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. 

Her experience interviewing Corazón families was, “an eye-opening experience” as she realized what many people often take for granted. “Accessible internet connection and devices are things I found myself taking for granted since stay-at-home orders began in March”, shared Andreina, “Being from Mexico myself, I was aware of their struggles, but [I never had to] experience some of them” (Andreina 2020). 

COVID-19 cases in Mexico have been on the rise -- and as of December 7, 2020 -- Baja California has moved back into the “red”, Mexico’s highest risk level. Families continue struggling, and with little support from the Mexican government, some Corazón mothers have had to find other ways to make ends meet. “We crafted piñatas to keep ourselves occupied and made our own disinfectants because they’re very difficult to find”, says Ms. Chávez.

According to a study done by the International Community Foundation (ICF), more than 45% of Tijuana residents lost their jobs, leading to increased demands in food - affecting single mothers, children, and more (ICF Sheet). 

 A vast majority of our Corazón families express these concerns. Guadalupe and Rosa Maria shared that,“ a lot of people didn’t know what to do when they suddenly couldn’t go to work”. According to Guadalupe, food dispensaries distributed rice, beans, and oatmeal - but their visits are rare - and were only meant for older adults who were scared to leave their homes at the start of the pandemic. Due to this lack of support some families, such as Rosa Maria’s family, experienced times where they didn’t have food to eat. Community support helped Rosa Maria and her family during those times. 

Families were also concerned regarding education for children during the pandemic. Parents were unsure of how they would be able to afford course materials for their children. “ Ensuring that my children didn’t fall behind in school was very difficult for me”, explained Rosa Maria, “ my husband became unemployed and [the pandemic] was a total change for my family”.  

In response to our communities’ needs, Corazón created an Emergency Fund Plan to provide financial assistance that would cover food, medicine, and educational needs - with financial relief included for families heavily impacted by unemployment during the COVID-19 pandemic.  

Corazón will continue distributing emergency funds to our communities as needs arise. 

You can support your neighbors during this time.

Thank you for continuing to support our Corazón families. Your donations not only create an immense impact on the services our communities need but also bring peace of mind to them during this difficult time.