Esposas Militares Hispanas USA

Janet Sanchez is a military spouse and veteran.  During her military moves around the country, she has dedicated her life to advocate for military families with language barriers. 12 years ago, she founded “Esposas Militares Hispanas USA Armed Forces” (EMHUSA). EMHUSA is a volunteer non-profit organization that helps, supports, and guides military and veterans families with language barriers that are stationed all over the world. Janet is the Military Spouse of the Year- Joint Base San Antonio 2012. Janet advocates and testifies for military benefits in the Senate. She has served as committee member in local School District, served as advisor and panelist for military veterans forums, panelist at the Women in the World Conference and KLRN (PBS) Veterans Voices Advisory, panelist at the Facebook Community Summit with Mark Zuckerberg. She is the 2017 United Way Volunteer of the Year, and a Facebook Community Leadership Program Fellow. 

Esposas Militares Hispanas USA have a goal of breaking languages barriers within the military community. With Operation: Barrier Breaker Program we will provide free access to military families in need of English Classes and financial assistance for immigration issues. Services will provide the knowledge and self confidence to progress in their education, and professional careers. It as a win-win program. Once the military spouse learns English, their confidence level will grow and they can give back to the community or the workforce. The most important thing is for them to feel included within the military community. Operation: Barrier Breaker will also address the problem of financial hardship by providing financial assistance to complete the citizenship application process of military spouses. This helps relieve the financial stress in becoming a United States Citizen. This project will help  overcome the fear of getting separated from one another due to an immigration barrier. 

Language barriers within the military community not only affect those speaking Spanish, affects military spouses that have any language barrier. It affects the ability to grow, serve, continue education, professional careers, and those with immigration issues. Why is this important? Military spouses stay behind when the military member is deployed, making spouses head of the household. Knowing the military is a necessity to strive and grow. 

Operation: Barrier Breaker targets  military spouses with language barriers of a diverse age group. Our global audience comes from the United States Armed Forces. Our research shows that US Federal agencies categorize race into five groups, excluding Hispanics. Among enlisted recruits, 43% of men and 56% of women are Hispanic or a racial minority. This percentage gives us an idea on the need and the impact our program will have within this diverse community. The program will also assist military spouses with immigration status. According to the US Citizenship and Immigration Services in 2017, 242 military spouses were naturalized from all over the world. This number would increase if military families had the financial resources to complete the immigration process and easy access to English classes that could help them facilitate the language barrier. 

Operation: Barrier Breaker will work hand to hand and will solve the language barrier in military community, providing an exclusive English course made specially for military spouses keeping in mind their security and the exclusivity to engaged and communicate from around the world with other military spouses. This program will allow to learn together and provide common assistance in the learning process.

This program will also give the education needed for the language when taking the citizenship test.
The Operation: Barrier Breaker Program will alleviate language barriers within the military community and will break the stress of communication and isolation within military spouses. With events in different
military cities, personal encouragement and training on how to use the program we can provide an assertive percentage of success.

Our Military community is unique. We live in a community full of regulations and sometimes isolated. Operation: Barrier Breaker will alleviate the feeling of isolation and stress from family members in our US Armed Forces community, specially our military spouses with language barriers. It will give confidence and strength to continue to growth as a person, as community
member, and as a professional. This project is coming from listening and engaging daily to our community members that struggle. We have heard their concerns and needs and we want to alleviate the stress military families face when trying to stay together or when trying to strive while their military member is deployed. Families sacrificing for our country deserve to stay together and deserve not to be isolated because of a language barrier. With this project we continue to advocate and engage for our military spouses and veterans. 

I selected the dimension,  "Elevating Opportunities for all people, especially those who are traditionally left behind". This dimension it truly explains our community problem and project. We are working for inclusion, for rights, and for making a minority group be part of a bigger military community. We want to provide the necessary tools to make this inclusion. 

Operation Barrier Breaker came up with the EMHUSA team and the necessities that we saw daily within our military community. With the communication within our members, we discover the need for English classes and help with immigration issues within the military community was a big problem. With the help of our volunteers, Facebook Groups, and the community we started our unique program. 

As a Hispanic and a military spouse for 24 years, I was once in this position. I didn't know English, I felt isolated, I was alone and I was clueless of military benefits. I was rejected and discriminated.  I have dedicated my life to help others and that's when I discover my passion and my calling; military families and veterans. I didn't want military spouses to feel rejected, isolated, or discriminated because of their language barriers. I have dedicated my life to provide free translation services and support whenever is needed. I have a personal relation with every one of our members.  I want them to feel included and that someone cares and listens. It doesn't matter what language your speak or where you come from, we are all part of this military community and everyone should be treated equally. 

I am a leader, a visionary, an advocate, a motivator, a speaker. I am a military spouse that lived and was in the same situation. A military spouse and veteran.  My dedication and passion makes the project one personal to provide the most extent attention to military families and veterans. There is a frase in Spanish that says, "echarle ganas" which means to work hard. To every project, to every family that I help daily, to every door that I have knock; I "echarle ganas". I work hard to provide a free service, I work hard to make sure our military families are equally treated. 

At the beginning of this project, we wanted to focus on both problems, English Classes and Immigration issues. We discover that immigration issues within the military community were unknown by many people and we started receiving backlash on how the issue was not important. In the meantime, we had families suffering and afraid of separation because new immigration policies and our military spouses were not exempt to them.

Under constant frustration and backlash by companies, community members and leaders, it was my mission and passion to put the foot down and continue with our idea of the program. We had to educate our own members, we had to educate ourselves about the issue. 

My commitment for these families is my passion, I needed to make sure they had a voice and that they feel comfortable and SAFE.  

We persevered taking Operation Barrier Breaker to 6 different cities advocating and having a learning experience with military spouses with language barriers and giving financial assistance for citizenship process. 

As a role model and a leader, I like to influence others to do the same. Your greatness is when you see those that follow you have succeeded too. I have personally helped and mentor thousands of military spouses. During last Christmas, I received a message on Facebook from a military spouse that was in distress. Her husband, a soldier, had an accident and she was now living in a hotel with 3 small children and no personal belongings, since they had to leave everything behind as they travel for this emergency. Spouse have language barriers. This spouse didn't know her rights, her benefits and what was available for her and her military member. I immediately contacted the military base, military community organizations and the community to help this family in need. We found a daycare to take of the children while she was in the hospital with her soldier. We gather clothing, food, toys and money. We were able to give them a Christmas under the circumstances and she felt supported and not alone during this process. 
When I know that a spouse is not longer in distress because of military circumstances, then I can sleep well. 

Our Project is unique because we are working with a minority group within the military community. Our program brings alive an existent problem that was unknown. 

Operation: Barrier Breaker is a global project; as we aim to get in contact with our spouses stationed abroad and in the United States. Due to the sensitivity of the problem, surveys will be made and distributed within
the military community to those that are in need. 

Operation: Barrier Breaker will alleviate the feeling of isolation and stress from family members in our US Armed Forces community. It will give confidence and strength to continue to growth as a person, as community
member, and as a professional. 

Esposas Militares Hispanas USA Armed Forces have a goal of breaking languages barriers within the US Armed Forces community. With Operation: Barrier Breaker we have a goal to provide free and easy access for our global families in need of English Classes and financial assistance. These services will provide our families with the knowledge to self-progress, self-confidence to progress in their individual education, and in their individual professional careers. We see it as a win-win program. Once the military spouse learns English, their confidence level will grow and they can give back to the community as volunteers or the workforce. The most important thing is for them to feel included within the military community. Operation: Barrier Breaker will also address the problem of financial hardship by providing
the necessary financial assistance to complete the citizenship application process of military spouses. By using the funds provided, we would help relieve the financial stress of those final steps in becoming a United States Citizen. This project will help participating families overcome the fear of getting separated from one another due to an immigration barrier. 

Our Project is currently serving more than 1,000 military spouses.
Within one year, our program will reach more than 5,00 military spouses.
Within 5 years, we want to reach every military spouse with language barriers that is part of the US Armed Forces.

Within the next year, I want to be able to reach at least 12 military bases, one per month, to reach military spouses in person. After last year project, the in person impact with military spouses in the 6 cities we visited was highly positive. Military spouses felt heard, felt acknowledge and felt important. I want to be able to reach and to touch those that need us the most. 
Within 5 years, I want to reach every single US military base within the United States and military bases overseas. I want to make sure these military spouses and families with language barriers are part of the community, are accounted for and included. 

Our barriers currently to reach or accomplish our next year or next five years goals are financial. As a small, all volunteer based non profit organization, we work on base of donations, fundraising and grants. 

One of the barriers is to expose a problem that people think it doesn't exist because we are working with military families. 

To have a positive sustainability of the Operation: Barrier Breaker program, Esposas Militares Hispanas USA Armed Forces will need to continue to apply for more grants and sponsors for the longevity and success of the
program. Esposas Militares Hispanas will strive to gather and create fundraisers like auctions, galas, marathons
and online fundraising events to sustain the program. Examples of Sustainability:
 Fundraising online and offline (Tuesday Giving, CFC, Members and Board Donations, Companies and
Organizations Donations
 Auction of items signed by professional athletes or artists
 Gala Event
 Grants
 Partnership with organizations, universities
 Sponsorship from Companies

At the moment we partner with:

Facebook - We collaborate with the company on the use of groups for our organization. It is a free platform and their features is an easy one for us to be able to reach military spouses all over the World.

USO - We collaborate with different events within military bases around the world.

Elizabeth Dole Foundation - We have partnered to make sure our military spouse with language barriers have a voice and know their programs and availability for them.

Sesame Street Military - We partnered with them to be able to reach our Hispanic military community. 

Business Mission

To serve our US Military Families with language barriers with the necessary tools to further the knowledge about military lifestyle in their own language.
- EMHUSA offers free English Classes to Military Spouses with Language Barriers to all military spouses and veterans spouses in the US Armed Forces.
- EMHUSA offers free Citizenship classes to all military spouses and veterans spouses in the US Armed Forces.
- EMHUSA offers scholarships to military spouses or military children every year.
- EMHUSA offers financial assistance to military families and veterans in distress.
- EMHUSA provides a unique support in all aspects within the military community.
-EMHUSA provides secure online support available 24/7

Short Term:
EMHUSA short term goals is to be able to reach in person military spouses around the country with in-person summits in different military bases.
Long Term:
EMHUSA long term goals is to be able to reach every military family with language barriers in the US Armed Forces to provide the necessary support and guidance.

To have a positive sustainability of the Operation: Barrier Breaker program, Esposas Militares Hispanas USA Armed Forces will need to continue to gain more grants and sponsors for the longevity and success of the
program. Esposas Militares Hispanas will strive to gather and create fundraisers like auctions, galas, marathons and online fundraising events to sustain the program. Examples of Sustainability:
 Fundraising online and offline (Tuesday Giving, CFC, Members and Board Donations, Companies and
Organizations Donations
 Auction of items signed by professional athletes or artists
 Gala Event
 Grants
 Partnership with organizations, universities
 Sponsorship from Companies

EMHUSA is hoping to raise at least $25,000 so we can reach at least 6 more cities where the military community is present. 

Operation: Barrier Breaker will solve the language problem in the military community by providing an exclusive English course made specifically for military spouses. This program will allow them to learn together and provide common assistance in the learning process. The Operation: Barrier Breaker Program will alleviate language barriers within the military community and will break the stress of communication and isolation within military spouses. With events in different military cities, personal encouragement and training on how to use the program, we can provide an assertive percentage of success.

Within this same line our Operation: Barrier Breaker will also help military spouses that have financial barriers to finish their citizenship process. We are taking care of two barriers with Operation: Barrier Breaker as both barriers go hand in hand. Learning English will alleviate tension and will create a
stability for those that need to complete their citizenship process giving them the knowledge of; language and at times financial assistance for the process if needed. Our non-US citizen military spouses
are living in fear of being deported because of their current immigration status. The problem is affecting military spouses within the United States Armed Forces community. Non-US citizen spouses are afraid of
being separated from their Active-Duty spouse due to the current immigration issue while their military member is deployed. Operation: Barrier Breaker will alleviate the worries of families being separated
because of immigration issues and language issues and Operation: Barrier Breaker” will prepared them
to know the English they know to do the citizenship process.  

Partners that we would love to have to make this program more successful:

- Univision  & Telemundo - as a national TV networks their partnership can help us reach more military families. 

- Tmobile Latino & At&t Latino - as national communication companies, their partnership will help us reach more military families. 

- Goya - as a company that is dedicated to Hispanic food and that is in the pantry of every Hispanic family, their partnership will help both to grow in and within the military community 

- Facebook - 99% of our communication with members is with and in Facebook. We have over 150 groups dedicated to our military families with language barriers around the world. Their programs and features make our nonprofit reach thousands of military spouses daily.