Help Us Empower Women to Make Loiza Thrive

Hello friends!

Many things can happen in a span of 40 years. In a global sense, economies have changed, new countries have emerged and the internet was born. In the small coastal town of Loiza, Puerto Rico, time has left its undeniable mark as well. Taller Salud has been very busy impacting the lives of over 40,000 women by empowering them to transform their communities. This past December we celebrated the ongoing progression towards an inclusive, equality driven society and we recognized the major milestones Taller Salud has reached during that time.

Those who attended our Anniversary Gala can attest, we had a great time sharing stories of hope and triumph, tasting amazing food, laughing and overall enjoying a beautiful Caribbean night.

We were treated to spectacular musical interventions by local music icons "Giselle" and "La Tribu de Abrante". DJ Manosanta provided an amazing musical repertoire that created a festive ambiance throughout the night. The dance floor was the place to be as we saw women from all walks of life having the time of their lives, no matter what their past or present looks like. The spirit of a neverending battle against oppression and all of its manifestations unified all that were there.

One major achievement that we celebrated there was the launch of our published book, "Un Cuerpo Propio" in which we compile the history of the feminist movement from Taller Salud's perspective. The book is available to order online on Taller Salud's website, it's a must-have!

We celebrated 40 years past, we continue celebrating where those 40 years have taken us, but we recognize that there is still much more to do. The ongoing efforts require us to do more and more every day, so we cannot let our guards down. Our collective battle against the evils of oppression, injustice, and prejudice must continue, that's why your help is so important to us. We are eternally grateful for your donations and support because, without you, these victories would not be possible. Thank you!

Here's to many more years of empowering women!

Kind regards;

-Joksan

Dear friend,

These last months have been very busy in Taller Salud and we cannot be more honored to be able to help the people of Loiza, especially in these summer months.

The threat of hurricane Dorian led us to organize, in less than a week, a massive food and first-aid items drive for our communities.Thanks to donations, from you and from allied organizations, we distributed hundres of bags and boxes filled with food, first-aid items and care items for bed-ridden people all over Loiza, helping them be prepared for the last part of the hurricane season. Thankfully, the damage on the east of the Island was minimal, but this event served as a perfect opportunity to strenghten our community relationships.

When we say that education is key, it's because we've ascertained time and again that plans can be forgotten in the heat of the moment if we don't follow them up. That's why we keep engaged with community leaders, to make sure everyone (them and us) is up to date with emergency preparations. We keep our educational materials current and develop new ones as the need arises.

In other educational news, every month, each of our programs design activities to better connect to our communities. The process is organic and responds to the peoples' needs.

For example, in these last few weeks the Peace and Development program has organized activities from horse races to domino tournaments, to better engage our youth and keep them away from idleness and violence.

In the Women and Health program we've hosted childbirth classes for the women of Loiza, and were happily surprised when people from all over the Island showed up for a month of education, every Friday afternoon.

The Community and Leadership program has been hard at work at advocacy efforts, guiding our community into organizing against a new wave of overdevelopment efforts spearheaded by the private sector and that threaten our right to our public lands. These efforts have taken place all over the Island and once in Washington, DC.

We've been very busy, but the satisfaction always surpasses the hard work. Certainly, this couldn't be done without your continuous support. For that, we thank you.

Best regards,

Alejandra