Needs and challenges that children and their families face:
Anything from family disintegration to alcoholism, violence and unemployment are challenges in the community. I don’t pretend that Tijuana is worse off than any other country that CCI is working with. However, there are some unique things about the city of Tijuana that are not positive:
1. Tijuana borders “America’s Finest City,” as it’s called. San Diego is beautiful and luxurious in comparison to Tijuana. This has created a feeling of inadequacy and embarrassment for the people living in Tijuana.
2. Most adults living in Tijuana were not born here. They moved here from Southern Mexico in search of a better life. Many do not consider Tijuana home, and hope to move back, or jump to the U.S. someday.
3. The eastside of Tijuana that started out 20-40 years ago with poor squatters looking for work, has turned into a ghetto filled with drugs, crime and filth.