Dear John,
When I get to a shelter, it's not uncommon that children swarm me to say hello. Dozens jumping up and down, grasping at my hands, smiling and excited to have something new to distract them.
The children stuck in shelters in Tijuana often can't go outside -- they're in dangerous parts of the city. They have no access to schooling, few activities, and little stimulus. Any parent can tell you how important it is to keep children occupied -- and how challenging it is in normal circumstances.
But this is not normal. I'm the psychologist on the Families Belong Together Tijuana team and I spend most of my days treating these families. The days are hard -- but last week, I got to see something that warms my heart: joy, even if it was only for a little bit.
It was beautiful to watch the kids' faces light up as they flipped through the Coloring Without Borders coloring books we delivered thanks to supporters like YOU.
You can watch some snippets of the kids enjoying the coloring books here.
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Photo credit: Emily Young
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Photo credit: Emily Young
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Photo credit: Emily Young
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Because of Trump's oppressive policies, these children are forced to endure more than any child should face. They are living in broken down shelters, they sometimes don't have beds to sleep on, they don't always have access to basic hygiene supplies. What scares me for their long term development is living in a constant state of fear, uncertainty, and toxic stress.
These kids are being robbed of their childhood.
But, these children and their families are also resilient. Despite Trump's efforts to break them down, many are coming together to celebrate hope. So we joined the local community to host a posada, a traditional Latin American holiday party, to try to take their minds off things -- even for just a second.
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Photo credit: Lucia Tran
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Photo credit: Emily Young
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The families at the border are a shining light for all of us. They are strong, they are fearless, and they would do anything for their children. We are honored to work with them.
Whether that means delivering coloring books to give the children activities, or donating mattresses and medicine, or fighting to end this injustice -- we won't stop.
This delivery was more than a collection of beautiful books; it's proof of our community's commitment to righting this horrific injustice.
Donate today to stand with and support migrant families at the border.
With hope and determination,
Gaby Sánchez, Psychologist
Families Belong Together Mexico
Families Belong Together is a campaign of the National Domestic Workers Alliance (NDWA). NDWA is the nation’s leading voice for dignity and fairness for the millions of domestic workers in the United States, most of whom are women. If you would like to get in touch with Families Belong Together, click here.
