Mexicali is a desert city of over a million and is located two hours away from San Diego and Tijuana. It is a harsh and rugged place, as are the lives of many of the people living in Mexicali.
Below are images I photographed when I traveled with members of Los Ninos International, a community development organization operating on both sides of the border.
A boy sells hand-made bracelets at his village for $1. Minimum wage is $5 a day.
Some women in Mexicali promote nutrition, employment and education among underserved communities. Below, Los Ninos volunteers see a bee farm created to improve nutrition habits.
Metals and plastics are melted down for their scraps at a cacti farm.
A family of cacti farmers burn metals to sell the scraps next to their vegetable garden, with no way of filtering run-off.
A girl helps Los Ninos volunteers build a cement section for her school.
The owner of a tortilla factory grinds kernels into corn meal.
