#P2P4PUR: People 2 People for Puerto Rico Partnership
When we received a warm introduction to Tim Dye from our friends over at One Heart, we were excited to connect with what he and his team were doing to provide health services to communities in Puerto Rico. With OHW’s glowing recommendations and amazing track record, we knew that we were among respected friends and colleagues.
The first mobile health clinic is set up in Puerto Rico
In the last few months of working with Tim, assessing needs, making product recommendations, coordinating shipping, shipping and more shipping details, the clinics are being set up and will be receiving patients! Tim wrote us that first day after setting up a shelter…
Tim and Jose and their teams are working with local community health clinics who need help since the Hurricane to provide services to their community.
Exhausting but rewarding day… set up our first mobile clinic. All set with the Barebones shelters, LifeStraw Community filters, and Goal Zero solar power systems. The clinic director in Arroyo was in shock – and said she’s using it immediately serving the mountain communities where everything was lost.
We heard and saw horrors today; seeing this mobile clinic up and having everything functioning brought us and our local partners hope. Thank you again for your donations, time, and support in our efforts.
Clinics include a Barebones shelter, Goal Zero battery and Life Straw water filtration system
The realities of doing humanitarian work in disaster zones are complicated. Staying on top of battery regulations, coordinating cargo into a broken freight system, navigating surprising (and what appears to be predatory) taxes, staying connected to donors, and that’s well before the the actual taking care of humans: talking, hugging, sweating, learning, hand-holding. For those of us behind the scenes, receiving the live updates from Tim and team, constructing shelters and setting up solar panels, was a refreshing, and human, reminder of why we are doing this in the first place.
The health care system has turned a little upside down since the hurricane. Mobile clinics will save lives as the months go on post-hurricane
Tim wrote to us that “We survive on hope and trust in the humanity we find in communities” and he has continued to expand our hope and trust as we’ve worked together. We love working with real people who care about real people. As we’ve been working in Puerto Rico, we’ve met people who are realistic, honorable, honest, emotional, humble, vulnerable, which instinctively draws that out of ourselves, and towards one another. The reason we’re doing all of this in the first place – toward one another.
People taking care of people
People taking care of Puerto Rico.
Stay in touch, more updates to come. Donate today to our project to continue to send aid to Puerto Rico.
