Rebuilding Strong Communities in Puerto Rico

Dear friend,

On September 20th., 2019, Puerto Rico marked the second anniversary of Hurricane Maria's devastating impact on the Island. As you know, we've been working non-stop to help 10 women regain their sense of independency after losing everything in Loiza, but even after these two years have passed and we've made enormous strides, the reality is that there's still a lot of work to be done.

The original 10 women have made such an inspiring recovery and many are still repairing or rebuilding their houses. As we took stock on these developments, and aware of the anniversary, we went back to our communities and found that there are still houses with blue tarps provided by FEMA, that originally were made to withstand six months of use and are still in use on at least 20 roofs. This is unacceptable.

The fact that some peple still have to live in those conditions shakes us to our core, and we've organized a new census to figure out who's most vulnerable, what do they need, and act. As you know, we depend on donations for these efforts. As always, we count on you.

In line with our service to our community, the recent threat of Hurricane Dorian prompted us to organize and distribute tens of hundreds of bags and boxes of food and first-aid articles for everyone. We knew, first hand, the desperation that comes from facing an emergency without basic supplies. Generous people and organizations donated new tarps and all the food and first-aid articles, and we raced against the clock to get everything to the people. Knowing that they wouldn't have to deal with the unknown at such a precarious time was of the upmost importance. We have done it before and will do it again.

Two years have passed since Hurricane Maria, but people still need help. As always, you can help us make a lasting change, not only for those without roofs, but in the efforts to educate and help people so another emergency can be faced with confidence.

Onward,

Alejandra.

Hello, friends!

We have a lot to celebrate! Taller Salud is turning 40 this year, and we're committed to our goal of helping our women rise from the challenges imposed by poverty and racism in Loiza.

With your generous help, we've put 18 women on the path of recovery after hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico in 2017. Yes, it's been almost two years, but there's still so much to be done and we're working every day to empower our communities, and even though our original goal has to help 10 women, the need was greater than that and, thanks to your donations, we've even able to expand our efforts! For that, we're more than grateful.

Women like Jomaris, Idalis, Efrany, María, Miliam, Rosa, Anabella, María Virginia y María Irene received aid to do home restorations. In some cases -if the houses were beyond repair- we helped them in buying property, and each case has been handled in such a way that all of them have seen positive changes in their lifestyles and can see to the future with hope.

Without you, all these efforts would be impossible. With you, there's no limit to what we can achieve, because when people get organized, they are strengthened. And we'll be there every step of the way.

Links:

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