26 May The donation of an acre of land by the City of Celaya is almost complete
For three years, Pastor Ignacio has dreamed of a new Cultural Center for Human Rights in Celaya. With more migrants and refugees coming to ABBA in need of long-term, stable housing, he felt the need to open a second shelter to house the many migrants who are required to remain in Mexico while waiting for their asylum applications to be processed. In addition, the new center will house amputees in need of prostheses and rehabilitation, elder migrants with no family to care for them, women traveling with children, and LGBTQ individuals. (Technically, ABBA House has a three-day maximum for migrants in transit, and beds are often in short supply these days due to the many exceptions to that rule).
The GOOD NEWS is the donation of a large tract of land from the City of Celaya is almost complete! The escritura (land deed) is being written up right now and Pastor Ignacio and the Board of LARF, together with architect Mario Lopez, have begun work on assessing, reviewing and planning for development of the property.
Mario Lopez, and three representatives from the UNHCR Mexico’s office with Pastor Ignacio at the new property
Representatives from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) met with Ignacio, Mario and LARF board member Rebecca Eichler on May 7th to review the plans and visit the site. (The Director of UNHCR-Mexico visited in March and has shown great enthusiasm for the project.)
But Pastor Ignacio and the Board of LARF cannot do this alone. LARF is committed to raising at least $500,000 to build the new community and we need your help.
More Good News:
Three generous donors have together agreed to match every dollar raised over the next six months up to $100,000. So every dollar you donate will be doubled!
Won’t you please join us in making this transformative new migrant center a reality?
OR mail a check or make a contribution from a Donor Advised Fund to:
Latin American Relief Fund
414 NE Ravenna Blvd.
Suite A, Box 1062
Seattle, WA 98115-6578