On Wednesday, May 23, 2018, Veronique Huguet, with the International Committee of the Red Cross, and four members of the Red Cross visited La Posada. They came bearing gifts, supplies for infants – diapers, wet wipes, formula, toothbrushes, and soap.

Veronica was a presenter at the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) meeting held in Tucson this past March. It was there that she and Program Director Sister Zita Telkamp, CDP, met. Upon learning about La Posada, Veronica promised to visit La Posada in May and arrange for a donation of a cellphone with a no charge international calling capability. The donated phone will enable clients to contact their families in their respective homelands. What a great donation, and how important it is for our clients to be able to make these calls.

On Friday of the same week, Veronique returned to La Posada. Speaking French, she connected two clients from Congo with family and friends from her international cellphone.  We expect to receive our new cellphone sometime in the very near future. Thank you, Red Cross!!!!

In related news, a few weeks ago, Jessica Caplin, Field Advisor for the UNHCR agency in Washington, D.C., visited La Posada as part of a tour of four immigration shelters along the U.S. southern border:  La Posada Providencia, Catholic Charities Respite Center in McAllen, and a shelter in El Paso and one in Laredo.  Jessica was responsible for arranging the Tucson meeting that included nine shelters, including the four in Texas, one in California, and four in Arizona. She is planning the next meeting to occur in Texas. Jessica is seeking to form a coalition among the shelters.  Part of her plan includes arranging meetings two or three times a year at one of the shelter location areas and to invite the shelters to participate in monthly conference calls to share information, especially covering the many changes occurring along the U.S. border.