April 12, 2019 - A team of volunteers sent by San Diego-based International Relief Teams (IRT) will build a home for a poor family in Tijuana on Saturday, April 13, 2019. In partnership with Project Mercy, IRT volunteers from San Diego will begin and complete the construction of a house for a family that currently live in a shelter made of scrap material in an informal settlement community.
Colonia Fuentes del Valle is home to 150 migrant families, most from central Mexico, searching for better opportunities. The cost of living, school expenses, and low wages often leave these families with insufficient funds to build houses – leaving them exposed to the elements and susceptible to disease.
“Life is very challenging for these poor families,” says Barry La Forgia, IRT Founder and Executive Director. “IRT is dedicated to improving the quality of life for our neighbors in Tijuana and we are proud to give this family a safe place to raise their children.”
The single-story 16 x 20 structure with an outhouse will change the lives of this family. While most would consider this structure to be extremely basic, it means the world to this family. They have never owned their own home and have especially struggled this winter when the roof leaked and the dirt floor turned into a mud puddle whenever it rained.
International Relief Teams has been working in the community of Fuentes del Valle since 2016. We have sent more than 500 volunteers who have built 22 homes for 22 poor families.
International Relief Teams alleviates the suffering caused by poverty and disaster around the globe, from the forgotten corners of the world to right here at home, by sending volunteer teams and medical supplies to make immediate change for the world’s most vulnerable people. For more information visit us on Facebook.
