Preparing for the Puerto Rico Brigade
Before departing, an informational workshop was held in order to explain to each brigade member the different missions the group would be taking part in. In addition, logistics and safety protocols of the trip were explained to ensure the brigade can be executed to its full extent.
On March 30, 2018, the brigade team departed from John F. Kennedy International Airport in Brooklyn, NY to Puerto Rico. |
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Toa Baja
Day one at 4 a.m. in Toa Baja, Puerto Rico we arrived to Clínica Bantiox. The brigade team separated into two groups to assist the medical clinical facility that provided free medical services to survivors in Puerto Rico.
The first group remained in Toa Baja to organize a large warehouse with pharmaceutical and medical supplies. Supplies that were donated were distributed to patients who were unable to receive direct medical care at this clinic location. This team had the opportunity to organize and take inventory of various supplies to ensure the efficiency of the clinic and assisted the ongoing efforts of the dispersed medical brigades that the other team was accompanying. |
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Manatí
On a separate day the brigade traveled to Manatí with the medical staff from Clínica Bantiox, a facility that provides free medical services to survivors throughout Puerto Rico, Vieques, and Culebra. The Iniciativa Comunitaria Health Brigade in Manatí focused on aiding the vulnerable populations of the community who would ultimately be unable to access any health services otherwise which included the homeless, elderly, and substance abusers. In addition, they provided mental health support. The organization's purpose for creating these health brigades was to reach out to the people that were unable to travel to medical clinics or receive care at local hospitals or clinics for a variety of reasons. Our team was able to quickly adapt and play an essential role within the brigade. At many points, the duties varied and all brigade participants were able to rotate these tasks.
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Villa Cañona, Loíza
Loíza was hit by both Hurricanes Irma and María and suffered substantial damages. The town is a predominantly Afro Latino community that has always experienced disenfranchisement, has a high poverty level, and is home to many undocumented immigrants. While in Loíza, our group worked together to assist a strong, engaged and committed community leader, Rafael Rivera Rivera, who actively advocates and works to provide resources to the community of Villa Cañona. Together, we worked towards cleaning and painting a building that will become a future community center, used primarily as an after school tutoring center for the children and youth of the community, and as a social community kitchen to provide meals to families who suffer food insecurity.
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Guanica and Lajas
The mangroves in Guánica and Lajas are an important ecosystem and serve as a stimulant to the local tourist economy. Both towns suffer from high levels of poverty, unemployment, and underemployment. Preservation and sustainable development projects have become even more essential as the towns continue to loose their population. The mangroves prevent the erosion of the land as well as the adverse effects that would negatively impact the area from its people to its marine life. Our brigade spent the day cleaning the mangroves and understanding its ecological importance. Since December 2019, this area has been damaged by ongoing earthquakes and a portion of this ecosystem suffered severe damages.
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Villa Capri, Rio Piedras
Our work in the Villa Capri neighborhood of Río Piedras was a humbling experience in understanding the current state of addiction, detoxification, and rehabilitation for women substance abusers in Puerto Rico. Iniciativa Comunitaria opened the Compromiso de Vida 1 to serve homeless women that have been diagnosed with or are at risk of contracting HIV and trans-gendered persons. This building, which we assisted in repairing, is the first detox center on the island to cater to the needs of women and the LGBTQ+ community. The men's detox center, Compromiso de Vida 2, was originally located in the town of Juncos. Unfortunately, the integrity of the building's infrastructure was weakened due to Hurricanes. As a result, this Center will service both men and women in its limited space. We spent the day scraping and painting to preserve the buildings exterior and prolong its ability to weather the oncoming hurricane season in June.
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Yabucoa
When the relief brigade arrived at Yabucoa we split up into two teams. The first team worked with the All Hands and Hearts organization to reconstruct homes destroyed by Hurricane Irma and Hurricane Maria. This team specifically helped many families, including an elderly couple whose roof was severely damaged by the hurricanes.
The second brigade team worked with Amas de Llave (Home Attendants) and conducted home visits to aid bed ridden elderly individuals--a large percentage of the population left behind after the massive migration of Puerto Ricans to the mainland. The brigade team was able to visit several homes, provide donations, and interview the survivors and their home attendants to understand how their lives have changed since the hurricanes. The team learned that some home attendants were homeless themselves. |
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Fajardo
At Fajardo, the team worked together to assist Para La Naturaleza. In an effort to help restore Puerto Rico's natural biodiversity, this organization aims to plant a million trees across the island over the next six years. Estimates show that the island lost nearly 30 million trees due to the hurricanes Irma and Maria. The brigade focused on clearing the debris from a plot of land to make room for new native Puerto Rican trees to be planted. Additionally, we received an educational tour of the facilities and the tree nursery. Overall, we learned about the importance of environmental justice.
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Rio Pedras, La Cueva
Dr. Jose Vargas Vidot, founder of Iniciativa Comunitaria, took the volunteers on Nocturnal Street Medicine Rounds, or Rondas Nocturnas. These brigades took place from 7pm to 4am throughout Rio Piedras. We were able to provide medical care, warm meals, hygiene kits, and needle exchange kits to the most vulnerable populations in Puerto Rico which included the homeless, substances abusers, and sex workers.
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Viejo San Juan & La Perla
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Fuerte San Juan de la Cruz, Cataño, Puerto Rico
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Hurricane Maria Relief Puerto Rico Student Humanitarian Brigade Panel
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Student Activities Association Board of Directors Meeting
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On Monday, November 6, 2017, we hosted a panel entitled After Hurricane Maria: A Discussion on the State of Puerto Rico's Humanitarian Relief Efforts at John Jay College of Criminal Justice.
Our panel that will discuss and share our experiences, best practices, and insight on providing humanitarian aid and medical relief in Puerto Rico, and recommendations on how to overcome challenges based on our efforts' recent mission to Puerto Rico |