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.
Life in the Rural Villages of Tecate
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.
It is a great honor to work for an organization that helps our community members that are struggling to feed their families and provide a safe and healthy place to live.
Although our living conditions are very austere compared to the urban areas in Baja California, I have never felt so grateful to live far from the hustle and bustle - living in Cerro Azul has been the best barrier to the COVID-19 virus. In Cerro Azul and Valle de las Palmas communities, life passes business as usual; everyday people go out to work continuing to live day to day, whether working as day laborers in the valley or as brick and tile workers in Cerro Azul.
Here, the work does not stop because if they do not work during this pandemic, they will not eat this coming fall and winter season - this is not a luxury they can afford.
They may not earn much money now, but they will have goods to sell in the days ahead. The government has distributed necessary food supplies, but many families can't obtain it since the requirement is to have a government I.D. There are families that hoard, and it does not reach those who need it the most. It is challenging for a family to survive 40 or more days with 1 kg of rice and beans, a box of cereal, and a bottle of oil, but well, it is something, if it reaches everyone.
There are many more things that I hope to God to tell you when we see each other again;
for the moment, we can only enjoy the beautiful side of this current situation,
which is being with our families 24/7.
I am so thankful to God that my family is well, in the shelter of my home and my remote community. Thank you very much for your support and concern for our communities. I know that my heart still stands, so I will let the Tecate community know that Corazón and its volunteers and sponsors are here in spirit, and we can’t wait to get back to building and strengthening our communities. This pause will only make us stronger!
A big hug to everyone, I miss giving hugs to family and friends. I hope your families are very well.
Ana Rodriguez
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