In 2021, Solidarity Engineering partnered with Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) to jointly provide water in severely under-resourced camps. What began as a cost-sharing effort evolved into a close formal partnership grounded in advocacy, coordination, and mission alignment.

I prioritized collaboration with MSF’s advocacy team, which led to greater recognition of Solidarity’s work among international organizations, including multiple UN offices and government entities, and brought much-needed attention to our project locations.

Solidarity Engineering and the Tias began collaborating in 2021 to combine resources and technical expertise for the construction of Senda de Vida 2— a shelter that eventually housed up to 3,500 people.

Working closely alongside renowned human rights lawyer Jennifer Harbury, the partnership between myself, Solidarity and the Tias brought an interdisciplinary approach to shelter construction and emergency response.

When populations shifted from Matamoros to Reynosa in 2021, thousands of people suddenly found themselves living in squalid camps with no infrastructure.

Over the next three and a half years, I worked closely with Pastor Héctor, director of the Senda de Vida shelter, as Solidarity became the shelter’s primary WASH and infrastructure partner. During this time, I helped form a high-impact emergency WASH coalition that brought together Solidarity Engineering, The Tías, Doctors Without Borders, UN agencies, and Senda de Vida leadership.

Thanks to Pastor Héctor’s trust and the contributions of countless supporters, his shelters’ capacity grew from 150 to nearly 5,000 people.

During my time with Solidarity, we found an unexpected and meaningful partnership with Islamic Relief USA (IRUSA).

After I connected with IRUSA Co-Founder and former President Anwar Khan at the border and in Washington, D.C., we forged a strong, ongoing partnership between Solidarity and IRUSA.

IRUSA remains one of Solidarity’s key supporters to this day.

After meeting in 2021, I built a relationship with New York–based playground and toy designer Cas Holman.

In 2023, local shelter director Pastor Héctor and I envisioned creating a playground for the children of his shelter and the surrounding colonia. I was thrilled to bring Cas into the project, which remains ongoing.

Cas graciously joined the collaboration and later highlighted her work with Solidarity in her book Playful.

I had the pleasure of meeting Haitian Bridge Alliance (HBA) Founder and Executive Director, Guerline Jozef, in 2022. From there, we partnered on both humanitarian aid and advocacy for Haitian migrants in Reynosa.

Thanks to this partnership, I was invited to speak with and meet a wide range of changemakers, including top leadership from the ACLU, Amnesty International, Human Rights First, and others.

The partnership between HBA and Solidarity allowed us to work more effectively with diverse populations and expanded our communication abilities between communities.

Collaboration is often the source of meaningful change. Through its partnership with Baby2Baby, Solidarity consistently provided parents and children with essential items such as diapers and soap.

This collaboration has enabled the distribution of more than 160,000 diapers, 3,000 sets of baby clothes, 9,000 packets of wipes, and other vital supplies to families in some of the hardest-to-reach areas.

University partnerships have been integral to Solidarity’s growth since its founding. From the organization’s first grants to hosting graduate students each summer, academic institutions have played a pivotal role in advancing Solidarity’s mission.

Over the years, Solidarity has collaborated with students and researchers across disciplines— from public health to engineering to documentary film. These partnerships have supported on the ground projects, research, and storytelling that amplify the humanitarian realities at the U.S.–Mexico border.

Solidarity’s work has also been featured in academic settings across North America. I have been invited to speak at several programs and universities, sharing insights on humanitarian engineering and public health.

Key speaking engagements:
Harvard Medical School & Mass Gen Hospital, Columbia School of International and Public Affairs, CUNY Hunter College, McMaster University, University of Colorado Boulder College of Engineering & Mortenson Center

Collaborations with students and academics from:
Harvard University (Medical School), Columbia University (Medical School, School of Public Health), Stanford University (Documentary Film), University of Colorado Boulder (Multiple Colleges), McMaster University (Master of Global Health)