大象传媒

Last week, the world was shocked by photos of Oscar Ramirez and his two year old daughter who lay drowned on the on the banks of the Rio Grande river, after a tragic attempt to make it to the United States.

Newsday has spoken to a 22 year old Salvadoran mother who knows the perils of the journey all too well. She fled the country with her young family after being threatened by gangs - we have agreed to call her Lillian to maintain her anonymity.

Lilian crossed the border from Mexico into Arizona a month ago, while heavily pregnant and with two young children. Even once the family reached the US, they faced an uncertain future, but we've also been speaking to the kind-hearted stranger who stepped in to offer them a place to live.

(Photo: A family attempts to cross the border into the US. Credit: Getty Images)