The Doxa Download (Blog)

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Collaboration in Tijuana

In the early days, collaboration was a necessity for Doxa. House building groups needed a safe place to stay while in Tijuana, hold nightly program and worship, and a secure location to stage building materials. Doxa, by itself, was not in a position to provide those things. So, Casa Hogar de los Niños helped solve those needs. In return, house building groups helped to support them financially so they could keep the doors open year around. This relationship also led to many other projects and initiatives that benefitted all involved. 

What started as collaboration out of necessity has become a central value to Doxa’s operational success. Doxa has learned that collaborating with other organizations, whether in Tijuana or the United States, is done best while following some best practices. First, is not recreating the wheel. By understanding the work that is already being done by others, Doxa can be a compliment instead of a duplication. Working together, everyone according to their gifts and strengths. This also means appropriately acknowledging the work and callings of others. 

Second, is recognizing that Doxa is just a part of the final solution. Too often, organizations enter into situations where they end up trying to solve everything, becoming the end-all and be-all. Doxa strives to enter with a humble and teachable spirit, one that recognizes how our work fits into God’s much larger plan. We know that God is doing a much larger work throughout Tijuana, to reconcile each and every person, and pray that He would continue to use Doxa as a meaningful part of that larger work. 

Third, is diligently following the Holy Spirit’s lead to greater things. We don’t know where each partnership will lead or the end of the story. Doxa takes one step at a time, doing the best we can in that moment in time. This mentality frees us up to relinquish all control to the Lord, to let Him lead. We focus instead on stewarding relationships and connecting with like-minded organizations. Wherever and with whomever the Holy Spirit puts in our path. 

Alex Knopes, Doxa’s Executive Director, sees collaboration as a two-way street. He says “it’s built into everything Doxa does, from partners on the ground in Tijuana to the youth groups that come to build houses to the students that are in the education scholarship program. Each of those touchpoints has some element of a two-way street.” Doxa is like the connective tissue that gets all the bones moving in the same coordinated fashion, resulting in an exponentially bigger impact than they would have alone. 

Alex also points out that “from a birds’ eye view, collaboration can look like pipelines between Tijuana and the United States.” Most people immediately think about the pipeline to Tijuana; a source of volunteers, financial support, and labor to build houses. However, the return pipeline is just as important. One that includes faithful relationships with people in Tijuana, horizon-broadening and spiritual-deepening experiences, and being part of radical generosity. One of Doxa’s most important jobs is to make sure that both of these pipelines remain open and flowing. 

Doxa has enjoyed the privilege of collaborating with many Tijuana and United States based organizations over the past 30+ years. Some of the organizations include the Tijuana Cultural Center, Trompo Science Museum, Police Department, DIF (child protective services), Tijuana Government, World Vision, Comité Binacional, and many churches on both sides of the border. 

One of Doxa’s newest partnerships is with Dunamis, a Tijuana organization that brings kids club once a month to Doxa’s community center. A Saturday of fun and games, with a meaningful message about Christ for everyone. In addition, Dunamis brings trained counselors to work with parents and conduct workshops. Doxa’s role is to offer an established way to meet new people and a place to gather, while Dunamis can deliver impactful programing and resources. Other organizations, such as World Vision, have also used Doxa as a conduit to deliver their programming. 

Some of Doxa’s closest partnerships are with Casa Hogar de los Niños, Unidos por Siempre, and Rancho. These are all locations where house building groups stay while they are in Tijuana. They provide an excellent home base for house building operations and logistics. Naturally, their staff get integrated into Doxa’s ecosystem and there’s an aspect of commitment, consistency, and intentionality that goes beyond what one would usually expect. For example, Doxa’s relationship with Casa Hogar de los Niños and Unidos por Siempre has evolved to include the provision of scholarships for all of their children. 

It’s impossible to talk about Doxa and not bring up these collaborators. We are continuously humbled by the way that the Holy Spirit has led and evolved these long-term partnerships. So thankful for all of them – past, present, and future!

More Tutors for Doxa Education

Since 2007, Doxa’s education program has provided hundreds of students the resources, mentorship, and knowledge to succeed in school. A Doxa scholarship means meeting children on a holistic level, taking an individualized approach to the success of each student. Entering into relationship with their family, journeying along with them, and sharing in the successes and failures along the way. This intimate knowledge helps guide exactly what resources and assistance the student needs to be successful. In the long-run, education empowers youth to break the cycle and mindset of poverty. 

On a basic level, a Doxa scholarship materially equips students to succeed. This entails the required school tuition fees, uniforms, shoes, backpack, school supplies, transportation, access to computers and Internet, medical/dental checkups, and glasses (you’d be surprised by how many kids don’t know they need them). Having the basic necessities affords students greater opportunity to succeed. 

While the materials and school fees are necessary, Doxa has found that relationally equipping students to succeed is where the real impact happens. This entails surrounding students with competent tutors and coaching their parents to be a positive voice when it comes to education. In Mexico, school is only half-day so there can oftentimes be a lack of discipline, mentorship, and priorities around homework time. 

The main way that Doxa relationally equips students to succeed is through the after-school program. Children come in the afternoon to complete their homework, learn additional lessons, or participate in a workshop or seminar. The after-school program is a constant touch-point with each student throughout the entire school year. This becomes even more important as students progress in school and their parents can no longer help them with their homework. The vast majority of parents only finished middle school, with some not even completing elementary school. 

Additionally, Doxa’s after-school program has a good reputation among local school teachers. Elementary and middle school teachers have even sent their students to Doxa’s after-school program when they get behind or need additional help. 

The backbone of Doxa’s after-school program are its tutors. Employing skilled tutors who are motivated and invested in each student’s life is essential to success. With Doxa now sponsoring about 140 children, it is time to bring more tutors on staff. This allows for more individualized attention and lays the groundwork for additional expansion in the future. This school year, Doxa added four new tutors. Here is a little about each one: 

Ailin and her family have known about Doxa for many years. Her family received a Doxa house and Ailin and her brother had previously received scholarships for education. Ailin finished college this year with a degree in Education Sciences. A degree that allows her to teach in the classroom, conduct research, work in school administration, or human resources. She has always liked working with children and after going through online school during the pandemic, realized how important in-person education is to a child’s development and learning. She understands that a student is learning much more than just the school curriculum in the classroom. They learn from the way the teacher conducts themselves, classroom rules, having to interact with fellow students, and completing work in teams. These are things that are difficult or don’t happen with online school, but are necessary and applicable to a student’s development as a person. 

Sergio also recently finished college with a degree in Education Sciences. He brings a level of expertise and command to the 4th through 6th grade students, who can sometimes be a handful. Even though he regularly works with 20+ students in Doxa’s after-school program, Sergio says that’s nothing compared to what school classrooms look like. Normally, the student-teacher ratio is 1 to 40. The school where Sergio did his teaching observations, the ratio was 1 teacher to 43 students. Instead of observing and learning from that teacher, Sergio says that he spent most of his time actually helping and teaching alongside. Sergio was drawn to Doxa as a way to get practical teaching experience in an environment that better sets teachers up for success. 

Lili is Doxa’s tutoring specialist for 1st and 2nd graders. She believes that learning starts early, with establishing the basic building blocks. This means knowing numbers and letters, being able to write them well, and gaining confidence in reading. She is patient and kind in all she does. In just the first half of this school year, she has started with kids who couldn’t write their numbers or know the sounds of the letters, and who are now accomplishing both of those tasks. Her tutoring work is often very individualized, so she only works with several students at a time. 

Giovana is excellent at adapting to a variety of situations because she handles students from elementary and middle school. She helps students complete their homework, extracurricular exercises, language development, and writing. She also keeps the after-school classroom neat and organized. Giovana believes that a good education can facilitate any future goal that her kids have. 

Employing competent and qualified tutors is extremely important. It elevates the quality, consistency, and impact of Doxa’s education program. A differentiator among the other education-focused after-school programs in Doxa’s area. Doxa is blessed with these tutors who can provide the individual attention and mentorship needed to see students succeed in school, always completing a higher level of education than their parents did. 

Putting it All Together – Nora’s Family Story

Nora and her husband, Josue, are originally from Puebla. They’ve been living in Tijuana for over a decade. They have three children, Edwin (16), Daniela (14), and Josue (10). For the first five or so years in Tijuana, they paid rent and lived off of Josue’s modest salary from collecting and recycling large appliances. The $75 per week got them by, most of the time, but it didn’t allow for any growth of their family or increase in their quality of life. 

Nora’s vision was for more. Nora says that she longs for her kids “to grow up with values, finish college, and know the world.” That’s some big vision from Nora, who just finished middle school, and Josue, who just finished elementary school. 

In 2018, Nora applied for a Doxa house and the following year it was built. When the group from Merced, CA turned over the keys of the finished house, Nora remembers thinking “it’s a blessing to receive this type of help and that there are people in this world who are willing to lend you a hand.” Immediately, Nora and Josue stopped paying rent and focused on paying off their piece of land. Nora explains that while “our economic situation was still a little tough, we were investing in something that is ours and not just paying rent.” 

Nora and Josue were diligent and disciplined with their family’s finances. Taking the money that they would’ve spent on rent and using it for a better quality of life and more nutritious food to feed their growing children. Nora smiles proudly as she says that “recently, we finished paying off our piece of land, and can continue to increase our quality of life.” 

Part of the qualification process for a Doxa house is the family completing 250 hours of volunteer service in their community. In Nora’s case, she volunteered at Unidos por Siempre. Since she has previous experience taking care of children from 5 months old to 10 years old, she was a natural fit. She would get the kids ready for school, do some cleaning, laundry, and be there to receive them upon their return. Nora would even help in the kitchen from time to time. She’s patient with kids, her calm demeanor and peaceful presence put them at ease. Nora is slow to talk, but quick to listen. She says “you can learn so much by just listening to these kids.” Nora sees the beauty in working with children, seeing them process the world around them, and grow through their experiences. 

Even after Nora was done with the volunteer hours, she continued being a part of Unidos por Siempre. She found her niche there, and since her house was just a couple blocks away the logistics were easy. That is also how she found out about Doxa’s education scholarship program. After successfully applying for her three kids, they started to receive full scholarships to attend school. The tuition fees, uniforms, and school supplies were now less of a burden on the family’s finances. Josue also switched jobs to do basic construction, which came with a little pay raise. Now with growing children, Nora and Josue took that money and built a little addition onto their house. Edwin and Daniela were getting to the age where they needed their own spaces. They also were able to do some interior finishes, get cabinets, chest of drawers, and other furniture for the bedrooms. 

Nora sees the values of “equality, empathy, respect, and companionship” lived out on a daily basis at Unidos por Siempre. What started out as volunteer hours and education scholarships for her kids has turned into her community. Nora explains that she doesn’t have any family in Tijuana, except for Josue and their kids. All of her relatives still live in Puebla. She made a conscious choice to raise her family here, where they can also participate in summer camp, eat meals from the soup kitchen, and attend community events. In addition, Nora shares about experiences when her kids got to meet volunteer groups from all over the United States who’ve come to serve in Tijuana. We get the privilege to journey alongside Nora and her family for these important and formative years. 

Nora truly sees everything as an opportunity to accomplish her outsized vision. She’s found a community to raise her kids in that has values. She’s found a place where education is prioritized and there’s resources to succeed. She’s found a creative way to have her kids experience the world through meeting the wide variety of volunteers who come to serve. Nora sees her vision coming to life in real time! Not too bad for a young girl from Puebla, who just finished middle school. When asked how she feels about all this, Nora simply replies “blessed, but it’s also a lot of work!” 

December Matching Campaign 2024

Today is Giving Tuesday and also the launch of Doxa’s 4th Annual December Matching Campaign. If we haven’t met before, I’m Alex Knopes and I have the privilege of serving as Doxa’s executive director. Part of Doxa’s vision is to see people in Tijuana flourish relationally and economically. We’ve found house building, education, and long-term community as rather effective tools in achieving this vision. 

A new house for a family can be life-changing, allowing the parents to focus on providing for their kids instead of worrying about tomorrow’s rain forecast and a leaky roof. A new house allows the children in the family to focus on school and just being a kid, instead of repeated illness from living on a dirt floor. 

A Doxa education scholarship can be the cornerstone to breaking the cycle of poverty, allowing children to have a better life than their parents have had. While the material items (like school supplies, uniforms, shoes, and backpacks) are essential to success in the classroom, mentoring and tutoring these students on a daily basis is where real impact happens. Over the course of this year, Doxa has expanded its number of tutors to allow for more individualized attention. 

Building long-term community does not happen overnight; and Doxa’s 33-year existence is a testament to that. Doxa’s community center provides a place where everyone is welcome and can grow in relationship with each other and with Christ. Dance classes, summer camps, sports, exercise classes, field trips, community events, parenting workshops, and access to counseling are some of the offerings. Over the past year, we’ve taken a renewed focus to partnering with more specialized organizations. For example, Dunamis is a local organization that brings Kids Club once a month. A Saturday of fun and games, with a meaningful message about Christ for everyone. 

Doxa’s board of directors has generously pledged $50,946 in matching funds, so all donations up to that amount will be doubled through the end of this year. 

Over the next few weeks, we invite you to follow along as we take a deeper dive into Doxa’s impact throughout Tijuana, focusing on a new story each week. You can help by sharing Doxa’s message with others during this season and also prayerfully consider donating before years’ end to double your financial impact. 

Donations can be made online through Doxa’s website. We also accept various other types of donations.

Muchas gracias! 

Board Chair Report – Patrick McCallister

Greetings on behalf of the Doxa Board of Directors. We come to you with gratitude for your partnership and support and with humble eyes to see what God is doing in this chapter of our organization’s history. 

In February, the Board completed its annual retreat and first quarter board meeting in Tijuana. The board members cover their own travel expenses to San Diego where we cross the border to Tijuana each January or February. The remaining three quarterly board meetings are now conducted virtually as the board is becoming geographically dispersed. Many board members travel to Tijuana at other parts of the year to participate in housebuilding trips, educational programs or community events like summer camp. 

While in Tijuana this year, we had rich discussions with our Doxa staff, our partners at Unidos por Siempre, Rancho, and Hogar de Los Niños. We attended the first church service in ten years on the campus of Rancho and were blessed by the pastors of Grupo Unidad, the church that owns and operates Rancho. Pastor Marco spent time with us and credited Doxa with breathing life back into Rancho with our investments and the church has a renewed energy for its programs there. 

Breaking bread or tortillas together has the ability to bring people together to build relationships and this year we were shown hospitality with tostadas at Unidos por Siempre, a wonderful taco dinner we shared with Doxa’s staff, partners and their families at the Doxa Community Center and breakfast provided for us by the staff at Hogar de Los Niños.  Each of these encounters nourished our spirit and were rich in conversations along with good food. We cherish our time with our friends in TJ and they make us feel at home. 

We have diversified our board with many members joining from outside the Seattle area. Over the last couple of years, we have enabled long time board members, Andrew, James B., Sharon and Ben to roll off the board and have made room for new board members to implement the strategic plan they developed and complement the work with their own innovative ideas to grow the mission of Doxa. We now have members on the board from Seattle and Spokane, Washington; Chicago, Illinois; Los Angeles, Ojai and Oakland, California. Each of our board members brings a unique perspective and a unique connection with the people of Tijuana. We have members in ministry, banking, education, investments, nursing and business. We’re here to learn from our team in Mexico and from each other while using our gifts to help others. Get to know our board (and Doxa’s entire team) by following this link to their profiles. 

We are excited for 2024 as we continue to see housebuilding teams coming back and increasing in numbers. We are excited for our community programs and the growth of programs like the dance team and summer camp. We’re excited to provide meals and educational support to young students on both the East and West sides of Tijuana. We are also looking forward to making progress on the Community Center plans and to accelerate our fundraising efforts to bring that vision to life. 

God has been at work in Tijuana long before we got here and He will be here long after each of us is gone. Let us be faithful to the part He has designed for each of us and let us work well together with humility and praise for His good work. 

With gratitude, 
Patrick McCallister
Doxa Board Chair 

Rancho’s Transformation

Starting in 2017, Doxa expanded house building operations to a second location in East Tijuana. Explosive population growth and economic development trends led to this expansion. In East Tijuana house building is a primary need, whereas on the West side it is no longer as big of a need as it once was. As the community’s needs change, so must Doxa.

This gave rise to the need for an East Tijuana Home Base: a place where house building groups could arrive, stay, plan, and be sent out with all necessary resources and materials. After bouncing around for the first couple years, Doxa found Rancho. Part of a local church called Grupo Unidad, Rancho’s property is extremely large at about 20 acres. When we found Rancho, we immediately recognized the opportunity that God had put before us. 

Rancho is located on a main road with great access to many surrounding neighborhoods and has lots of open space for programming. In getting to know Marco and Jaime, who are both primarily responsible for Rancho’s operations, we found some kindred spirits. People who were motivated to more fully activate Rancho and turn it into a focal point for the local community. We worked on a rough vision, where Doxa is one member of the team that helps to give life to Rancho’s spaces and buildings. 

In addition to a close partnership with Doxa, Rancho hosts a soup kitchen, church, rehabilitation center, summer camps, and monthly community events. Marco recently said that “prior to Doxa, many people at Grupo Unidad forgot about Rancho. Doxa coming alongside helped to wake us up and see this great opportunity!” 

Doxa’s intention is to grow with Rancho and continue to more fully activate the spaces! 

Throughout 2023, Doxa has worked on some larger projects at Rancho that help to turn it into a great home base. With these projects complete, Rancho is setup for the foreseeable future to competently host and send house building groups to all East Tijuana neighborhoods. These projects include a new materials shed, bridge for better vehicle access, enhanced entrance ramp, and kitchen appliance upgrades. 

The new materials shed is capable of storing 14 houses worth of lumber and has multiple access points so more than one group can use it at a time without being on top of each other. 

The bridge provides easy vehicle and semi-truck access to the shed; thereby allowing vehicles to park for loading and unloading. The enhanced entrance ramp helps to make Rancho’s driveway accessible by semi-truck and easier for smaller vehicles to enter and exit the property safely. 

While still small, Rancho’s kitchen is fully equippd with everything needed to cook for groups of 100+ people. This specifically includes increased refrigerator and freezer space, commercial convection oven, larger sink, more countertop space, and storage shelving. It’s been awesome to see Rancho’s transformation over the past few years and a privilege to be a part of it. A partnership where the Holy Spirit is actively leading! We’re excited to see where we go next together! 

17 Years of Doxa Education

Back in the mid-2000s, after over a decade of building houses, many volunteer groups noticed that it was all too common for kids to drop out of school. They saw the family they were building with struggle when it came to putting their kids through school. A family with 4 kids would regularly have 2 in school and 2 out of school. Most likely, some would finish middle school and none would finish high school. Seeing this need, Doxa started a scholarship program in 2007. Doxa consulted with Tony and Pilar from Hogar de los Niños and worked with Toby and Zoraida to administer the scholarships.

It was a steep learning curve at first. Doxa sponsored 10 elementary school kids in 2007, providing the necessary materials, uniforms, and registration fees to attend school. These were just the basics. After a few years of doing this, it was clear that something more was needed to help students not just attend school, but succeed. This gave birth to the after-school program.

Staring in 2010, Doxa opened an after-school program run by Rosa. A simple classroom setup where students would come after school to complete homework and have access to any additional resources necessary, like the Internet or a printer. Over the next several years, Doxa education grew from 10 to over 120 annual scholarships. Doxa now has students at every level of education: elementary school, middle school, high school, and university. Each year, Doxa sees students be the first in their families to finish middle school, high school, or university.

Throughout the last 17 years, there have been many students who have practically grown up with Doxa. Spending most, if not all, of their educational years enrolled with a Doxa scholarship. All of Doxa’s students are like sponges; absorbing everything around them and growing in their capacities. Without really realizing it, Doxa has been a very formative part of their lives. Rosa, Ely, Flavio, and other Doxa employees have sown many seeds throughout their years of work, and it’s impossible to know exactly when and how those seeds will sprout.

Recently, we asked several long-time Doxa students to share the impact Doxa had on them and their growth. We learned that something different sticks out to each of them. What started as simply buying school uniforms and then opening a basic after-school program, has turned into something much more.

Veronica in 2013
Veronica in 2023

Veronica has been involved with Doxa education for 12 years, starting in 1st grade. When asked about Doxa’s long-term impact on her life she talks about her performance in school and the positive results of the after-school program. She says “I advanced faster than the other students. The teachers noticed that I could learn quicker since I saw things in Doxa before they were taught in the classroom. Rosa taught all of us in a group. I don’t know how she attended to all of us at once, but she did.” The after-school program has been essential to the success of hundreds of students. Local school teachers even recommend their students attend who may need a little extra homework help.

Brigitt and Leo
Brigitt

Brigitt has been involved with Doxa education off and on since 3rd grade. She is now in 11th grade. When asked about what has made the biggest difference for her, she talks about the seminars put on by Carmen or Jorge, whom are local councilors. This is offered as part of the after-school program. Brigitt shares, “I learned to control my emotions, be a better person, and relate better to others. I used to be very bad-tempered, but now I know how to not let others affect me or express myself in a way that negatively affects others.”

Angel in 2013
Angel in 2017
Angel in 2023

Angel has been involved with Doxa education for 11 years. When asked about the impact of his involvement, he immediately talks about his behavior: “Doxa has changed me a lot. I used to be distractable and unfocused. Now I’m more focused and calmer. Doxa gave me structure, a place to be, tutors that pushed me to do things I thought I couldn’t, like divisions with 4 digits. I remember one time when Paola gave me a big math problem like that and I ended up surprising myself.” Upon reflecting upon his time with Doxa, Angel smirks as he realizes “I’ve been part of Doxa for more than half my life.”

Alejandro in 2015
Alejandro in 2019
Alejandro in 2023

Alejandro has been involved with Doxa education for the past 11 years. When asked about the difference it has made in his life, he talks about goals and a sense of purpose. Alejandro shares that “we always have to know where we’re going and who we are as people… know our goals and areas for improvement.” When asked about goals Alejandro responds, “finish school, get a good job, buy a house and car, have the necessary income to support myself and my family. This is going to be hard, but it’s not important how many falls I have or how many obstacles I come across, nothing will stop me from completing my goals.”

Veronica, Brigitt, Angel, and Alejandro have all gone through the same education program over the years. Each of them have taken away a different big idea that they hold as formative in their own lives. It’s amazing how such a simple scholarship program can lead to deep and varying impacts. As Doxa continues to grow its education program, now with a second location in East Tijuana, more seeds will be planted and continue to sprout.

Soup Kitchen at Unidos por Siempre

As a natural extension and reflection of relationships created through house building, Doxa’s education program provides scholarships and resources to children in Tijuana. We target the same neighborhoods in which we have built houses, thus reflecting the natural progression of shelter being a primary need and education coming next. In the long-run, education empowers youth to break the cycle and mindset of poverty which is so prevalent in Tijuana.

Doxa’s scholarship program meets children on a holistic level, taking an individualized approach to the success of each student. This intimate knowledge helps guide exactly what resources and assistance the student needs to be successful. Some examples include tuition fees, school uniform, transportation, books, school supplies, shoes, access to Internet and technology, glasses, health care, counseling services, good role models, fun and disciplined learning environment, and sense of purpose.

A few years after starting an education program, Doxa realized that an after-school program was needed. This provides a natural conduit for ongoing communication and a place for homework to be completed. Recognizing that most schools in Mexico are only half-day and almost all parents work a full day; the after-school program fills the niche of the other half. The after-school program not only affords the resources, tutors, and space for homework completion, it also provides a safe, respectful, and disciplined atmosphere for young students to grow.

In recent years, as Doxa has expanded its education program to East Tijuana, we used the blue print from our 10+ years of experience in West Tijuana. First is relationally equipping students to succeed. Which entails surrounding kids with competent tutors and coaching their parents (or responsible adult) to be a positive voice when it comes to education. Maria and Angeles serve as these strong voices and coaches in East Tijuana. Second is materially equipping students to succeed. Which simply entails school supplies, uniforms, tuition fees, and other necessities. 

In 2019, Doxa helped build a classroom addition onto Unidos por Siempre. This serves as the education home base for East Tijuana. A dedicated place for the after-school program and where Angeles, who is Doxa’s East TJ Education Administrator, can work directly with students. Angeles says that “having an education classroom really adds permanence and structure to the scholarship program, student success is more easily attainable with the right resources at hand.” 

Earlier this year, Maria and Angeles brought up another need throughout East Tijuana. They noticed food insecurity becoming more prevalent and negatively impacting students’ performance in the classroom. Erika, whose children are scholarship recipients and lives in East Tijuana, shared that for many families “sometimes there is enough to eat and sometimes not. There isn’t always something constant, that you can depend on.” Since the education program is a holistic approach, we brainstormed solutions of how best to address food insecurity among Doxa’s scholarship students. 

It quickly became clear that a soup kitchen operated at Unidos por Siempre was the best answer. All the tools we needed were lying right in front of us: using the existing kitchen facilities at Unidos por Siempre, Panchita as the cook, and Angeles to help organize and administer. A nutritious and healthy lunch is prepared every day and something that each student can count on. For students that go to classes in the mornings, they arrive at Unidos por Siempre around 1pm and eat lunch together. Then, they head up to the classroom for dedicated homework time with Angeles. For students that go to classes in the afternoons, they arrive at Unidos por Siempre around 9am and do their homework with Angles; once finished, they eat lunch and leave around 12:30pm for afternoon school. 

Panchita’s menu is diverse and well-balanced. The usual tacos, enchiladas, quesadillas, beans and rice are present and accounted for. But various fruits, soups, salads, sandwiches, and vegetables also appear regularly. Specialty items such as mole, pozole, and tamales appear less often, but are so looked forward to by everyone! Panchita says that “my heart is filled when stomachs are filled and people eat my food with pleasure.” She’s the right person for the job! 

The addition of a soup kitchen is proving to be an excellent complement to Doxa’s East Tijuana education program. Maria shares that “a child that is well-fed and well attended to is going to learn more.” The soup kitchen creates healthy eating habits in community and ensures food security through the access to quality food on a consistent basis. Using Unidos por Siempre also provides a central location that is decent, respectable, and appropriate for people to gather throughout the day. 

The soup kitchen opened in October of this year, and Doxa intends to continue its operation through at least 2024. If it continues to grow and becomes an integral part of student success in East Tijuana, Doxa would love to make it a permanent offering for East Tijuana students. We’ll continue to monitor and evaluate over the next year, as the soup kitchen grows!

Stories of Family Growth

Without really realizing it, Doxa has been unofficially engaging in community development for many years. House building has organically transformed entire communities and continues to serve as a turning point for many families. 

At Doxa, we like to say that house building is really just an ‘excuse’ to get to know a family. Then, enrollment in Doxa’s education program is an ‘excuse’ to continue the relationship through regular touch-points, such as the after-school program. Finally, Doxa’s community center programs are an ‘excuse’ to intentionally journey and grow with each family over the long-run. It’s a beautiful progression that flows naturally. Wherever families join us, there is a space for them. 

Doxa’s community center includes summer camp, parenting classes, dance groups, exercise classes, art seminars, music classes, community events, and various types of counseling sessions. We have established ways for meeting new people, places for gathering together, and more officially recognized our role in community development that leads to family growth. Doxa functions as a pipeline to deliver impactful programing and resources for Tijuana families. Over the years, we’ve come to realize one of our core strengths is people gathering. 

However, it’s not just that Doxa facilitates these various community offerings. It’s more about how Doxa does it. In our case, the how matters just as much as the fact that the programs exist. Doxa puts relationships first, understanding that we are all flawed yet, part of a larger family that journeys along. We know that investment in families means prioritizing time, empathy, understanding, and love above all else. Extending unconditional grace as Jesus has done unto us, creates a safe place where people can lay down their burdens. 

We asked a couple families to share their experiences with Doxa: 

Vianey Guadalupe has been involved at Doxa for about 2 years and is currently in 9th grade. Her mother, Vianey Karina, sees “mutual respect, coexistence, friendship, love, and presence” as Doxa’s strengths. She says that “it isn’t so much the economic support, but the personal investment of time and opening of community that has made a difference. With my older son, he didn’t have this same support and I really struggled with him. With Vianey, Doxa came to help with education and her growth as a person.” 

It isn’t so much the economic support, but the personal investment of time and opening of community that has made a difference… Doxa came to help with education and her growth as a person.

Vianey Karina, parent

Haziel has also been coming to Doxa for about 2 years and is currently in 7th grade. His mother, Rubi, says Doxa’s values include “respect, tolerance, peace, humility, and patience. All things that Ely and Sabino show on a daily basis.” Haziel agrees that “the best quality of Doxa are the teachers, they have a lot of patience with us and help us to succeed. We end up surprising ourselves because we can do things that we thought we could not.”

Doxa has, furthermore, been a catalyst for family growth, particularly in Vianey Karina’s mother-daughter relationship. She shares that “as a mom, I’ve seen Vianey improve in school, she’s now an [A/A-] student. Regarding her as a person, she has changed a lot. I think we are now in our best chapter of mother-daughter relationship that we have had. Especially when it comes to communication. We have a closeness that we lacked during her elementary school days. I love that she has a peer community in Doxa and they come over to the house to hang out. That they grow-up together. We have both grown, along with my husband.” Vianey Guadalupe echoes some of the same ideas, saying “Before Doxa, I didn’t have as much trust in my parents. Now, I tell them more details and even ask for their advice. I have liked the togetherness and community at Doxa. I’ve made a lot of friends. Before, I wasn’t a very social person. And I consider Doxa my second home. I feel very comfortable here and I like to come as often as I am able.” 

Rubi, who is Haziel’s mother, reflects on how involvement in Doxa’s activities has impacted her son’s life. She says that her “experience with Doxa has been excellent. Haziel has higher grades and has matured a lot. There are lots of activities in Doxa; guitar, music, and dance group involvement have resulted in Haziel being more cheerful and open. I’ve loved to see his growth and motivation to stick with these activities. Overall, the advances in school have been noticed by the teachers.” Rubi continues on to say that she is “very proud of my son, seeing him excel in the various activities. At his last dance performance, watching him perform; I said to myself, I’m a very privileged mom to have Doxa in my son’s life.” 

When talking with Vianey Karina, who is Vianey Guadalupe’s mother, it’s clear she values Doxa’s staff. She says “I have full trust in Doxa, because of Ely and Sabino. As a mom, you observe day in and day out the responsibility that they have for our kids and how seriously they take it. These people deserve my trust.” She goes on to share that “Doxa helps with the growth of our children. Every day we hope our kids will get a little bit better and Doxa plays an active role in that process, cultivating values and the foundations needed.” Surrounding families with the right people and role models makes a difference. For this reason, Doxa invests in its staff for the long-term, to have permanence in others’ lives. 

Every day we hope our kids will get a little bit better and Doxa plays an active role in that process, cultivating values and the foundations needed.

Vianey Karina, parent

Rubi says that she also trusts in Doxa “because it’s a community of people I know and have provided me the help that I needed as a single mother.” She continues on that “Doxa represents a gigantic help for kids, that learn, that have fun, that interact with each other in a safe, respectful place. Besides all the activities, Doxa provides things for parents, such as the exercise classes in the mornings and community events.” Rubi wants to “thank everyone who’s behind Doxa, without it we wouldn’t be who we are today. And Doxa’s kids are who they are because of you, and giving with a loving heart.” 

Finally, when closing out our time together, Rubi smiles and says with a laugh that “sometimes I have to discipline Haziel, and his punishment is not coming to Doxa. It always works.”

Doxa High School Students Build a House

The vast majority of people experience and come to know Doxa through house building. For over 30 years, Doxa has facilitated the building of about 2300 houses throughout Tijuana resulting in safe and secure housing for over 11,000 people! Nearly 35,000 people from the US have participated in house building trips, some returning multiple times. God has truly magnified this simple experience to be much more than anyone could’ve realized.

Teams from the US come to Tijuana and discover new life by giving themselves away and being witness to others doing the same. It’s a powerful experience. For most participants, being a part of a house building trip means having a role in extraordinary generosity, most likely on a scale that they haven’t seen before. How often does one get to tangibly partake in building and giving a house away? It’s an eye-opening, horizon-broadening experience with impacts that last a lifetime. Not only are the trip participants impacted, but also the family members who now have a new house. Lives changed forever. 

Doxa’s primary role in house building has been as facilitator: preparing groups from the US and families in Tijuana, readying building materials, connecting groups with local staff and partners, and providing trip support. Most groups utilize the experience as a tool or platform, such as for youth ministry or the development of volunteer teams. The common denominator among all groups is that the house is not the only thing that gets built. 

Finishing a house in Tijuana requires sharing and participating in a vision, planning, logistics, digging, cement mixing, framing, painting, roofing, window and door installation, cooking, communication in Spanish, and cross-cultural relationship formation. All skill sets have their time to shine. It’s an experience that helps young people make meaningful and lasting contributions in today’s world. All receive the powerful yet simple message that young people don’t need to wait or ‘grow-up’ in order to engage in significant work. 

A couple years ago, Elizabeth, Doxa’s Director of Operations, had the idea of providing this same house building experience to Doxa’s high school students. She saw first-hand the impact of this experience and wanted the same for Doxa’s students. In addition to being part of an experience in radical generosity, Elizabeth notes that Doxa’s students “learn to value what they have and appreciate a hard day’s work; coming home tired after working a full day like their parents.” She also talks about commitment, “finishing what you start is an important value that we can instill in our children, especially when things get hard and you have to work in teams.” 

Like groups from the US, Doxa’s high school students get opportunities to nail, paint, measure, cut, and build the house. Elizabeth sees these learning opportunities as building blocks for Doxa’s high school students that prepare them for something more in their lives. The house build is led by our committed and experienced Flavio Camacho. He leads by example with dedicated workmanship and teaches the students how to build each day. Doxa’s Spanish building manual also comes in handy. When construction is complete, it all culminates with turning over the new house and its keys to the family. 

This experience, furthermore, comes full circle for some of Doxa’s high school students as their families were recipients of a Doxa house years ago. Now it is their turn to be on the other side of the experience. 

For the past two years, Doxa’s high school students have had the privilege of building a house over their summer break. One of Doxa’s students, Brigitt shares that a “house changes lives for the better and gives me some perspective to really value what I have.” She continues to say that “to help others makes me feel good, to see peoples’ lives improving. You never know when you are going to need help.” Another one of Doxa’s students, Angel remembers “the sacrifice that the family was making for their new house and the poor conditions that they lived in before.” He goes on to describe that “teamwork makes the job easier and that everyone on the team has their own strengths.” Still, another Doxa student, Veronica learned “to value my house, what my mom did for me. Especially after seeing how the family valued and appreciated us on the worksite.”

Elizabeth sees the house building experience as life-changing for Doxa’s high school students and would love to incorporate it as a permanent annual experience that Doxa can offer. Elizabeth notes that “it’s a mission trip for Doxa’s high school youth located within their very own city.” Just as this simple experience of building a house has been so impactful for nearly 35,000 people from the US, it has been and will continue to be impactful for Doxa’s high school students.