MISSION & CORE VALUES​

​Mission Statement:​
Ajo Samaritans continue the historical work of providing water and other humanitarian aid to travelers in the desert in the Ajo, Arizona area, regardless of their immigration status.  We also engage with our community and collaborative groups to raise awareness of the systemic causes of death and suffering of travelers near the US/Mexico border and to provide access to humanitarian resources.

---

Core Values​:
Non-violence
We follow the principles of non-violence and abstain from words and actions that may cause harm; we prioritize de-escalation in situations of high intensity or conflict.

Consent
We operate with the consent of each individual, whether a group member or someone we are supplying humanitarian aid to. We use consensus based decision making within our group to ensure each voice is heard and given space for consideration.

Transparency
We act, speak and work with transparency; all group members have visibility and insight into the group actions and activities; all members of the broader public understand that we operate transparently.

Solidarity
We believe in and strive to work in the spirit of solidarity, not charity or saviorism. In recognition of the power imbalance between our volunteer base and those crossing the desert, we practice solidarity by acknowledging the agency and autonomy of all individuals we work with and provide humanitarian aid to.

Human Rights
We recognize and uphold the inherent right to life, well-being and dignity of all human beings.  We uphold the rights listed in the UN Declaration of Human Rights and the Foundations of Borderland Humanitarian relief.

Since 2001, the Tucson Medical Examiners Office and Humane Borders have recorded more than 3,000 migrants deaths in the Arizona borderlands....many more have never been found.
 Click here to view the Humane Borders Open GIS for Deceased Migrants

HISTORY

Ajo Samaritans was founded in early 2012 to respond to this crisis of death and disappearance in the deserts and remote mountains around our hometown at a meeting facilitated by Tucson Samaritan Brother David Buer at the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church.  Church members and other Ajo residents were inspired to learn more about the border crisis and methods of mitigating death and suffering in the desert in and around Ajo.
 
In mid-2012 the group began establishing routes to drop water. We agreed to follow the protocols of the Tucson Samaritans and adopted the name Ajo Samaritans, as have other regional subgroups of the Tucson Samaritans around Arizona including the Green Valley Samaritans. 
 
Members of Ajo Samaritans have continued to drop water in locations in the lands around Ajo known as the “West Desert” or "Ajo Corridor."  We have built community with allied groups including Humane Borders, No More Deaths, People Helping People in the Borderlands, Aguilas del Desierto, Armadillos Busqueda y Rescate, residents of Ajo and Sonoyta, and local church groups. 
 
Ajo Samaritans facilitate community meetings to educate the public about the volunteer work we, and other allied groups carry out; the national and international legal basis for providing humanitarian assistance; the history of humanitarian aid in the borderlands; and the root causes of migration through our area. Lastly, we participate in meetings with land managers to negotiate humanitarian aid access in remote regions.
 
Periodically, the Ajo Samaritans reflect on the scope and definition of humanitarian aid in the borderlands. Most recently we collaborated with No More Deaths and People Helping People in the Borderlands to establish shared guidelines for the provision of humanitarian aid. In June 2019, the Ajo Samaritans consensed on the adoption of these guidelines.

Foundations for Humanitarian Relief - English
Foundations for Humanitarian Relief - Espanol
​