“Ayuda gave me the ability to hope for a better tomorrow”

 I was 6 years old when my life changed forever. Violence in Mexico began to escalate and made its way to my neighborhood. One day my mother went out to the store, leaving my sister and I alone for 10 minutes. In that moment, there was intense gunfire outside the...

Silvia’s Story

Silvia Lopez moved to the United States from El Salvador more than 29 years ago, escaping the civil war that plagued the country from 1980 to 1992. When Silvia first arrived  in 1989, she began the arduous process of applying for asylum and later for a green card...