Rural Communities Deserve Better
From safe water to job training, UNIDOS brings vital resources
Your donation helps us reach unincorporated communities with the tools they need to thrive — not just survive.
UNIDOS Network
Happy New years from UNIDOS Network!
As we close out this year, we want to take a moment to reflect on what community power, trust, and consistency made possible for UNIDOS.
This year, we hosted a multi-community toxic tour with nearly 70 participants, including youth leaders, instructors, social justice advocates, and representatives from government agencies. Together, we moved through the places that shape daily life in our communities and created space for honest dialogue, learning, and accountability.
We also invested deeply in building our capacity as organizers. We completed Rural Organizing training, strengthening how we show up for our communities with intention, strategy, and care. This year we secured a Supplemental Environmental Project that will support future community-driven work, launched the UNIDOS podcast to amplify local voices and stories, and formally built out our youth internship program, now supporting up to five youth leaders at a time.
Our team grew this year. We welcomed new organizers Adamaris, Yesenia, and Miriam, each bringing commitment, heart, and lived experience to the work. Together, we knocked on more than 1,500 doors across the unincorporated communities we serve, building trust face-to-face and meeting people where they are.
We also continued to show up at the policy level. We attended multiple Board of Environmental Safety and Environmental Justice Advisory Committee meetings, bringing community voices directly into spaces where decisions are made. Alongside this, we trained community members on how policy impacts their daily lives, hosting four community trainings ranging from knowing your rights, to community benefits agreements, energy policy, and hazardous waste oversight.
We partnered with Kings County to host a community forum in Kettleman City focused on upcoming upgrades and updates, with over 100 residents in attendance. We also hosted four senior luncheons this year, creating space for connection, dignity, and shared meals with elders in our community.
On the environmental health front, we launched air monitoring efforts in Stratford and Kettleman City, installing monitors with the leadership of seven resident leaders, including youth who helped with setup and outreach. We expanded this work through collaboration with the University of San Diego and will be hosting advanced air monitors capable of detecting heavy metals across multiple unincorporated communities.
None of this work happened by accident. It happened because community members trusted us, shared their time and stories, and chose to build alongside us.
As we head into the new year, we are committed to deepening this work, supporting more youth leaders, expanding environmental monitoring, and continuing to show up where we are needed most. If you believe in community-led solutions and investing in rural and unincorporated communities, we invite you to support our work. Donations of any size help sustain this movement and keep our work accountable to the communities we serve.
With gratitude and solidarity,
Brian & Miguel
UNIDOS Network
We’re Here for Rural Communities Left Behind
UNIDOS Network empowers underserved rural communities by connecting them to the resources they’ve been denied for too long.
We work alongside local residents to build economic opportunity, expand housing access, support education, improve language access, and ensure every voice is heard — from the fields to the ballot box.
Real People. Real Change.
Community Centered Solutions.
