Earlier this year, 1MISSION took an exciting new step: we expanded our work to a new region of Mexico where we are piloting a new partnership model in conjunction with the local city government! When it’s all said and done – with your help – 500 more families will be living in safe, secure houses of their own.

Here’s how it all started.

The groundwork for this partnership began in the spring of last year, when 1MISSION staff joined a delegation from the city of Phoenix and traveled to Hermosillo, Mexico, as part of a Sister Cities relationship between the two cities that goes back four decades. Check out the earlier houses, made of clay bricks and tarps, below.

After some initial meetings, the mayors of Phoenix, Arizona and Hermosillo, Mexico contacted 1MISSION to build 500 homes in a marginalized community less than 200 miles south of the border in the town of Miguel Alemán, just outside of Hermosillo. Work got underway this March after a groundbreaking ceremony hosted by the two cities. Shown below, Mayor Greg Stanton and Mayor Maloro Acosta laying the first bricks of the first 15 pilot houses.

Earlier this summer, the first houses in Miguel Alemán had been completed. So in June, 1MISSION, along with leaders from the city of Hermosillo, hosted a dedication ceremony for the first 15 families who had earned houses. The local mayor, government officials, and over 200 community members came to celebrate the occasion!

We walked through several of the old houses as well as the new ones, and the contrast was unbelievable. As always, it was a real highlight to see these new homeowners receive their new set of keys. Because these houses aren’t handouts – each family put in hundreds of hours of community service to earn them – and their faces, filled with dignity and joy, told the story. We live-streamed the event – watch below!

Most residents of Miguel Alemán work on nearby farms. But wages are low and many families lack adequate housing – which is why these 500 houses are so urgently needed. An estimated 1,800 families in the community belong to the Triqui (“tree-key”) tribe, originally from the southern Mexico state of Oaxaca. The Triqui have traditionally been known for their trademark woven fabrics and baskets, but they are among Miguel Alemán’s most impoverished residents and are marginalized in their community.

But that’s not the end of the story. We’ve already met some amazing families in Miguel Alemán who are committed to a better future for themselves and their neighbors. We can’t wait to introduce you to some of them in future blog posts.

In the meantime, will you help make more of these stories possible by donating today? A donation of $125 can provide a door, a donation of $60 provides a window, and just $30 provides three bags of concrete.