Pick A Project, Pick a Date, Make a Difference  

Join us as we kickoff our series of smaller projects in Mexico--smaller projects, smaller groups, same great Corazón experience. 

Choose between seven basic project types that your group, regardless of size or skill, can accomplish during your day in Mexico.  If you don’t have enough volunteers, we will partner you with other U.S. groups and Mexican participants.  If you don’t have enough skilled help, we have lead builders and trained participants to assist you.  You will be escorted in and out of Mexico and we guarantee you a day you will never forget.

Just a reminder - you don’t need a group to come down.  We will have the weekly projects listed on the website schedule.  Just click the little box letting us know that you’ll be joining us and meet us at H Street.  Donate what you can but please join us.

In addition to the 48 approved projects that are waiting for us, we have almost that many again requests for a few sacks of cement or bundles of shingles for minor, but necessary, repairs that the participants will do themselves.  A $100 donation will buy 10 sacks of cement or six bundles of shingles.  The Corazón program is based on people willing to help themselves.  You supply the materials and they will handle the repair—better yet, why not join a family as they repair a roof or add a concrete porch?

These are the projects we need your help with:

Room Additions Designed for larger groups, anywhere from 10-20, you will build or standard 10’ x 20’ or 12’ x 16’ room addition.  We have lowered the price significantly by using donated and recycled materials that do the job but don’t compromise the integrity of the structure.  You will have all the technical support you need but not more than you want.  This is our area of greatest need.  The families must earn 500 hours to qualify for an addition, but it is room they need for their growing families.  We currently have 16 families waiting for additions, with many more qualified families discouraged by the four year wait and not applying.

Concrete Slabs Ever hear the lead builder or Blue Shirts grumble about the house slabs being out of square or not level, this is your chance to see how these slabs are made.  Join in as they set the wood form, dig the footings, mix the concrete in the plastic pans and place and smooth the concrete.  It’s a hard, challenging day but it will give you an appreciation of all the work that occurs before you get to Mexico.  We’ll even let you put your handprints in the fresh concrete.

Drywall and Insulation Drywall and insulation turn adequate shelter into a comfortable home.  Especially in Tecate, where the temperature ranges from the 30’s to the 110’s, a finished, insulated house is not a luxury but almost a necessity.  We’ll help you with all of the technical stuff, supply the tools you need and provide any extra help you might require.  You’ll leave at the end of the day knowing that you really did make a difference.

Roofing Most of these projects will be re-roofing or patching and existing roof.  We’ll have the old roof torn off and the plywood ready for the new shingles.  Most of these projects were not roofed properly when they were built.  At the end of the day, when the family hears the pitter patter of rain drops, they won’t have to reach for the buckets and pails.  They’ll be safe and dry, thanks to you.

Bathrooms Indoor plumbing – quite a concept.  You can provide a safe and sanitary 6’ x 6’ bathroom, ready for toilet, sink and shower, for a family in Mexico.  You’ll build the new room, roof and paint it and cut in the new door from the existing house.  We’ll have the local participants finish off the plumbing and we guarantee you’ll be remembered every day by the lucky family.

Masonry Theses projects will usually be retaining walls to hold back the side of a hill from eroding over a family’s house.  If you have masonry skills, or have a friend who has, we’ll arrange that all will be ready for you to build this vital wall.  If you lack the skills but understand how important these projects are and just want to help, we’ll supply the skilled labor.  You can help dig the trenches, install the steel and mix the mortar for the masons.  Virtually all of our Tijuana houses are built into the hillside.  Heavy rains and mudslides pose an ever present threat.  These walls make life more safe and secure

Painting Everyone can paint and every house needs fresh paint.  The house needs paint not so that it looks better, more importantly it lengthens the life of the exterior wood on the house.  We’ll supply the paint, brushes and rollers, you bring the enthusiasm, complete with the knowledge you’ll leave the community not just looking better but also given the house the maintenance it needs but seldom gets.