Sicómoro Inc. is a Christian based organization that started in 2005 in Barrio Obrero, Arecibo, Puerto Rico, and serves disadvantaged communities. This organization provides bible studies, educational workshops, and food and clothing banks. Sicómoro Inc. has worked with the communities of Puerto Rico before and after Hurricane María. Volunteers from Sicómoro helped after Hurricane María …
Tag: economic development
Dec 12
Puerto Rico After María: Relief for Puerto Rico
Relief for Puerto Rico (Relief4PR) was established due to the need for reputable organizations able to distribute supplies and resources after Hurricane Maria impacted the Island. Relief for Puerto Rico works as a collaborator with other organizations and people’s donations, by distributing supplies like food and water. In Puerto Rico, the pipes distributing water work …
Dec 11
Puerto Rico After María: Tarps for My People
One goal of the SISGI Beyond Good Ideas Foundation #Voices4PR social media campaign is to raise awareness of the current situation in Puerto Rico. Many families in Puerto Rico are still without electricity stability, clean water, roofs, and resources to satisfy other basic needs. The mental health traumatic effects after María are still untreated, and the …
Feb 05
Why Redistribution is a Quality Investment
Income inequality. It’s a dirty term, but someone has to use it. Unless you’ve been actively hiding from any conversation, headline, or news report involving wealth and income inequality, you probably already know that the income gap between the mega-rich and the “regular folk” has grown exponentially since the 1970s. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Tell you …
Jan 13
Would YOU be able to survive on $15,000/year?
The U.S. federal minimum wage was first established during the Depression, and since 1933 has risen from 25 cents to $7.25 per hour. As it stands now, three years will have passed since the last increase in the federal minimum wage, which is currently just over $15,000 a year for a full time worker. Can …
Oct 10
How Women Help Move an Economy?
Coco Chanel once said in The Gospel According to Coco Chanel: Life Lessons from the World’s Most Elegant Woman –“A girl should be two things: who and what she wants.” Many women today have taken that advice quite seriously. In today’s times the world is witness to an extremely upgraded version of the feminine brigade …
Feb 03
So is Voluntourism the Road Better Traveled?
Voluntourism, as discussed in a previous blog, To Go Or Not To Go, provides a unique impact and scope compared to traditional donations. The second part of the series seeks to uncover the road of donations as compared to voluntourism in terms of reaching the destination, community impact, and the values of overhead. The analysis …
Sep 16
International Migration and Economic Development
Today I want to focus on an issue that is very dear to me: international migration. I am currently residing in a foreign country, finishing up school and looking for work, and so naturally I have quite a vested interest in international immigration regulations and restrictions. I don’t want to focus on my own story, …
Aug 19
Responsible Tourism in Madagascar
I’m sure most of you have heard of the island of Madagascar, particularly since the release of the Madagascar animated films, and know that the country is home to numerous animal species that cannot be found anywhere else on earth. 10,000 of the islands 12,000 plant species, for example, are endemic, as are half of the …
Jul 26
Home – Poverty and Gentrification
This past weekend I travelled to New York to visit my sister, who recently moved to Brooklyn. Anyone would love her neighborhood, fit in in her neighborhood. It’s diverse. From islanders to east asians, there are plenty styles and cultures to observe from afar or experience close up. The hipster coffee shop around the corner …