Your Concerns Are Important To Us
Transparency is Essential — Honest Questions… Honest Answers!
- Q: Is Ayuda Asilo (“AA”) a Non-Profit Corporation? Are donations to AA tax-deductible?
- A: AA is non-profit project, launching soon. For now we are privately funded. One of our top priorities is to form a 501c3 tax-exempt corporation. At this time, however, we cannot offer you a tax deductible donation. We will announce success as soon as possible.
- Q: Who started AA? Who’s behind AA?
- A: The Founder of AA is an anonymous private philanthropist who does not seek fame or riches. The only motivation is altruism to help vulnerable needy children.
- Q: What is the basic plan for services delivery?
- A: Another top-level priority is forming a sound Business Plan that includes all the normal aspects of any properly organized enterprise. Once this is near completion, we will announce and display it here and in other social media — even prior to our accomplishing tax exempt status. In the meanwhile, please see our Services page for the basics.
- Q: How will the project be staffed?
- A: Although our Business Plan is not yet complete, we have formed some of the answers to this important question. One part of our strategy is to enlist volunteer services from Partners and Sponsors. For example, medical services – local Tijuana doctors, nurses and other healthcare providers – may use our Center as a location from which to deliver volunteer a wide range of medical services. These service providers will use our “Sleeping Nooks” during most daytime hours for exams and simple (non-surgical) free medical services, e.g. bandages and flu shots. In the evening, each space will give way to our family guests who will get a good night’s sleep in a clean bed, in a small private space. These are what we call Sleeping Nooks.
- Q: How will you protect families from further victimization?
- A: We intend to do many things to accomplish this crucial security goal. Protecting the identities of individuals along with their physical safety is central. Our communications systems will be encrypted. We will explain the intricacies of this issue to each of our client family members and maintain the anonymity of each, within a carefully designed system to enable families to securely stay in touch with others in their country of origin, and as they contact family members in Mexico and the US, and as they are referred to our Sponsors and Partners for additional services through time. We intend to provide access to computers at the center. Although our infrastructure is limited, we will shelter families for very limited periods of time to protect them during this critical transitional period, and as we stabilize and provide many support resources that ideally will include more permanent shelter.
- Q: What is the time frame for rolling out the project?
- A: The safety and security of our guests – the families and children we serve – is paramount. The thoughtful sequence of rolling out and providing each of our services will conform to this precept. Good planning is key. Stability and reliability are also cornerstones of this concept. For example, at our opening, we may choose to provide medical exams and water as a modest and manageable first step. Other services will naturally follow over time.
- Q: What are the Intangible Benefits?
- A: Intangible benefits will under-gird all we do: – The most important of these may be our goal to create a visually appealing physical space where children will immediately feel safe and welcome. We also intend to give them both resources and the important psychological empowerment of choice. This may be as simple as providing a safe place to play. When done right, this will accomplish two goals. While safe play is its own reward, we intend to provide the added benefit of secure indoors play ares that enable parents to remain nearby, but also be a little separate from, but near enough to always see their children. Children’s choices may in time also include a variety of culturally appropriate arts activities, including drawing/painting, music and visual/performance art. Our supervisory staff may appear to be coaches, but will also be trained in security, thus providing this crucial role most unobtrusively.
- Q: How will you advertise and promote awareness of the Center?
- A: We will honor the importance of culture through the arts by integrating a small theater in the center as early as possible. This “Omni Port” will celebrate indigenous music, dance, costumes, art and even food. We will collaborate with as many local arts and educational entities as possible to make the Omni Port into a community center. In tandem with the immediate services goal for our guests, the space will also double as a Performing Arts Center and venue for other outside arts and cultural events, lectures and certain educational purposes. Also, we will display the flags of each of the countries now recognized by the OAS, proudly flying high above our vibrant multi-national and multi-cultural Omni Puerto. Please stay in touch as we are nearing completion of a scale model of our building.
- Q: Is AA International?
- A: Yes. AA will not only be Pan-American, but also welcome participation from nations and organizations world wide. Globally, many areas are unstable. Refugees from conflict and natural disasters are increasing. We are grateful for the ability to broadcast our modest attempts to deliver assistance. We trust that there will be many opportunities to share knowledge and resources on a global scale.