School ‘on wheels’ provide education for migrant children in Mexico

World Today

In the border town of Tijuana, Mexico, a unique program created for the most vulnerable: children. Kids on the move often feel displaced and lonely. Now a special school on wheels is trying to change that.

CGTN’s Franc Contreras has the story.

 

A migrant mother and her little daughter have made the long, grueling journey from their home in Guatemala here to the Mexican border city of Tijuana.

The girl misses home, especially her old school and the chance to be with other children. Her mother said the girl often feels bored, lonely and scared.

That began to change after some migrants’ rights activists created this bus, which has become a sort of school on wheels in Tijuana.

Migrant children have a place where they can study together and that’s transforming their lives.

“It’s really been a help to me because when we got here, my daughter was depressed and now she’s developing more, said Mirsa Juarez, a mother from Guatemala. “She plays more, and she’s not depressed, doesn’t have that depression that children can get.”

Children from Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, and Mexico spend several hours a day aboard the bus, participating in guided activities. They’re learning things like math, English and how to interact with kids from other countries. 

The program is called “Si Se Puedo” or “Yes, We Can.”

Estefania Rebellon, an actress in Los Angeles is the director. As a child, she and her family migrated from Colombia to Miami. Rebellon said this education program provides migrant children with moments of kindness and support they seldom got back in Central America.

“You can see that they’re playing in groups here, they have their friends, they know each other,” said Rebellon. “What we’re doing here is creating a world where they feel safe and can simply be children.”

That’s a crucial lesson that these children are taking to heart—one they’ll likely take with them to the next place they call home.