Curt Janzen describes Baja Bound, a nonprofit that builds homes for migrant families in the Baja Peninsula. The organization vets families carefully, hosts volunteer groups at a beachside facility, and hires local workers. Janzen has done six builds and brought his own children, who now prefer building homes in Mexico to vacationing in Hawaii.
Just 115 kilometers from one of the most expensive cities in the world to live in, San Diego, you're gonna find a place called the Baja Peninsula. And this is where a bunch of farms are located where they migrate farmers from southern Mexico all the way up to that area with the lure of great paying jobs and an opportunity for their family. And they find that's not true. What happens is they end up in a place called a migrant camp. It's a horse stall with leaky roofs, When going through there, they have sick, dirty kids and no opportunity for education. It is not the life that they were promised. But there's hope. We partner with an organization called Baja Bound. Baja Bound does an amazing job at 3 very distinct things. The first thing they do is they vet families that they can build a house for that are going to love and cherish that home forever. The second thing they do really well is they host groups from North America to come down there. They have a beautiful place to stay right on the beach. They feed you well, they make you feel safe, secure, and it's just a really enjoyable time. And the third thing they do is they're great for the local economy, hiring, hiring people that are helping with the construction builds that lead these teams, as well as, you know, the cooks and all the hosts and the cleaning people. It is an absolutely wonderful organization that really tries to take care of everyone's needs. 1, 2, 3. My first trip was back in 2019. I went with a bunch of construction people, and it was honestly life-changing for me. The first thought I had when I was down there is, my family has to see this. They have to touch it, they have to taste it, they have to experience it. Because the way that I live, the way that we live, and the way they live is so different. And I wanted to expose my kids to how probably 95, 96% of the rest of the world actually live day to day. From there, I've been part of 6 home builds. I've brought down my family 3 or 4 times now, and we're always planning these next trips because my kids absolutely love it. In fact, my one son said to me the other day he'd rather go down to Mexico to build a house than go to Hawaii. I want my life to be a lot more than just plowing water, you know, working my butt off, looking behind me and just seeing the water being flat again like I haven't even been there. When we go down to Baja, Mexico, we are planting seeds. We're building homes for people that are going to impact them, their kids, and their grandkids. And it's such an amazing opportunity for very little cost to do something that's going to change people's lives forever. And I want to invite you to partner with us on something that's going to make a massive impact. 1, 2, 3, Beyond!
