INTERNATIONAL RELIEF TEAMS

Many residents of San Diego’s sister city, Tijuana, live in poverty, without access to adequate food, shelter, medical care, or educational opportunities. We are committed to helping our neighbors across the border. Since 2015, we have partnered with Project Mercy, by sending volunteer teams to build a 16’ x 20’ single-story home in just one day.

Over the years, our volunteers have built homes in many informal settlement communities on the outskirts of Tijuana. These settlements are populated mostly by migrants, most from central Mexico, searching for better opportunities. The cost of living and low wages often leaves these families with insufficient funds to build houses. As a result, the communities have become a sea of rudimentary shelters built from scrap materials. These structures leave families exposed to the elements and vulnerable to disease.

More than 1 in 3 children in the City of San Diego live in families experiencing economic hardship. San Diego schools provide these children with free lunches during the week but there are no provisions for food on the weekends.

Hungry children cannot learn. Food deprivation has also been associated with several childhood chronic health problems, behavioral challenges, and social difficulties. Since 2012, the “Feeding San Diego’s Kids” weekend food assistance program, has served families with children identified as low-income.

Our goal is to pick up where the school lunch program leaves off. Each week, 32 volunteers fill food packs with nutritional food for a family of 4 for 2 days then deliver them to local schools. Each pack provides 24 meals (3 per day for 4 family members) each weekend. This year we are providing over 200,000 meals to 300 families.

International Relief Teams is committed to helping vulnerable and marginalized children have a chance at a successful future by providing support to Kid’s Kingdom, an orphanage in Baja California that provides food, clothing, shelter, medical care, education, and vocational training to 40 children between the ages of 5 and 18. International Relief Teams provides financing to help ensure that the children’s daily nutritional and educational needs are met.

International Relief Teams and Kid’s Kingdom are dedicated to providing a safe and loving environment where neglected children can grow, thrive and become productive, flourishing adults who can have a positive impact on their communities.

Nearly two billion people around the globe—approximately one-quarter of the world’s population—lack reliable access to basic medicines. Every year, millions of children under the age of five die from preventable and treatable diseases.

Since 2001, International Relief Teams has provided over $674 million worth of essential medicines to disadvantaged populations in Central America, Africa, the Middle East and other parts of the world through our Medicines for Children program. Working with trusted partners, we deliver medicines and medical supplies to hospitals and health clinics throughout these vulnerable and disadvantaged populations for a fraction of their cost. $1 enables us to procure $50-200 worth of medicines to fight disease and improve the health of communities.

In 2018, California suffered the most destructive wildfire season on record, with 7,571 fires burning nearly 1.7 million acres; over 23,000 damaged or destroyed structures; and almost 100 fatalities. The catastrophic Camp Fire in the city of Paradise forced thousands to abandon their homes and vehicles and escape on foot.

In 2020, another devastating fire left the small town of Happy Camp, in northwestern California, in almost complete ruins. The Slater Fire blazed through 157,000 acres and 212 homes. Beginning in 2019, we sent skilled construction volunteer teams from across the U.S. who spent a full week working from dawn until dusk, rebuilding homes as fast as possible. Since families are still in need of construction assistance, International Relief Teams will continue rebuilding in these areas for the foreseeable future.

From 1991-2001, International Relief Teams built bathroom facilities for 44 families living in squalor in San Quintin, Baja, CA, MX. A community was created that’s still thriving today. International Relief Teams is committed to renewing and expanding its work in San Quintin in 2023.

Now, International Relief Teams is developing a program for residents of San Quintin that will include Garden Towers, Hand-Washing Stations, skilled labor workshops, and improving or providing housing for this deserving community.