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TIJUANA, Mexico— Tijuana is a bustling industrial town growing at the rate of 2,000 people per day. These people come in search of work at the factories owned by numerous multinational corporations. Many factories are open 24 hours a day, and many young single mothers choose to work the overnight shift and leave their young children alone, locked in the house, and unsupervised. Such was the case for a mother who left two little girls alone one night, when the unthinkable happened.

Defective wiring in a kitchen appliance started the fire, which burned through the apartment, killing the two children inside. Firefighters found the charred bodies of the girls, Miriam and Mareli, locked in an embrace. Their horrific deaths highlighted a growing local concern over the safety of children left home while their parents worked.

Afterwards, LHM-Mexico staff provided comfort and counseling for the family, but decided that something more could be done to prevent similar tragedies.

"What was needed in Tijuana was a 24-hour day care center," said Melissa Salomon, Director of LHM-Mexico.

Construction of the Miriam and Mareli Community and Daycare Center is already underway. The center will provide a safe, nurturing Christian environment for children while their mothers go to work.

"We have the opportunity to share the Gospel message with hundreds of children and their parents and serve, with love, the families in Tijuana that are in need of what we have to offer," Salomon added.

The project is slated for completion in late 2008.