MAY 2008

Nuestros Hijos/Our Children: An Initiative for Children Across Borders

Every year, thousands of children cross the borders into the U.S. unaccompanied, hoping to be reunified with their families.  If they escape the dangers of smugglers and human traffickers, they are likely to find themselves in a detention center alongside juvenile offenders.  Migrant children in detention centers frequently receive no due process and are often subjected to food deprivation, arbitrary physical punishment, and solitary confinement. 

The stories of these children are often lost in a larger immigration debate that focuses on wages and language instead of people and families.  In recognition of its 25th anniversary, HIP is launching its Nuestros Hijos/Our Children campaign to raise awareness of the human rights of migrant children.

Background
Since HIP began funding Latino nonprofits through the Funders’ Collaborative for Strong Latino Communities in 2001, HIP has supported dozens of organizations that work with Latino children and youth, many of whom are at-risk. For example, HIP funds the Florence Immigrant and Refugee Rights Project in Arizona, which represents men, women and children detained by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), formerly known as the INS.  Although the U.S. government assists indigent criminal defendants and civil litigants with representation through public defenders and legal aid attorneys, it does not provide attorneys for people facing deportation charges, so 90 percent of individuals detained – including children – go unrepresented due to poverty and lack of information. Additionally, in 2006, HIP hosted Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Sonia Nazario, who spoke about her book, Enrique’s Journey, at HIP’s annual membership meeting.  Enrique’s Journey details the harrowing journey of a boy from Honduras who travels to the United States to find his mother who had left to work to support him.   

Through its work in the United States and in Latin America, HIP has learned how the issues of Latino families and their children straddle borders, and that addressing the issues of Latino communities requires a transnational approach.  HIP hopes to shed light on this issue through educational events and policy dissemination and by bringing increased philanthropic resources to the issue to ensure that the rights of all children – including migrant children – are protected.

Project Calendar:
HIP will host several events for the 25th anniversary, some with an educational focus and others with a more social and celebratory focus.  HIP is collaborating with a variety of leaders, funders, and experts to implement this project.  HIP has formed a 25th anniversary committee made up of more than 50 leaders both within and beyond the philanthropic sector.  Events highlighting the Nuestros Hijos/Our Children campaign include:
 Inaugural 25th Anniversary Celebration in Washington, DC:  HIP launched this campaign on Sunday, May 4th at HIP’s annual meeting during the Council on Foundations’ Conference.  The event featured speakers Gara LaMarche, President of Atlantic Philanthropies, and Margarita Zavala, Wife of the President of Mexico. She and our Mexican partners, including FUNDEMEX, also hosted a celebratory event the evening beforehand at the Mexican Cultural Institute.  This inaugural event identified and framed the issues that will be addressed throughout the campaign.
 Funders’ Briefing in New York:  This briefing will be an in-depth discussion led by experts on the issue of children caught across borders. It will be an opportunity for funders to become more informed about the issue and, to begin identifying key strategies for the philanthropic community to address the needs of this population. The event will take place on June 30 and will be hosted by The Ford Foundation.
 San Francisco Gala:  HIP will host an event at the Brava Theater in San Francisco on November 18th that will enable local Latino artists, musicians, chefs, nonprofit leaders, and funders to come together to celebrate HIP’s 25th anniversary and raise funds that will be directed towards HIP’s efforts to increase awareness of the human rights of migrant children

For more information, please contact Brianna Evans, Development and Communications Coordinator, brianna@hiponline.org