Project Report
| May 17, 2023
Qtly Report of La Fondita de Jesus en la Comunidad
Our distinguished donors:
I salute you on behalf of the family of Corporación La Fondita de Jesús. With great respect, we are reporting to you our achievements and challenges during the provision of services to vulnerable communities through “La Fondita de Jesús en la Comunidad” program from February through May 2023.
During this reported quarter, our project delivered a total of 9,416 units of services to 1,372 unduplicated people in 67 communities, from which 39 (58%) were impacted for the first time by our project. In other words, an average of 7 units of services per participant. These communities are located at the following 10 municipalities (13%) of Puerto Rico (representing north, south, and southeastern side of the island): Bayamón (1), Carolina (3), Cataño (2), Guayanilla (52), Ponce (89), Salinas (60), San Juan (976), Santa Isabel (40), Toa Baja (147), and Vega Alta (2).
Trying to keep you as informed as possible regarding the demographic descriptions of the people we provided services to during this period, the distribution per genders was as follows:
- Females = 57.58%
- Males = 42.12%
- Trans F to M = 00.08%
- Non-binary = 00.22%
Three fifths of the population served (n=819) were older adults (ages 60+) from vulnerable communities. We always point out that these individuals, families, and communities, are at imminent risk of losing their homes given their needs, life circumstances, and social determinants of health.
Workshops were developed on the following themes:
- Digital Gap: Parts of a tablet
- The preparation and correct use of the emergency bag
- Before, during, and after an emergency
- What happened in “Las Cuchillas” neighborhood?
- Creation of emergency plans during natural disasters
- Self-Knowledge and Self-Esteem
- The importance of COVID-19 vaccination
- Gender violence
Some of our most important achievements during this period were as follows:
- During this period, we had the opportunity to impact 39 new communities.
- In general, participation of community members has increased.
- There has been an increase in the number of community spaces available and enabled for the development of activities and/or workshops among the municipalities impacted.
- Communities are cooperating when it comes to convoking their members and with the logistics of the activities or workshops.
- We continue to support some families at risk of losing their homes with overdue payments for water, electricity, and rent, preventing them from being evicted and becoming homeless.
- We continued to establish new collaborative agreements with other non-profits, agencies, and the private sector, among other stakeholders.
- With our new mobile clinic, we have been able to give access to health and social services, workshops, and orientations to people in need within vulnerable communities in Puerto Rico.
Challenges:
- Older adults and other populations in vulnerable communities are still struggling with the digital gap to coordinate appointments and access social, clinical, and other services, due to the unplanned digitization of government and private processes.
- Isolation and loneliness are being observed amongst the elderly in different communities.
- The politicization of community leaders still represents a challenge. When we enter the communities to identify their needs, we find community leaders who respond to their own interests, aligned with their political ideals, and do not necessarily contemplate the real needs of the communities. In many instances, this translates into a limited participation of other people in the communities who are not aligned with those political ideals, even with first-hand knowledge of the people’s needs. These situations provoke divisions among the residents of communities themselves, making it difficult to identify needs and to establish priorities.
- Government agencies continue to stigmatize vulnerable communities and the LGBTQIA+ population. There is a constant limitation of available services tempered and contextualized to the needs of these populations. This includes the fact that, many times, services are not available, or delivered with no respect for diversity, for example, with homophobic terms. In addition, it should be taken into consideration the access disparity of people from vulnerable communities to resources such as transportation, health insurance, and education, among others, to receive an appropriate treatment or service plan.
- There are safety issues that remain to be considered challenges or even threats for the communities and their residents. There is little or no lighting in the streets, sport and recreation areas, parks, among others. Also, there is little or no maintenance in the green areas of the communities, with accumulation of garbage and debris in busy areas, which makes pedestrian access impossible and unsafe, causing illnesses and possible falls or accidents.
Our gratitude to all of you, our social investors, who believe in us and continue to give us the opportunity to consistently impact the lives of so many people! Should you need additional information or if you have any questions on this report, please do not hesitate to contact us through GlobalGiving Foundation. Thank you!