Ambulantes

Ambulantes

Overview

Ambulantes works in remote communities across four Mexican states (Oaxaca, Guerrero, Morelos, Veracruz) to provide information and resources on labor rights, worker safety, and available services for agricultural workers and their families, aiming to reduce labor exploitation and unethical recruitment before they occur.

Currently in its third phase, Ambulantes continues to strengthen local organizations’ networks and capacity to support agricultural workers, positioning them to make more informed decisions and reduce their vulnerability to labor exploitation. Ambulantes also captures shifts in agricultural labor conditions and service availability, generating actionable insights that can inform future interventions.

Quick Facts

  • Ambulantes has reached over 10,000 agricultural workers and families through in-person outreach including material distribution, community information sessions, and workshops, as well as over 1 million people through community radio and social media.  
  • Ambulantes positions over 50 communities to strengthen local systems that support agricultural workers and reinforce local organizations’ networks and capacity.

Goals

  • Improve the capacity of local community organizations and community leaders to provide information and support to agricultural workers.
  • Provide agricultural workers and their communities with information and skills to reduce the economic and social vulnerabilities that affect their livelihood decisions. 
  • Develop community and sectoral level knowledge that strengthens protections for agricultural workers and promotes fair labor practices.

Project Activities

  • Information Campaign: Using social media and digital messaging platforms, radio, and print materials adapted to local indigenous languages, Ambulantes shares information with agricultural workers and their families on workers’ rights and available social benefits and services.
  • Capacity Building: In collaboration with four local and international partners, Ambulantes conducts in-person trainings that raise awareness of the risks associated with informal and seasonal agricultural work and helps participants avoid common employment abuses. Ambulantes also supports the organizational performance of partners, assisting them in preventing exploitative labor practices before they occur.
  • Knowledge Sharing: Ambulantes aggregates community-level data to create an interactive dashboard revealing regional trends in agricultural labor conditions and workforce mobility dynamics. Ambulantes convenes key stakeholders to present project and generate solutions around persistent challenges in agricultural labor practices.

Funder

Project funding is provided by the Walmart Foundation.

Walmart Foundation Logo

Contact

Dara Lipton, dlipton@irex.org