Last week’s event, “Central Americans in Exodus -What Can We Do To Help?” was hosted at our WTC campus in partnership with Alianza Americas & CAFEMIN. The presenter, Sister Magda (Magdalena Silva Rentería), founder and Director of the CAFEMIN shelter for women and children in Mexico City and Coordinator of a national network of shelters in Mexico. She has played a key role in mobilizing humanitarian attention for the thousands of Central Americans who have moved through Mexico in recent months, seeking refuge in the United States (Source Alianza Americas).

Our School of Social Work faculty members, Dr. Maria Vidal de Haymes and Clinical Instructor Ivan Medina introduced Sister Magda and her organization to the rest of our Loyola community. The shelters and staff not only provide an incredible support system for migrants, but they also partner with our School of Social Work as field placements for our Migration Studies and Mexico Study Abroad students.

Dr. Vidal de Haymes is the program coordinator of the Migration Studies and Mexico Study Abroad programs. Ivan Medina is an instructor in these programs and in the Online Bilingual MSW. Together, they have organized several events on-campus in partnership with local and international organizations to discuss topics concerning migration and refugees. As part of these efforts is the new Center for Immigrant & Refugee Accompaniment (CIRA), of our School of Social Work.

We thank CAFEMIN, Alianza Americas for co-hosting this event in which we learned about many incredible stories from Sister Magna. Her commitment truly inspires us.