Mission, Vision
Mission
Esperanza International is a non-profit,
non-sectarian, charitable corporation,
dedicated to empowering the poor to help
themselves by bridging existing needs
with available resources.

Description:
Vision
Esperanza invests in People.
Esperanza International works in partnership with communities in the Tijuana region seeking long-term solutions to their problems. Together, they have established an organizational structure, and implemented projects using available resources to meet the basic needs of the people. All projects are based on self-help principles. Esperanza assists communities that have the potential for becoming self-sustaining. The goal is to plant the seeds, provide assistance as requested, then step back and let the community take its own course. As projects are proven to work, these new solutions are made available to other communities.

Our Partners
Esperanza Mexico »
Esperanza Health Center »
Posada Esperanza »

Contact Us
Esperanza International, Inc.
717 3rd Ave
Chula Vista, CA 91910

Phone: 267-419-8318
Fax: 619-426-6664
Email: EspIntInc@aol.com

History:
History
Timeline | Volunteer Statistics | Long-Term Volunteers

Timeline
1984 - Robert Morris, Deacon Al Graff, Fr John Howard envision the organization out of St. James Circle service group.
1985 - Esperanza International, Inc. (EI) was incorporated as a U.S. 501c3 nonprofit organization.
1986 - Students from University of San Diego, the first volunteer group, built 10’ x 20’ wood houses in Tijuana.
1989 - Esperanza finds apartments for migrants camping in a San Diego canyon.

Esperanza is a partner in the Jimmy Carter house building event in Tijuana.
1990 - Fundacion Esperanza de Mexico, (FEM) a Tijuana based organization with a Mexican board of directors is founded to direct the Tijuana area house building work of Esperanza International.
1991 - Esperanza founded Esperanza Housing and Community Development Corp. of San Diego for low-income housing operations in the San Diego area.
1992 - Cost effective, safe and volunteer friendly house building system (Hainer block) is engineered for Tijuana building projects.

Philippe Gagne becomes Esperanza International’s first Executive Director.

Apolonio Rodriguez and Sergio Rodriguez Sandoval were hired to coordinate work in the communities.

Victor Esparza became the first Esperanza Volunteer Group Coordinator responsible for United States volunteer groups.

Self help and community development principles are introduced to the work of Esperanza.
1993 - First community groups (FAVs) were organized in Tijuana colonias.

Esperanza Housing and Community Development Corp. of San Diego merge to become Community Housing of North County.
1996 - Esperanza Health Clinic opened its doors to the residents of colonias near the Tijuana city dump.
1998 - Land is purchased for the construction of Pueblo Esperanza.

Melissa Drollman hired as second Esperanza Volunteer Group Coordinator.

The first Long Term Volunteer joins the Esperanza staff September to December 1998.
1999 - “Pueblo Esperanza” opened in La Gloria which provides a resource for improved lodging of volunteer groups from the U.S. and a facility for the support of local Esperanza communities.

Eduardo Zavala Reyes hired as third Esperanza Volunteer Group Coordinator.
2000 - Josefina Pataky becomes the first Executive Director of Fundacion Esperanza de Mexico.
2001 - Fundacion Esperanza de Mexico office established at Pueblo Esperanza compound.

Construction on a second volunteer housing wing is begun at Pueblo Esperanza which will double the capacity.
2002 - Reorganization by the Esperanza International Board eliminated the Esperanza International Executive Director position.

Esperanza International Board contracts with Los Ninos for Esperanza volunteer group registration service.

Second volunteer housing wing at Pueblo Esperanza is completed.

Fundacion Esperanza de Mexico achieves Mexico nonprofit status.
2002-2006 - Development continues in the Tijuana communities and Esperanza community organizations. (FAVs)

Support from the Mexican Government and major Mexican businesses grow.
2003 - Caretaker house built at Pueblo Esperanza.

Gray water recycle system construction begins at Pueblo Esperanza.
2004 - Two Long Term Volunteers needed to support growth in volunteer groups.
2005 - Long Term Volunteer Apartment construction completed atop caretaker’s house.

Community Center at Pueblo Esperanza completed.

Pueblo Esperanza begins a composting program.

Fundacion Esperanza de Mexico introduces home enterprise chip bag and inner tube purse construction projects as a means to increase family income.

A joint project of Fundacion Esperanza de Mexico, Tijuana public school teachers, Los Ninos and Ecoparque brought 1,800 students together for the first annual ecology education event.
2006 - First Spanish Immersion Program offered at Pueblo Esperanza.
2007 - Fundacion Esperanza de Mexico develops a “native plants” garden at Pueblo Esperanza through a grant from San Diego Natural History Museum for the purpose of continuing their work in ecology education.

Volunteer Statistics ^ return to top
Year Number of Volunteers
1994 373
1995 466
1996 654
1997 716
1998 842
1999 570
(perhaps due to old posada conditions)
2000 records not found
2001 776
contributed 3,549 days working in communities.
2002 1,105
(up 42 % from ‘01) 4,679 days working in communities. First full year of increased dorm capacity.
2003 1,187
contributed 5,348 days working in communities.
2004 1,314
contributed 5,748 days working in communities.
2005 1,571
contributed 6,778 days working in communities.
2006 1,614
contributed 6,964 days working in communities.

Long-Term Volunteers (three months to two years of service) ^ return to top
Year Volunteer(s)
1998 Julie Kline
1999 None
2000 None
2001 Karen Wilcynski
2002 Rebecca Soldana, James Santana, Robert Rivers
2003 Robert Rivers, Deepa Malleded
2004 Ted Colby and Mariah Hill
2005 Marcel Tam, Valentine Claudel, Martina Tam
2006 Emily Erickson, Rachel Adams
2007 Diàna Janicki, Ryan Schroer
2008 Ryan Schroer

Contact person: Anne Del Monte, (phone)
Office fax number: Fax: 619-426-6664

Address:

CNHS 50 Ursuline Road Santa Rosa, CA 95404 (See a map)

Web Site: http://www.esperanzainternational.org

Directions:

North on Mendocino to Old Rewood HWy. East on Ursuline road. Cardinal Newman High School takes students and faculty to the barrios of Mexico to build houses for this non Profit. I, Anne Del Monte, am the service coordinator for CNHS. . . (more)   Nearest Metro/Subway Stop: Old Redwood Hwy