For the past 19 years Ever Aguilar has left his home in Chiapas, Mexico every year to work on a farm in Holland Landing.
“It’s not easy, it’s never easy, it’s a battle. You do it for your family,” he explains as Liliana Lara, The Neighbourhood Organization area’s outreach worker, translates.
Being away from home for months on end and the isolation of temporarily living in another country and not knowing the language is a challenge he’s repeated over all those years.
This year, however, has been especially challenging.
When he experienced abdominal pain that wouldn’t abate, he was at a loss, not knowing the medical system and not having a way to access it.
The Neighbourhood Organization is a community-based, multi-service agency that provides a wide range of community services. In recent years it took over the support of temporary foreign workers from another local agency. Its goal is to create collaborative partnerships to provide comprehensive assistance, including access to information, education, social engagement and community connections.
Through the organization, Aguilar was able to connect with Lara who took him to hospital. After an extended stay and tests, there were fears he had cancer. It was later determined to be a mass that became infected. He currently has a peripherally inserted central catheter (or PICC line) for antibiotics and has an ostomy bag. Although his condition is good, he is unable to work and still needs further treatment in order to clear the mass in his colon and testing to discard the possibilities of cancer.
“The lady at The Neighbourhood Organization did all the follow-up … They make you feel like you have support outside of your country,” says Aguilar.
Lara, who was born in Mexico and is fluent in Spanish, has been able to help get him to medical appointments while doing double duty as translator. He’s hoping to soon get the go-ahead to return to work.
Lara’s job is to support migrant workers, who work at something just above minimum wage, six days per week, clocking as many hours as possible for the limited time they are in Canada.
“Most of them are coming back. The farmers here need them for the next season … they go back to the same farm and that’s how the generations come after that,” she explains. “They come to make an income to send it home.”
Her job, she explains, is to support them while they’re here. It’s bridging those gaps to the community.
She’s connected with a local bicycle repair business that has helped her source bikes so the migrant workers can get around on their day off. Others from the community have reached out with donations, such as winter jackets when it gets cold or other initiatives from which the workers can benefit. She’s always open to alliances.
Volunteers have also stepped up to offer English language lessons.
And many of the farm workers have discovered the library where they can get a card and get access to the services.
After connecting Aguilar to medical services, for instance, Lara helped him with transportation, translation, making appointments and supporting him through any other followups.
She’s helped get them to a clinic or hospital and or even a local pharmacist who speaks Spanish.
There are also local gatherings in area churches to mark special occasions where the workers can connect, meet other and perhaps even enjoy a meal together.
“We make them feel welcome, make them part of the community, because they’re the community too.
