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The Rubin Foundation
Helping People on the Move
Every migrant has a unique set of needs, whether for critical staples like food, water, and clothing, or simply advice on navigating the dangers and complexities of the migration process. With a team of dedicated aid workers and migration experts, the Rubin Foundation is committed to assisting migrants in Central America at the most vulnerable points of their journeys, and we are always expanding our operations.
Our Projects
The Rubin Foundation specializes in assisting people on the move along the most dangerous migration networks in Central America. With a small team of migration experts and aid workers, we work in cooperation with larger NGOs and CSOs to serve migrants at the most vulnerable stages of their journey.
The Rubin Foundation has three main migrant aid initiatives in Central America, ranging from the jungles of the Darien Gap, to perilous railways in Mexico, and northward to Mexico City.
Combining vital material aid with expertise on the legal and safety dimensions of the migration process, everything we do is for the purpose of making migration safer and more regular.
The Darien Gap
Leading organizations have identified the Darien Gap, a key nexus for movement of migrants between Columbia and Panama, as one of the most dangerous migration passageways in the world. Migrants, including vulnerable women and children, face many perils ranging from inhospitable jungles and food and water shortages to human smugglers and violent criminals.
Working alongside other excellent NGOs in the Darien Gap, The Rubin Foundation assists migrants in selecting safest migration routes, advising how to safely navigate dangerous criminal elements, and teaching them about legal barriers they may face along the journey. We also provide material aid in the forms of food, water, clothes, and cash-based assistance.
La Bestia
After passing through Central America into Mexico, many migrants rely on railways to continue to move northward. Perhaps the best known means of transportation is a train dubbed La Bestia (The Beast) or La Tren de la Muerte (The Train of Death), which runs from Chiapas to Mexico City. Fitting with its name, riding La Bestia is known to be extremely hazardous. Migrants who cannot find accommodation inside the train often ride on top of the railcars. And in addition to the risks associated with getting on and off moving trains, the entire route is fraught with danger from thieves, kidnappers, and extortion from gangs who exploit the vulnerability of the migrants.
The Rubin Foundation informs migrants of these dangers and how to safely navigate them, advises alternate routes, and provides much-needed material aid along the journey.
Mexico City Outreach
Upon arrival in Mexico City, many migrants’ journeys come to a standstill as they await pre-approval of asylum claims. Faced with indeterminate wait times for approval of their applications, migrants are once again at risk of poverty and homelessness. The Rubin Foundation's outreach program in Mexico City works to reduce the vulnerability faced by migrants in this asylum limbo by providing food, water, cash-based assistance, and temporary shelter like tents.
