A year and a half after Hurricane Maria made landfall, Puerto Rico is still struggling to rebuild. Puerto Rico has received less federal support than the states and is coping with economic and infrastructure problems that predate the hurricane season of 2017. Many of the Island’s leaders are frustrated by the difficulty they face as they try to bring Puerto Rico back to a path of economic growth and stability.
Yet many people in Puerto Rico have shown strength, resourcefulness, and heroism through individual efforts to make improvements in their own areas of influence.
Dia de la Mujer Latina and the Priester Foundation took the opportunity to celebrate some of the women who have been responding to individual needs following the disaster.
Dr. Sally Priester, of the Priester Foundation, traveled with a team of doctors throughout the island, providing medical assistance to the injured and creating impromptu clinics. She has so far visited 50 municipalities, working with local women to provide access to gravely needed health care. Many of these local women worked tirelessly to rebuild their communities.
Some of the women who were recognized:
- First Lady Beatriz Isabel Rossello
- Senator Evelyn Vazquez Nieves
- Dr. Sally Priester
- Mabel LaSalle of the Connecting Paths Foundation
- Kuchy Vega Iglesias of WAPA Television
On March 22, DML honored these women as heroines “who will not appear in the history books, but should be recognized for their spirit, courage, strength and risking their lives to save others.”
No responses yet