CRS Partners in Mexico
Catholic Relief Services Mexico works with strong, dynamic partner organizations in southern and northern Mexico. Some are church organizations, while others are farmers' associations or nonprofit organizations.
Caritas Mexicana-Social Pastoral Commission
Caritas Mexicana-Social Pastoral Commission is a member of Caritas Internationalis, a confederation of 162 Catholic relief, development and social service organizations working in over 200 countries and territories. Caritas Mexicana coordinates emergency relief operations during natural disasters and provides training and technical support to the 82 Catholic dioceses around the country responding to issues of social injustice. CRS has supported Caritas Mexicana to improve response to disasters, to conduct a national HIV awareness and education campaign, and to develop a national labor rights apostolate.
Center for Reflection and Action on Labor Issues
Center for Reflection and Action on Labor Issues is a Jesuit labor rights organization based in Mexico City. The center produces educational and resource materials and workshops on Mexican labor law and worker rights, represents workers in disputes and negotiations with employers, and conducts public advocacy in support of increased wages and better working conditions. The organization also works with dioceses and clergy to raise awareness about worker justice and Catholic social teaching on labor.
The Mixteca Center for Integral Peasant Development
The Mixteca Center for Integral Peasant Development is a farmers' association of Mixtec Indians in the very poor southern state of Oaxaca. The Mixtec people live on some of the most severely eroded lands in the western hemisphere. The Mixteca Center for Integral Peasant Development trains farmers to practice more sustainable, low-cost agriculture using native seeds and natural fertilizers and pest control methods. The association has also developed systems to recharge the land’s water supply. Over the past 20 years, the Mixteca Center has conducted extensive reforestation efforts, dramatically transforming eroded areas of the region.
Frente Democrático Campesino
Frente Democrático Campesino is a small-scale farmers' association in the northern state of Chihuahua. Founded in 1987, it has become highly respected throughout Chihuahua and much of the country. The association provides a savings and loan cooperative and agricultural training and technical support for small-scale farmers. Services also include negotiations with the state and federal governments to access benefits and programs for members, and a marketing federation to help members obtain better prices for crops. Currently, Frente Democrático Campesino has 4,000 members in the state of Chihuahua and its projects touch the lives of more than 16,000 people in the region. Group leaders are elected every two years.
Fray Bartolomé de las Casas Human Rights Center
Fray Bartolomé de las Casas Human Rights Center is a human rights organization founded by Bishop Samuel Ruiz of the San Cristobal Diocese in 1989. The center is widely known for its legal defense and advocacy work on behalf of indigenous communities in Chiapas, particularly those that have been caught in the conflict between the government and the Zapatistas over the past 13 years. A broad network of human rights promoters educates and informs communities about the individual and collective rights of indigenous peoples on issues of communal lands and traditional forms of government.
Labor Rights Apostolate, Diocese of Ciudad Juarez
Labor Rights Apostolate, Diocese of Ciudad Juarez provides legal representation and pastoral support to workers throughout the diocese, as well as public education and outreach on worker rights. Ciudad Juarez, one of the major border cities in northern Mexico, was transformed by the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) into a center of maquiladora assembly plants. The city attracts tens of thousands of internal migrants from southern and central Mexico. Worker rights violations are widespread in Juarez, and until the diocese created this office, workers had virtually no recourse. Hundreds of workers have sought the support and legal counsel of the Labor Rights Apostolate and several important legal cases have been won, resulting in significant victories for those who had been fired unjustly, or denied wages or compensation for work-related injuries.
The Catholic Human Mobility Commission
The Catholic Human Mobility Commission of the Mexican Bishops' Conference is tasked with defending and promoting the rights of migrants and refugees. The group provides training and pastoral support to a large network of diocesan and parish-based migrant shelters and outreach centers throughout the country. The commission serves as an advocate for improved treatment of migrants and refugees, appealing to the Mexican government and conducting public awareness campaigns. CRS works with the commission on a human-trafficking prevention project.
Migrant Ministry, Archdiocese of Hermosillo
The Archdiocese of Hermosillo is located directly across the border from the Diocese of Tucson, Arizona, and includes four border points of entry into the United States. As the flow of migrants from all over Mexico has shifted toward Arizona, the archdiocese faces an ever-growing demand for services and pastoral support. In 2001, the archdiocese created a Migrant Ministry to respond more effectively to the thousands of migrants passing through its parishes each day. The ministry works to promote awareness among the larger community, and operates several shelters and outreach centers for migrants throughout the archdiocese.
Sin Fronteras
Sin Fronteras is a nongovernmental organization in Mexico which operates an immigrant rights law center and provides direct legal and social services, education, outreach, and advocacy on national and regional levels. Sin Fronteras was founded by academics and activists in 1995 and is a leader in addressing migration issues throughout the region. Since 1996, Sin Fronteras has assisted over 3,000 refugees and migrants in Mexico, and has educated government officials on the topics of migrant rights, the refugee protection system and sexual violence against women migrants.
