Two Years after Hurricane Maria, Puerto Ricans Take Matters into Their Own Hands

The news about Puerto Rico have had a common theme – Puerto Ricans are mobilizing and taking matters into their own hands.  Massive protests ousted corrupt politicians, and a new grassroots economy is emerging.  There is a palpable sense of self-reliance and a movement of communities self-organizing rebuild and prosper. 
Thanks to our customers, we are committed to donating every year from the proceeds of our rentals from September 20 to December 20 to community-based organizations in Puerto Rico.  We will select two of the organizations from this list to support each year.  They are:

Casa Pueblo – In the small mountainous town of Adjuntas, a community-based organization has emerged as a beacon, literally.  With its solar-powered installations, educational programs, and open doors, Casa Pueblo provided electrical power for neighbors after the hurricane.  The organization has now expanded its goals to make the whole town energy-independent through solar-powered microgrids.  PBS did a documentary on their work.  You can watch a summary here.

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Campamento Somos Sin Paredes – My brother has been a member of this volunteer group for over 20 years.  They organize one-week residential camps for children or adults with disabilities.  This gives their families a much-needed break from care-taking, while at the same time, giving campers a sense of belonging to a community, self-sufficiency tools and just a lot of fun — just another example of what a group of good-hearted volunteers can do with very little funding. 

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Grupo Tortuguero 7 Quillas – This volunteer group is dedicated to preserving the habitat of the tinglar, (leatherbacks) a large sea turtle that nests along the beaches of San Juan.  These turtles have been returning to these beaches every year to lay their eggs since before these beaches became one of the main tourist attractions of Puerto Rico.  7 Quillas volunteers patrol the beaches for nests, mark them so that they don’t get trampled, and help protect the hatchlings by guiding them to sea.  It is quite thrilling to see one of these nests come to life in the middle of the night right in front of our building. 

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Estuario – Is an organization focused on restoring the ecosystems of the San Juan Bay and the Condado Lagoon.  They conduct water quality surveillance, replant mangroves, organize beach clean-up crews, conduct community awareness activities, and have been responsible for much of the restoration of the manatee colony in the Condado Lagoon.  So next time that you lay on a beautiful beach in San Juan or go kayaking on the Lagoon and encounter a gentle manatee, you have Estuario to thank.

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Community Center La Goyco – Another example of just people getting together after adversity to do something good, this is a group of neighbors from Calle Loiza, just two blocks south of our apartment building.  This husband and wife team have organized their neighbors to rebuild a nearby school and turn it into an active community center where they hold health fairs, cultural events, and other community-building activities. 

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If you would like to donate to any of these directly, please click on the links to make your donation on their websites. 
RentalinPuertoRico.com will donate and match funds from the proceeds of rentals scheduled for travel between September 20th (anniversary of Hurricane Maria) to December 20th. 
                                                         Thank you to all of our guests for making this possible!