The project “Pesticide Education for Sunland Park and Neighbors” will be targeted to 120 low income families with children under 14 years of age living in Sunland Park, Berino, Chaparral, La Union, Chamberino, Del Cerro, Anthony, Santa Teresa, and Hatch, NM.
    The Southern Doña Ana County residents confront various conditions that may pose a risk to their children’s health. Factors such as environmental pollution, cultural and language barriers, and socio-economic status below the poverty level are recognized indicators of poor health. Twenty five percent of residents in this area of the Doña Ana County live below the poverty level and 63.4 % are of Hispanic origin (US Census 2000). Many of these families are farmworkers. For many of these residents Spanish is their primarily language, making it harder to access information and services. 
    In Sunland Park , 10.4% of its total population (13,309) are younger than 14 years of age,
with 25.4 being the median. Almost all of the residents (96.4%) are Hispanic (82.7% Mexican), and 47.7% of the 25 years and older population have less than a 9^th grade education (US Census 2000). The demographic characteristics of the selected neighboring communities are very similar.
    As a major research university located in the heart of the U.S.-Mexico border, UTEP serves a similar population. Nearly 72 percent of its student body is Hispanic, and another 10 percent are Mexican nationals. The majority are first-generation college students. CERM has been working with low-income communities on both sides of the border for 15 years.