OUR COMMUNITY
Vega Alta is one of many communities of Puerto Rico that still struggle to recover from hurricanes, earthquakes, tropical storms and the impact of the pandemic. Puerto Rico was facing economic and infrastructure challenges long before these natural disasters hit, and so many are now facing dire circumstances. One Collective is excited to join with others in short-term efforts to help this community respond to devastation, and more importantly in long-term service to the community long after aid organizations have left.
A key foundation of our strategy is leadership and coordination. We are looking for passionate Jesus followers who want to engage in community transformation, identify needs in every aspect of life, and bring people together to see those needs met. We call these leaders Catalysts, and if you feel you have the qualities described above and are interested in this role, we would love to hear from you.
OUR WORK
Partnering with Carlos Rodriguez and Happy Sonship, as well as other local partners, One Collective is helping to provide short and long term solutions. Current rebuilding efforts are focused on assisting with the greatest needs in under-resourced communities - primarily livable housing. Our efforts have primarily focused on recovery needs in response to natural disasters in recent years. Several initiatives are in development with the potential to fuel sustainable change, including...
Micro-enterprise training - Many Puerto Ricans have abilities and dreams that they want to turn into a livelihood. Training them in new business startup principles and coaching them through the early stages are critical for turning inactive desire into proactive success. In partnership with Carlos and Happy Sonship, we have provided lean startup business training for trainers who will then equip others. We aim to see the first group of locals begin business startup training in 2022!
Community garden - The need for locally sourced food and agriculture products is great in Puerto Rico. Starting a small farm will provide ongoing revenue, a means to equip others for growing their own food, and a food source for a local feeding program.
A more significant goal is to bring local government leaders, churches, and residents together to change the systemic problems that have historically kept this community vulnerable. Long-term transformation requires persistent, ongoing efforts customized to target communities. The impact can be accelerated by carefully deploying new One Collective staff to work alongside locals in strategic areas like Vega Alta. We want to enable community members to join forces and see their community restored and transformed.
If you are interested in joining this movement, or you would like to invest resources to see this community transformed, please use the links below.
