Proyecto Tlali is a binational movement led by young volunteers who bring help to the most vulnerable groups of San Diego and Tijuana.

Founded 3 years ago by its director Kasandra Valladolid and her collaborators, the initiative has been dedicated to promote diverse social causes to benefit immigrants, senior adults, the education of the youth, the environment and pets, to mention some areas.

"I´m from Tijuana and I go to UC San Diego, that's why I have a relationship there, an the other at this time are in the same transborder situation, some of them are students at UABC, UDCI, UNEA, Cetys and others” said Kasandra.

Today they are in a transition process to become a Non-Governmental Organization.

Within their most important achievements is the creation of an interactive library in Casa Hogar María Inmaculada.

In an interview with San Diego Red, Kasandra commented that Proyecto Tlali has a motto: “small actions generate big changes”, meaning that the do not only focus on the distribution of food but in the exploration of the conditions of the context that surrounds those people in need, in order to know their true necessities, so they can generate a plan that will benefit them on the long run.

This means: people need to read, people need to have communication with the voluntary in turn, I really believe that to be standing in a place, an asylum, in the help center, requires you to be present and active before what's happening in order to realize that your help will be more effective in that way, simply learn about the context, make a project, but have in mind that you ideas may not fit in with the people, so you have to keep researching more

Regarding the project´s beginnings Kasandra recalls:

We got together one day, we were talking about what we wanted to do, there were 4 of us, we had 20 dollars, we went to the ‘99 cent store’ and bought a lot of food, we went to San Juan de Beato to makes these donations and we hung around with the people there

From then they all analized how they felt after helping for the first time, and taking social media into their advantage they told their stories about their actions, for which they started to receive donations from many people.

“We started with 4, after six months we were 20 and now we are 80”, she said.

She commented that come volunteers are on-site, while others are donators, however, in the COVID-19 scope their work has been diminished. Despite this, their last action was to help people who were victims of one of the last Tijuana fires, donating basic necessity products.

The group has alliances with other organizations such as Kiometro 1, Manos Unidas and the Rotary Club, they connect with each other's causes through social media, and collaborate with the ones close. They have learnt alot from the different angles that enrich them day by day.

The core mission of Proyecto Tlali is to inspire others to lead with example and to serve as a tool to promote values, education and the arts as key pieces of social progress in diverse communities.

To join the cause you can send a message at: proyectotlali@gmail.com

Follow them on their social media:
https://www.instagram.com/proyectotlali/
https://www.facebook.com/proyectotlali/