers housed in eight shelters
supported by UNHCR in 2016 (Jan-Aug) in the States of Tabasco, Chiapas and Mexico City.
22 / UNHCR
Partnership agreements signed in Mexico in 2016 to improve efficiency of support.
30
Additional spaces in six shelters 400
constructed/rehabilitated with UNHCR’s support in Mexico and Guatemala.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32
