For the past 6 years, an old chicken farm in the community has been converted to a migrant workers camp. Structures that were originally open sided chicken coops have been used to house up to 1,500 men, women and children – for six to seven months at a stretch. Each June, these migrant workers are recruited by labor contractors from other parts of Mexico and bused, often with their families, to Testerazo to work in the fields. While the majority of the workers are young men, there have been as many as 150 children also living at the camp with their families.

Our community partner in Testerazo is Yolanda Villalobos. Yolanda has, through perseverence and hard work, mobilized resources to meet the needs of the children and the migrant workers as well as the needs of families in the community.

In the early years (approximately six years ago), the facilities in which care for the children could be provided, were non-existent. Children were bathed using outside hoses on dirt surfaces. Meals were served in open air covered areas – attracting flies and dirt. Over the past four years, a number of groups from the United States and Canada have come down to Testerazo and contributed time, labor, and resources to begin to provide some infrastructure to the work of Yolanda’s team including child care facilities (indoor showers, change area, nursery), a building for health and dental services, and a bodega for storage.

Additionally women from within the community have given of their time to help care for the children and prepare the meals. A young woman from a nearby community, who has recently complete her nursing degree, stays in the community and provides health care services and a dentist from California has begun to provide basic dental care.

Serving alongside Yolanda and her team typically involves child care, food preparation, laundry, small and large construction projects, painting of houses, sorting clothes, and distributing food to the community. Our role in supporting Yolanda and her team often evolves once the team is on site. Be prepared to step in as Yolanda directs and as needs are identified. 
 

Response from Irene ( a woman in the community) to the question: `Why is this work important to you?' ...`Because I see that they (the children) are content…they want to be here with us.  And because they have a lot of love for Yolanda…..that she has acted well [toward them]…she gives a lot of love to the children….and they are happy. And they say that if we close [the community lunch program] they will be sad, but I tell them that maybe next year, hopefully it will be this [again?].”
 

- fixing houses

- preparing food

- engaging with and caring for children