TIJUANA.-"You and 8 million people will read this sign every year" reads a vacant billboard as it looms over the world's busiest border crossing in the world on a ridiculously hot Thursday afternoon. This day, just like on any other given day, hundreds of cars and pedestrians line up at the Tijuana-San Ysidro border crossing in serpentine lines to make their way north across the border for work, school, shopping, or onto another leg of their journey.

The line of cars reaches beyond the designated border infrastructure and spills into Tijuana's freeways, roundabouts, and city streets. Tijuana municipal cops do their best to direct the line so that non-border-crosser drivers can still navigate the roads where the line of cars blocks the entrances to businesses, schools, civic centers, government buildings, and freeway onramps.

Just like the cars, hundreds of pedestrians line up to cross the border, many of them dragging empty wheeled carts or empty backpacks with them to be filled up with purchases in San Diego. The border wait is very unpredictable, but rarely drops below an hour, and can reach up to four hours on busy weekends. Pedestrians must brave the elements and test their endurance, standing for hours on a broken, dirty, noisy, smelly, sidewalk in a line moving at a tortoise's pace. As the border crossers get closer to the passport inspection booths, the two lines of pedestrians enter a dilapidated building that is slated to be torn down in the next coming years, and are herded like livestock into metal barricades. Even so, at least this room is air-conditioned – a welcome respite for those that have been waiting for upwards of an hour outside in the sun (or rain, or cold).

Back outside on the edge of the pedestrian line, a string of musicians, beggars, shops, and street vendors earn their living from the endless line of waiting people; selling them water, soda, chips, churros, newspapers, cigarettes, burritos, ice cream, and whatever will ease the pain and boredom of the wait.

If you want to use the restroom, no public facilities are in sight, and the only bathroom is privately owned and charges admission to pay for the cost of operation. Shade is sporadic unless you come equipped with an umbrella.

Standing out in the row of shops is Tijuana Te Quiero--which translates to "Tijuana I love You"-- or "TJTQ" as it is affectionately abbreviated. TJTQ doesn't sell anything in particular, and doesn't charge admission either.

Housed in a clean, white storefront, TJTQ lends out umbrellas to people as they wait, and allows them to fill up their water bottles or fill up paper cones with cold water for free; and has benches for tired pedestrians to sit and rest their legs; and tables filled with paper and crayons for children to draw while they wait. Tijuana Te Quiero has been providing a sort of temporary refuge to pedestrian border crossers at the world's busiest border crossing for a year now.

This Saturday, August 23rd, TJTQ will be hosting an anniversary celebration at the San Ysidro Border Crossing. Border crossers are invited to dress in white and TJTQ will be handing out thousands of balloons – which are meant to symbolize peace and unity between the two neighbors – to pedestrians and cars in line.

The event organizers have received permission from CBP authorities to allow border crossers to enter the U.S. with the balloons. Twitter users are invited to celebrate with the hashtag #borderunity.

Monica Schroeder operates the non-for-profit, and believes that she is fulfilling a need that should be addressed by local planners and local authorities. "This is the busiest border crossing in the world. We should have the same infrastructure as an airport. If you go to the airport, you don't stand outside in the sun for hours while you wait to catch a plane, so why should the border be any different?"

In private conversation, Monica expresses her frustration at what the thousands of people she sees each month have to endure on a daily basis. When the storefront is closed it is usually because she is meeting with government officials to try and push for improvements. But, despite her frustrations, TJTQ is not a place to spew negative energy, and each time a patron approaches the threshold she greets them with a smile and asks them whether they want to sit down, or drink some water, or if their children would like to draw.

TJTQ doesn't just serve border crossers, in the short time that I visited I saw tourists, locals, border vendors, and beggars alike gratefully serve themselves water from the jug and sit on the benches, and even local policemen that patrol the border line stopped by to refill their water bottles.

According to Monica, the name "Tijuana Te Quiero" is not just using the word quiero for "love", but because the word quiero also means "want." During this first year of operation she has compiled hundreds of answers to the question, "what do you want to improve the border crossing experience." According to Monica, "the sad thing is that people have gotten used to this torture... TJTQ reminds them that things can be better. "

Monica says, "I have nothing but admiration for anyone that has anything to do with the border. As for our leaders, I know it's a complex issue. What TJTQ tries to do is get everyone to put their swords and flags away and focus on the people… we believe that we are all equal and that there are many sides to every story. It's TJTQ's duty to listen to what people want... be that a CBP officer or a kid, or a student, or the beggar, or the Mexican police, or the tourist, or the local... they all suffer the consequences of an ignored issue. I believe they play a crucial role in finding an efficient solution, that's why we've spent a year documenting their feedback."

The border wait not only hurts the health and wellbeing of border crossers, but is also a costly economic problem as well. According to the San Diego Association of Governments, the economic loss to our cross-border region as a result of the wait times is estimated to be around $7.2 billion a year.

You don't have to be a border crosser to care about this issue. According to Monica, the border wait "has a lot to do with 'empathy', it doesn't really matter if you've ever been to Tijuana, or to any border for that matter...if you have ever waited for anything, even a video to upload, you can empathize, you can recognize within yourself that feeling [of waiting]...now that you remember what waiting feels like, try standing up on an uneven floor, in the sun or rain, with your hands full, bombarded by poverty, dumb ads and noise and smells, for an undetermined amount of time… Okay, now imagine that every day, for years."

When asked what he would he change to make the border wait better, one visitor sighed heavily and answered, "a better question is, what wouldn't I change?"

This is not a lonely sentiment, and as you look around there are few redeeming features at the border.

During his years of border crossing, he recalled many programs that have been implemented at the border, only to quickly disintegrate: such as a book lending program that would allow you to read a book while in line and return it before crossing.

When some people are asked what they would like, they are resigned by the situation and don't think this situation will ever improve or change, or believe that they don't have the right to ask for better conditions. TJTQ is trying to change the mindset of border crossers: that this cannot go on and must change, and that they should be a part of that change by expressing what they need the most. The biggest challenge is to channel these requests to the people that make the decisions, often times without even taking into account what actual border crossers think or want.

Not everybody is ignoring the border. According to Monica, "marketers see millions and profit from it" and this is yet another problem at the border.

On a daily basis border crossers are bombarded with repetitive advertisements ranging from soda and alcohol, to bail bonds, immigration attorneys, bankruptcy assistance, and plastic surgery. Monica believes that if we are going to have people waiting around for hours a day, the infrastructure needs to accommodate this and allow for more productivity. She also believes there needs to be an image filter –– advertisements should be transmitting positive messages or educating the public –– this is not only important for daily commuters but also for tourists, since this is the last face of Mexico that many tourists see.

This past year for Tijuana Te Quiero, according to its founder, "has been a fascinating journey with the people... someone that is willing to sacrifice their time and health to wait in line to cross the border has a very clear goal in mind, they know where they're going and that is very inspiring." And, while her ambitious goal is to fix the border, for now, as things are, she will do anything she can to improve it.

Monica believes that " TJTQ is living proof that even bubbles can brighten someone's day." Or – as will be the case this Saturday – thousands of balloons.

To learn more about Tijuana Te Quiero, as well as how to participate in their upcoming anniversary event, visit their Facebook page, Twitter, or Instagram.

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