Monday, January 20
We joined the first Paro Nacional of 2020 in front of La Fortaleza. The protest was called in response after the abandoned warehouse full of emergency supplies in Ponce was found. The crowd moved from between La Fortaleza and the Capitol building, then back. The group grew from 50 to easily over 1000 throughout the day. Protesters of all ages attended; we saw flags from Ponce and Guyanilla, signs, pots/pans, banners, and instruments. Also at the protest was former political prisoner Oscar López Rivera, and we spoke to him about the current state of affairs. You can hear his thoughts here. We stayed with the crowd into the evening. #GobiernoAsesino
Tuesday, January 21
A few days before the trip, we held a fundraiser at El Floridita called 12 Acts | 1 Night, where we raised a collective of $3300 for a variety of organizations. Once in Puerto Rico, through the support of the fundraiser and the Boricua diaspora in Southern California, we were able to purchase emergency supplies locally to distribute over the following few days. We heavily focused on children’s needs and purchased games, sports equipment, school and art supplies, and clothing.
Thursday, April 23
We traveled to the Southern communities of the island where the earthquakes had affected the most. In Ponce, we stopped at an open-aired school in La Delicias II. The site was founded by Carmen, Johani, and Nilda Rodriguez Malave (sisters). All educators, they called the initiative “Educamos Donde Sea,” or, “Teach Wherever.” Las Delicias is a community that will not have any of its public schools reopened since inspectors have determined the buildings to be unsafe. Carmen was excited that we had brought games, toys, and sports equipment because she had none of that yet and needed to keep the kids active.
The initiative opened on January 14, with 80 students. Carmen, who ran an early childcare program, started teaching her nephews in the park where they are were living. Once she began to, though, the call went out they were offering class, and within a week, they had over 180 students. Right now, they are at 368 students with a wait list of over 200. They need more volunteer teachers to accommodate more students, they said they need Government help at this point. They need to be accredited for teachers to be able to have insurance cover their time teaching, and be paid. But the community and private businesses have come through volunteering, teaching classes, bringing supplies.
Carmen explained to us that many students are coming from families that are living in camps now, unable to return to their homes because they collapsed or the buildings are unsafe. To this day she the sisters have received no assistance from the Department of Education, Teachers Federation, or the Federation of Teachers. They have relied on donations from the private sector, local, and the diaspora.
Later that day, we stopped and entered the city’s camp that was being monitored by scores of National Guard members and Police. These camps can hold upwards to 500 people, but that night it didn’t seem like there were 500 people. We snuck passed the check-in table and wandered around before starting a conversation up with Jenny. Jennie and her husband have been married for over 50 years and have a house in Ponce that they are too afraid of returning also. She said that they were mostly happy about staying in the camp. The tents are comfortable, it’s not too noisy at night, and there are doctors, psychologists, and other programs offered throughout the day. Their son, though, told us he wanted them to return to their house.
Friday, April 24
The following day we teamed up with Project 4 Life, a disaster preparedness group based in Luquillo. The day was divided-up between Penuelas, Yauco, and Guayanilla. We conducted several wellness checks, visited camps that registered themselves on the website www.suministros.org. In camp La Vid in Penuelas, we met an intergenerational family of 40 camping together in front of their homes. Next, Dr. Santos Clinic in Ponce was Estrella 6.8 camp. The current occupants said their homes all passed inspection, but they are staying out here for a few more days. We talked about the needs of the community, and one told us that they need emotional support. That the situation is scary, and they hear that people from the north are describing them as “wanting to be given everything,” that we are crybabies. None of them stay here. They don’t know where to take the supplies or how we feel.
In Guayanilla, we came across Dr. Santos Clinic, which offers free services and free medication to anybody. Before the earthquakes, Dr. Santos practiced out of her home, but the tremors destroyed her home. The clinic now ran in tarps on what was an empty lot near the entrance of the town. There are rotating and permanent volunteers that keep the clinic alive. When we were there, the current staff explained to us that they have been steadily serving 100+ patients a week. One of the common issues they, they said, was unmanaged diabetes. Displaced families lost primary care providers, their homes in some instances - and with that their ability to keep medicine cold and safely stored away. Dr. Santos is now traveling across the South servicing patients, and speaking up against this unjust recovery process.
Saturday, April 25
Saturday morning, we spent assisting, Land + Heart Project, in moving supplies and delivering donations to families in Yauco. We filled up two cars with food, cooking utensils, water filters, hygiene products, etc. and drove doo- to- door. With a map of the neighborhood, created by them, this group visits whole communities delivering supplies. The goal, they said, is to establish regular routes to check-in on families in need with children, elderly, and without transportation. Assessments were documented, and we handed-off supplies.
