It has been one year since Hurricane Maria hit. Puerto Rico is still reeling from the disaster and now has an official death toll near 3,000 people. In the immediate aftermath of the hurricane, our members stepped up and mobilized support through MADRE. In line with MADRE's women-led model of emergency and disaster relief, we provided funding for the Maria Fund, which continues to help rebuild the grassroots networks needed to achieve long-term change in Puerto Rico. It has devoted 100% of money raised to support local, grassroots organizations for the immediate relief, recovery, and equitable rebuilding in Puerto Rico after the storm.
So far, the Fund has distributed resources to more than 33 local organizations, with focus on providing basics like food, water, and shelter and rebuilding communities.
The work of the following three organizations gives you a glimpse at the work MADRE members helped to support:
- Agitarte brought their center, Casa-Taller, back to working capacity and provided 1,130 plates of food. It distributed aid and supplies to communities and to stock Mutual Aid Centers. Agitarte also distributed grants to 27 artists and cultural workers, including to their radical puppetry collective, which created a performance called “Solidarity and Survival for Our Liberation” and toured 18 locations while bringing food and supplies around the island;
- Casa Pueblo used funds to reopen and operate their main building in order to maintain its self-sustainability, receiving 10,570 visitors from November to January. In addition, Casa Pueblo delivered 1,500 water filters, 8,500 solar lamps, and 200 waterproof tarps;
- Mutual Aid Center of Caguas Pueblo served 10,000 breakfasts, 22,000 lunches and provided trauma care to 300 people after the hurricane.
