PRoTechos was founded shortly after Hurricane Maria with the dual mission of resiliently rebuilding roofs damaged by the hurricane in under-served communities throughout the island while providing local residents with basic carpentry training in a Learn and Earn program. PRoTechos addresses both the need for safe housing and the shortage of skilled carpenters in Puerto Rico. Each roof project costs an average of $8,000 including labor, training, and materials.
Following Hurricane Maria, about 30,000 homes in Puerto Rico lost their roofs. More than 6 years later, many still have a blue tarp for a roof - or no roof at all. Following Maria, hundreds of thousands of residents left the island, among them many skilled laborers. The mass exodus of skilled talent left Puerto Rico without the very assets it so desperately needed to address the problem.
Rebuilding roofs while providing carpentry training in under-served communities throughout Puerto Rico addresses both housing needs and the shortage of skilled construction workers on the island. Blue tarps will be replaced with strong roofs using trained carpenters who teach local residents resilient building techniques in a 13 week Learn and Earn program where those who complete the program will be paid $1300 ($100 for each week of training completed).
This project will build capacity in each community it touches, with an impact far beyond the 10 roofs built and 10 people trained. Each roof will provide shelter to additional people who will be better positioned to become stronger, healthier members of their community. Each trainee will be better equipped to procure employment at a time when skilled carpenters are in great demand, and increased employment combined with secure shelter will raise the morale of each member of each community.
This project has provided additional documentation in a PDF file (projdoc.pdf).
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