Travel info
Ensenada is a port city of about 450,000 located right on the Pacific coast. The third largest city on the Baja Peninsula thrives on the import industry, tourism, agriculture, commerce, and fishing. The City of Children is located about 5 miles north of Ensenada in the El Sauzal community approximately one mile from the ocean. The ocean’s cool breeze is always welcome.
Is it safe to visit the City of Children?
Thank you for asking 🙂 Although we cannot guarantee anyone’s safety, whether they are in the U.S. or in Mexico, we can say with reasonable confidence that we feel comfortable with you making the trip to The City of Children, especially if you are coming as part of one of the almost 20 mission teams visiting each year.
Why we are comfortable with you visiting the City of Children
God has blessed the past 50 years at the City of Children with safety & we trust he will be faithful in continuing to provide protection for both the home and our visitors.
The sixty acre City of Children campus is surrounded by an 8-10 foot wall with two entries both secured by iron gates that are closed each night.
The City of Children is actually located in El Sauzal, which Americans would consider a “suburb” of Ensenada. Downtown Ensenada is 5.5 miles southeast of the City of Children.
Mission teams typically travel from the San Diego airport to the City of Children in a charter bus.
The bus drivers are bilingual.
The bus companies are familiar with the City of Children.
The route to the City of Children skirts along the outer border of Tijuana and does not go into Tijuana.
The bus travels the toll road between the border and Ensenada which is maintained and safer than the federal highway.
The toll road is often patrolled by the Federal Police and other law enforcement.
Team members never leave the campus alone and not without permission and someone knowing their destination point.
Youth team members will only leave the campus with a group that includes adults to visit a local congregation for the purpose of a work project or food relief visits.
This is coordinated & chaperoned through experienced Spanish speaking employees of Baja Missions (our sister ministry that supports & works closely with the churches in Baja).
Some groups also choose to spend one morning in the tourist area of Ensenada for souvenir shopping and a meal. Team leaders are responsible for ensuring their members stay together in smaller groups & in the agreed upon area.
One or two cruise ships dock in Ensenada at least five days a week. Passengers disembark and walk the same tourist area some of our groups choose to visit.
The police in the tourist district perform regular surveillance and the Mexican government is invested in tourist safety, given the economic support tourists provide.
The U.S. Department of State has been issuing various degrees of warning about travel to Mexico for the past decade. The safety concerns revolve primarily around the cartel and drugs. While on the City of Children campus, exposure to this is as low as one could feasibly guarantee. Travel off the campus does pose some risk, but again, travel is in a group during the day, travel is chaperoned, safety is a priority, and locations visited are not areas frequented by the cartel.
In Summary
All of the above are why we are comfortable with visitors traveling from San Diego to the City of Children to come serve with us. However, we also firmly believe that each family and each individual will have to consider the circumstances and concerns unique to them when considering travel to the City of Children. We cannot make the decision for anyone, we can only speak to our experience and what we know.
In the past, some parents have requested that their teen not leave the campus of the City of Children. This can be honored, however, we personally feel this would significantly decrease the overall impact this mission trip can offer. Being out in the communities of Mexico provides amazing opportunities for reflection and life-perspective that many students have stated has a lifelong impact on how they view the world. Also, on rare occasions, some groups have taken smaller groups of students to a local taco stand in El Sauzal in the evening. Please inquire with your student’s group leader about any such plans if this idea causes you concern.
Finally, we are happy to answer any questions or discuss any concerns you may have. Feel free to make initial contact with us through email. You may also consider talking with another adult you know who has been to the City of Children to obtain his or her perspective and ask about his or her felt safety while they visited. The City of Children is a great place to serve. The blessings to be offered and received are beyond measure. We hope to see you soon!
Tom Begin
American Director, City of Children