In Tijuana we visited several Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) which operate on a grassroots level with very few resources. Most of the people that staff these NGOs are volunteers who are motivated by the fight for their own human, economic, and political rights.

The founders of Casa de la Mujer / Grupo Factor X (español / english) met with us to discuss their organization, which assists and educates female workers in the maquiladora industry. Counseling and legal assistance are available and women are encouraged to participate in workshops about issues such as labor rights, women's health, sexual abuse and reproductive rights. Women who attend these workshops also learn the necessary teaching skills to help them instruct other women about the same issues, thus empowering each other.

Jaime Cota of CITTAC or the Centro de Información para Trabajadores y Trabajadoras, A.C. (Workers Information Center) records the abuses by maquiladoras and fights for the human rights of workers. Meetings are organized to educate factory workers about issues concerning wages, job safety, labor rights and unionization. A history of union organizing in Mexico is being documented and assembled for the purpose of raising workers' consciousness about past organizing efforts and to provide the knowledge that is needed for organizing and working towards the establishment of independent labor unions in Mexico.

Sergio Méndez of the Frente Indegena Oaxaqueño Binacional (Binational Oaxacan Indigenous Front) works with people who are migrating from Oaxaca to the Tijuana area or across the border into California. He discussed some of the difficulties faced by the indigenous people of his native Oaxaca, economically one of the poorest states in Mexico. Sergio is attempting to raise the necessary funding to construct a center in Tijuana to help people cope with the drastic change in culture between the rural indigenous communities in Oaxaca and the urban maquiladoras of Tijuana and agricultural areas of the United States. Objectives of this organization include the protection and defense of human, labor and civil rights of the migrant Oaxacan indigenous; to promote the economic, social, and cultural development of Oaxacan communities; and to promote the cultural and political autonomy of Oaxacan indigenous communities by supporting change in Mexican and international legislation.

Many organizations such as Casa del Migrante and Centro Madre Assunta (Español / English ) are dedicated to helping people that are migrating. Each month, more than 15,000 people migrate to Tijuana from other parts of México in search of a sustainable living. Migrants are offered food, shelter, and various types of counseling for a period of two weeks while they look for work. We met with Gabriel Martínez, the priest who oversees this program that is operated by members of the Scalabri Order.

We visited the Escuela Primaría Bilingüe "El Pípila," which is a primary school for Mixteco children. The Mixteco are indigenous people from southern Mexico (states of Oaxaca, Guerrero , and Puebla), many of whom have migrated north looking for employment. The children are taught both Spanish and Mixtec languages. This private school serves 360 students, has12 teachers, and is funded by aid from private organizations. During our visit in 1998, the students sang for us the Mexican National Anthem in their indigenous Mixteco language (Español / Mixtec). In 1999, the children performed dances from their native Oaxaca. Both years the school was decorated with altars and children's drawings and interpretations of the Day of the Dead in their own lives.