Cross Border Impacts

The International Community Foundation is committed to improving the quality of life of the San Diego -Baja California border region. Recognizing that many societal challenges do not respect political boundaries, over the years our Foundation's donors and supporters have tackled a wide range of trans-boundary issues impacting people and communities on both sides of the border.

Health & Human Services: Issue: Cross-border tuberculosis prevention and control Solution: Staff from the Tijuana TB Lab Working jointly with San Diego State University's School of Public Health, UCSD School of Medicine, the County of San Diego, UABC Escuela de Medicina and the Secretariat of Health for the State of Baja California, the International Community Foundation published a comprehensive study of cross-border TB impacts and solutions for the San Diego-Tijuana border region in 2010. Following the recommendations of this report, the Foundation has provided initial bridge funding for two TB labs in Mexicali and Tijuana to promote improved identification of TB cases in the State of Baja California. Given the seriousness of this otherwise preventable infectious disease, swift and effective treatment of TB is essential in the border region. Towards this end, the Foundation will strive to provide community based leadership on TB public advocacy issues at Federal and State levels to raise public awareness. Our ultimate goal for the TB fund for the Californias is to ensure on-going binational support for cross-border programs focused on TB prevention and control. DONATE TODAY. More Information: http://www.icfdn.org/reports/tbstudy.php

Issue: HIV/AIDs prevention and control among high risk drug users and sex worker Solution: Prevencasa's Prevemovihil in TijuanaGrant funding to Prevencasa's Alcance a Las Jovenes program which targets commercial sex workers in Tijuana with a focus on prevention, detection and timely treatment of HIV / AIDS and sexually transmitted infections through outreach efforts, utilizing a mobile unit called "PREVEMOVIHIL". The International Foundation has been providing grant funding to Prevencasa since 2007 and provides fiscal sponsorship for this organization through their Prevencasa Fund. DONATE NOW More Information: http://vimeo.com/13654510

Issue: Human Tracking/Sex Trafficking in the San Diego-Tijuana Border Region Solution: Underage sex workers in Tijuana Grant funding to support the Bilateral Safety Corridor Coalition (BSCC), a National City, California based nonprofit committed to bilaterally preventing and intervening in the commercial and sexual exploitation of men, women and children while advocating for all exploited persons. The International Foundation has been providing grant funding to BCSS since 2001 More Information: http://www.bsccoalition.org/

Issue: Children and Youth Deportation to Mexico Solution: Grant funding to Casa YMCA Para Los Menores Migrantes, A.C. (Casa YMCA) in Tijuana which provides shelter, counseling and support to children and youth that have been deported by U.S. immigration authorities to Mexico. Casa YMCA assists children and youth to re-connect with their families also assisting these vulnerable kids with transportation back to their communities of origin. Since 2001 the International Community Foundation has provided periodic funding to Casa YMCA in support of their shelter in Tijuana. More Information: http://www.ymca.org.mx/prog_YMCA_mmigra.html

Education: Issue: Preventing school drop-out rates and idle youth Solution: Fundación Para la Protección de la Niñez grant recipients A growing number of worthy Tijuana based nonprofits are providing valuable after school programs and scholarships to keep children and youth actively involved in engaged in school. These organizations include the Club de Niños y Niñas de Mexico, A.C., Centro de Comunidad, A.C, Fundacion para la Proteccion de la Niñez, A.C. and Fundacion Internacional de la Comunidad, and Migdalia Rubio Foundation. The International Community Foundation has been actively supporting these and other organizations over the past twenty years through grants and the friends of funds that they maintain at our foundation

Environment: Issue: Trans-boundary storm water management for the Tijuana River estuarine reserve Solution: Laureles Canyon Laureles Canyon storm water management initiative undertaken by the International Community Foundation in partnership with the California Coastal Conservancy and Tijuana's Instituto Municipal de Planeación (IMPlan) between 2004-2006. More Information: http://www.icfdn.org/evaluate/initiatives/llc/llc.php

Issue: Promote expanded cross-border awareness of trans-boundary environmental issue and impacts. Solution: PROBEA PROBEA, a binational environmental education program of the San Diego Natural History Museum has provided unique cross-border environmental education programming to children and youth from the San Diego-Baja California border region. PROBEA has developed curriculum specifically focused on the Tijuana River watershed, 1/3 of which lies on the U.S. side of the border. The International Community Foundation has been supporting PROBEA since 2005. More Information: http://www.sdnhm.org/education/binational/

Civic Engagement & Philanthropy Issue: Expanding Mexican philanthropy in the Baja California border region Solution: FIC Office in Tijuana) In 2000 the International Community Foundation established Fundacion Internacional de la Comunidad (FIC), Baja California's first community foundation. Since its founding, FIC has matured to become one of the leading community foundations in Mexico actively engaging individual and corporate donors throughout Baja California. The International Community Foundation has been actively supporting FIC since 2000 providing core operational and programmatic support, has supported a wide range of collaborative projects and is their U.S. fiscal sponsor through the FIC Fund. DONATE TODAY. More Information: http://ficbaja.org/portal/

Issue: Promoting expanding public awareness of cross-border issues and challenges Solution: Foudnation Publications The has sought to promote the level of awareness among the donors and the general public in the San Diego-Baja California border region on emerging trans-boundary issues and challenges through on-going research, publications and on-going educational forums. More Information: Blurred Borders: Trans-Boundary Issues and Challenges in the San Diego-Tijuana Region (2004) Shared Destiny: Shaping a Binational Agenda for Health Priorities in the San Diego - Baja Californial Border Region (2006) Tuberculosis in the San Diego-Tijuana Border Region (2010) U.S. Retirement Trends in Mexican Coastal Communities (2010-2011)

Interested in addressing a cross-border issue or challenge? Contact us at giving@icfdn.org.