Overview 

• Read an introduction to Flores Magon from a Corazón committee member.
• Learn how a decrease in income has affected the education of Flores Magon students. 
• The pandemic continues to affect the mental health of community members - Read their stories. 
• Community members reflect on their experiences from last year as they move on in 2021. 

Overview 

• This week we’re focusing on Cumbres, a Corazón community located in Tijuana, Mexico. 
• 50% of families shared that their greatest need is in assistance for their children’s education.
• Participants share how losing their job and leaving university affected their mental health.   
• Community members explain why 2020 felt like a missed opportunity. 
• Finally, Cumbres members share some of their thoughts about hope, family, change, and new opportunities. 

A committee member from the community shares their introduction of Cumbres with you today. 

Overview

Two weeks ago, Corazón sent out an email introducing the culture of Cerro Azul - describing how their community has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic since March 2020 up till now. To achieve this, Corazón sent out an anonymous community survey to each of our six communities.

Overview

Last year, Corazón shared a series of letters from our board, staff, and volunteers, detailing how the COVID-19 pandemic had come to immediately affect our organization and communities. This year, we want to continue updating our supporters by sharing how our community members have been impacted overall since March 2020 to now. To achieve this, Corazón created an anonymous community survey that was sent out to all 6 of our communities: 1) Cerro Azul, 2) Canon Carretas, 3) Cumbres, 4) Flores Magon, 5) Valle de Las Palmas, and 6) Nuevo Milenio.

We want to take a moment to say thank you to our volunteers in the US and our participants in Mexico for showcasing the worth and quality of Corazón. Our volunteers and sponsors have stepped up in a way that we never dreamed possible when we first started planning for a year without house builds. 

Photo: Cumbres and Flores Magon 

Andreina Espinoza, a senior at the University of California, Irvine, held a remote internship with Corazón. She conducted a series of interviews with our community members to understand how their daily lives were impacted by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. 

Hello, my name is Ana Rodriguez, I live in Cerro Azul. I am the Corazón Community Coordinator for the Tecate communities.  I joined the Corazón family as a volunteer in 2009; over the past 12 years, I have been working on construction and community leadership programs and activities.  In 2019, after many years of volunteering with Corazón, I was offered a full-time position at Corazón. It is rewarding to serve communities in Tecate and work alongside Corazón 's U.S. volunteers.

Your support is powerful!

For the last several weeks, we have brought you stories of families trying to survive during the pandemic. Here are a few stories about the difference that you have made in the lives of the struggling poor families we serve: