17 families in Mazatlan, Mexico, once knew the pain of separation. Children living apart from their parents, parents longing for stability, yet lacking the tools to create it, and it is a story Back2Back staff see again and again. More often than not, families are not apart because parents don’t want their children, but because there is a lack of support, resources, and the means to keep everyone together. 

Back2Back’s Strong Families program addresses these very needs, working alongside entire family units to ensure children can be where they belong, and biological caregivers have resources and access. Through intentional investment in job training, financial literacy, counseling, advocacy, and community support, parents grow in their confidence and capacity. Children and caregivers alike step into healing, no longer allowing past circumstances to determine their future successes. 

Recently, those families celebrated a life-changing step as they graduated from the Strong Families Program.  

“The ceremony was designed to honor, encourage, and congratulate each family for their intentional work to remain united,” shared Monique Rivera, Back2Back staff. “When families reach the stage of graduating, it means that, for the most part, they are independent and sustainable on their own. We will continue to be there for them, but they have the skills, resources, and confidence to stand on their own, and that is worth commemorating.”

Each family was presented with a diploma, and more than half asked to speak on how the program changed their lives. Each parent shared deep gratitude to staff and care coordinators who never made them feel judged or shamed, and who taught by example how to have difficult conversations and advocate for themselves and their families. 17 families, including 31 children, were a part of this ceremony; many invited extended family to celebrate with them, and it was an afternoon of joy and connection.

At one time, 17 families and 31 children were separated, yearning to be with family, but unsure how to make it a reality. Today, 17 families and 31 children are reunited with their parents and siblings, and together, they are moving in directions they’ve never gone before. Cycles are broken, families are reunified, and future generations will not know separation of family – all because advocates like you invested in vulnerable families, and vulnerable families said no more to cyclical division. Theirs is a hope that will not stand still.