·How do border health issues at the Mexico-Guatemala border region compare to the U.S.-Mexico border in Southwestern Arizona? What are some of the things that you learned about the health impact of migration on communities in Chiapas, Mexico and San Marcos, Guatemala?
- We found that similar to the US/Mexico border, the Guatemala/Mexico border contains many health and safety dangers for migrants, particularly undocumented migrants. Like the northern border, the southern border has environmental hazards such as weather and climate, treacherous terrain and animals that can cause injury to migrants unfamiliar with the area. Likewise, there are similar social risks between the two borders such as violence, human exploitation, and human trafficking that can also cause harm to migrants. Moreover, migrants generally have limited financial means and limited social support options in the areas through which they travel, making them more vulnerable to individuals and groups that may exploit them and put them in harm’s way. Furthermore, migrants, particularly undocumented migrants, may be hesitant or unable to access assistance when facing situations of danger due to their unfamiliarity with local support systems, the lack of local support systems for migrants and/or their precarious legal status.
We also found many economic similarities related to migration that exist at the two borders. Interestingly, despite the economic crisis, northern migration is continuing because wealth and wages continue to be proportionally better the farther north one travels in Central and North America, meaning that the economic crisis has made poverty even more drastic the farther south one travels through the continent. We found that economic hardship and the desire to improve personal and familial economic realities were key drivers behind why people are migrating. Migration spurred by the desire to provide for the health and wellness needs of family appeared to be commonplace, and the hope of increased earning power through northern migration seems to justify the dangerous migrant route for many who embark on the journey. However, these familial needs have the potential to worsen if a migrant is injured or killed on the dangerous migrant route because the individual who is migrating is often a key economic contributor to his or her family back home.
·What did you learn from talking to the members of the Café Justo cooperative that you want people to know about? What did you learn from conducting health interviews with these individuals and their families?
- Our conversations with the president and participating members (socios) of Café Justo provided us with a great deal of insight into the coffee cooperative, including the benefits that the cooperative has brought to members, their families and the community at large. One recurring theme in regards to benefits associated with Café Justo was that most members now have access to health insurance through IMSS (Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social) due to their employment status with Café Justo. The majority of members we spoke with cited this benefit as a huge advantage of being a member of the coffee cooperative, while the members who did not have this same benefit mentioned this as being a benefit they would like to have access to in the future. Another topic that was widely discussed was increased access to safe and affordable drinking water. We were informed that since the presence of Café Justo, the community of Salvador Urbina has greater access to low-cost purified water then it did previously. Moreover, this benefit, unlike health insurance, is accessible to all the members of Café Justo as well as the community at large, regardless of whether they are a part of the coffee cooperative. Individuals with whom we spoke cited this access to clean water as responsible for the reduced prevalence of gastrointestinal disease within their community, making it a safer and healthier place to live. The increased number of local health clinics is another benefit that was mentioned in relation to the presence of Café Justo’s in the community. Individuals reported that the number of local clinics has increased since the establishment of Café Justo and that the types of services these clinics can provide has also expanded over the years. It is important to note, however, that serious health needs, including prenatal care and many medical emergencies, still need to be handled at the closest hospital which is about an hour drive away. Despite these benefits, however, there is still great financial need in the communities where Café Justo is located, even among those who participate in the Café Justo cooperative. Through our interviews with cooperative members and their families we were informed that while the presence of Café Justo has assisted members with paying for the cost of food for their families, there is still a lack of financial resources for essential needs such as education, home improvements and other issues related to individual, family and community advancement. Additionally there remains a financial need related to supporting sick or aging family members. For these reasons, migration is still a necessary reality for many individuals and families within the communities that participate in Café Justo.
·I understand that you talked to High School students about the risks and dangers associated with migration in the Arizona-Mexico border region. What was the reaction you got from the students?
- During our time at the high school in Malacatan, Guatemala, we, along with the International Organization of Migration (IOM), presented on a variety of topics related to the potential risks and dangers of migration including human trafficking, sex trafficking, drug trafficking, kidnapping, violence, dehydration, family separation and other risks associated with migration. This material was presented in a very honest and vivid manner, which corresponded with the gravity of the topics at hand. One fact that seemed to shock a lot of the students in the class was the immense traveling distance that the migrant route encompasses. Many of these students have never traveled outside of their country, which is about the same size as Tennessee, and were taken aback by the distance between Malacatan and Mexico City, not to mention the distance between Malacatan and the Mexico/United States border. Our group utilized film footage of the Arizona/Mexico border to discuss with the students what type of environmental dangers exist in the Sonoran Desert and how that relates to migration. I feel that utilizing a visual aid in this discussion was extremely helpful considering most of these students have never experienced a desert environment and for this reason may have a difficult time conceptualizing the risks that are associated with this type of terrain.
·What did you learn from people you met in the migrant shelters?
- During our trip we had the privilege of visiting two migrant shelters, Albergue Jesus el Buen Pastor in Tapachula, Mexico and the Scalabrini Casa del Migrante in Tecun Uman, Guatemala. While these two shelters have very different focuses in regards to the specific work they perform, both offer a welcoming and peaceful environment for people who have faced or may face incredible and life-threatening situations. This struck me as very beneficial for the individuals they serve as many are coming from and potentially about to enter into very dangerous and hostile environments. The Albergue Jesus el Buen Pastor in Tapachula is a long-term shelter that serves migrants who have endured extreme physical injury, mainly amputation of a limb, as a result of migration. The shelter, which operates entirely on donations, provides migrants with medical assistance, including prosthetic limbs and medication, and assists them in developing new employment skills that can help them cope socially and economically with their new disability. This aspect of the shelter helps provide new economic options to individuals whose injuries may now preclude them from employment opportunities that would have been available to them in the past, including employment prospects associated with migration. In speaking with the migrants at this shelter, issues with mental health mental are commonly experienced by residents. Perhaps this is due in part to the stress and trauma these individuals have experienced in association with their migration, their injuries and their economic situations. Thankfully, the Albergue offers some level of assistance to help residents cope with these issues. Nonetheless, this raises questions concerning the psychological effects of migration on an individual, their family and their community as well as what type of support systems can help people recover from these situations. The Scalabrini Casa del Migrante in Tecun Uman, Guatemala, is a short-term, three-day shelter that generally serves migrants in transit who are either on their way to their migratory destination or on their way home from migrating. Many of the individuals we spoke with in this shelter that were on their way to the United States had lived in the U.S. for many years before being deported and often had partners and children who were still there. Due to this family separation, many of these migrants are now facing the dangerous journey north once again in order to reunite with their loved ones. One man we spoke with had been deported after 20 years of living and working in Texas, which is where his wife and children still live and where he is now in the process of migrating back to.
·Tell me a bit about the collaborations this trip allowed you to foster? What is your group planning to do next in regards to continuing these collaborations and the work that you have started during this trip?
- One major objective of our trip was to form long-term collaborations with organizations and communities in the Mexico/Guatemala and United States/Mexico border regions. Our hope is that these collaborations will be mutually beneficial for the University of Arizona’s Zuckerman College of Public Health as well as for the organizations and communities that we have partnered with. One organization that we worked with extensively during our trip was the International Organization of Migration (IOM). During our time with the IOM we exchanged information regarding the legal, social and economic realities at our respective borders, as well as the dangers and risks of migration associated with each border. Our collaboration with the IOM continued after our group’s trip had ended with three of our group members (Andrew Gall, Sarah Davis and Christopher Blue) staying behind in San Marcos, Guatemala in order to continue working with the IOM on their migrant resource campaign. This work focused on the dangers and risks of migration, issues of family separation and legal issues related to migration. Our hope is that this collaboration can continue in the future by connecting University of Arizona students from a variety of disciplines with opportunities to work on future IOM initiatives as interns and/or for course credit. This type of collaboration will expand the professional development options that are open for University of Arizona students while providing our partners with skilled and dedicated interns. We also hope that these types of collaborations will allow for the sustainable expansion of service learning opportunities at the University of Arizona by creating new service learning course options for future generations of students.
Who participated in this course?
- Zandra Alford, MPH graduate student with a concentration in Family and Child Health, Global Health Track
- Emily Coyle, MPH graduate student with a concentration in Public Health Policy and Management
- Sarah Davis, MPH graduate student with a concentration in Public Health Policy and Management
- Andrew Gall, MPH graduate student with a concentration in Health Behavior and Health Promotion
- Aimee Snyder, MPH graduate student with a concentration in Health Behavior and Health Promotion
- Arthur Bassett, Graduate student, UA College of Architecture and Landscape Architecture School of Landscape Architecture and Planning
- Christopher Blue, UA College of Architecture and Landscape Architecture School of Landscape Architecture and Planning
