Pubdate: Sun, 8 Jun 2008
Source: El Paso Times (TX)
Copyright: 2008 El Paso Times
Contact:  http://www.elpasotimes.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/829
Author: Aileen B. Flores
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/topic/Juarez

EFFORTS OF CHARITY GROUP HINDERED BY DRUG WAR

The sound of gunfire now threatens to silence the sound of hammers in 
the poorest neighborhoods of Juarez.

Every year hundreds of U.S. missionaries travel to outlying areas in 
Juarez to help low-income families build new homes. But some 
volunteers are now afraid to cross the border because of the violence 
believed to be linked to warring drug cartels, program officials said 
Wednesday.

Alfonso "Poncho" Cisneros, a member of El Chaday Temple in Juarez and 
Casas por Cristo in El Paso, said that the violence in Juarez has put 
on hold the construction of homes for low-income families in colonias.

"Some projects have been canceled; the missionaries from the United 
States don't want to come because they're afraid of crossing to 
Mexico," Cisneros said.

At least 14 groups from the United States and Canada have canceled 
their summer trips to Juarez, program officials said.

"That means 14 families that were expecting homes will have to go 
back on the waiting list and wait longer. It's hard because the 
families were looking forward to, and expecting a home," said Brandon 
Broach, marketing manager for Casas por Cristo.

About 200 families have been helped annually since Casas por Cristo 
was formed 15 years ago, and the group had hoped to build at least 
400 homes this year.

Casas por Cristo is a local nonprofit organization with a partnership 
among churches of the United States, Canada and Mexico to serve the 
needs of Mexican families. In all, it has built about 3,000 houses. 
Last week 12 wood-frame houses finished with stucco were being 
constructed on the desolate edge of the city, where at this time of 
year, volunteers have to fight blowing dust and searing heat.

According to Cisneros, the organization was planning to build at 
least nine houses in the Anapra area, west of Juarez, beginning next 
week. But after the cancelation of some volunteer groups, the 
organization expects to construct fewer homes.

Cisneros said that volunteers are divided into teams of 12 to 30 
people who spend about a week hammering chicken wire and insulation 
to the walls of the one-story structures. During the summer, however, 
100 volunteers might make up a team as groups from New York, 
California, Arizona, Florida and Canada head into town.

Now the organization is feeling the backlash as potential volunteers 
learn more about the wave of violence in Juarez.

"A lot of the volunteers are afraid of coming to Juarez because what 
they hear and see on national television," Cisneros said. "They don't 
know that most of the crime has taken place in areas where the 
wealthy families live, and not on the poor areas where we work."

He said it's not fair that people in the most need are suffering 
because of a war between drug cartels.

"I can see the excitement and happiness in peoples faces when they 
realized that they'll stop living in a small room of cardboard," 
Cisneros said. "They need us, and our ministry will continue working 
in the projects."

As a precaution, Casas por Cristo has instituted new policies for its 
volunteer workers in Juarez.

"We are no longer taking our groups to the mercado Juarez," Broach 
said. "A majority of the violence has taken place in the central area 
of the city. We have suspended travel to that area until further notice."

He also said no one working with the organization is to travel in any 
part of Juarez after sunset because most of the violent incidents 
have taken place during late hours.

The organization has also suspended travel on the downtown bridges 
and has decided to use alternative ports of entry because of 
shootings on Avenida Juarez last month, in which a police officer's 
son and two taxi drivers were killed on the tourist strip.

"We fully recognize that taking these steps in no way guarantees the 
safety of our staff and volunteers, but it is our highest priority," 
Broach said.

Casas por Cristo missionaries said they would not stop their work in 
the colonias "in the face of unrest and drug-related violence in Juarez." 
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MAP posted-by: Richard Lake