{"id":69670,"date":"2021-06-16T14:20:37","date_gmt":"2021-06-16T21:20:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thepollinationproject.org\/?p=69670"},"modified":"2021-06-17T09:10:20","modified_gmt":"2021-06-17T16:10:20","slug":"community-gardening-bringing-sanctuary-to-refugees-in-tijuana","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thepollinationproject.org\/community-gardening-bringing-sanctuary-to-refugees-in-tijuana\/","title":{"rendered":"Community Gardening: Bringing Sanctuary to Refugees in Tijuana"},"content":{"rendered":"
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On Sunday, June 20, we celebrate World Refugee Day; an opportunity to honor those fighting for safer lives. Millions of forcibly displaced people face treacherous conditions daily, many of whom are stuck at the Mexico-United States border. Over the past several years, the United States has violated several international human rights and refugee laws, narrowing the number of migrants who qualify for protection and creating a massive humanitarian crisis at the border. Tijuana, a key destination for asylum-seekers, has over 25 migrant shelters, each struggling to supply proper resources to those forced to stay there. The current system keeps refugees in limbo, preventing them from working, learning, maintaining their roots, and truly settling in as they await entry to the United States.<\/p>\n
One changemaker, Alex Reep, noticed this wasted potential and decided to do something about it. Reep attended the University of San Diego, located 30 minutes from the Mexican border, and first went to Tijuana to serve as a translator during the humanitarian aid crisis that occurred in 2018 after the migrant caravans arrived from Central America. She quickly noticed the prominent food insecurity and nutrition issues in the shelters she visited. She described the food as \u201cpretty abysmal,\u201d most of which included rotting produce, chips, and other unhealthy meals.<\/p>\n