Foundation for Puerto Rico donates $200K in telecom equipment to nonprofits
As part of the initiatives to promote resilience in the island’s communities, the Foundation for Puerto Rico, through its Bottom Up Destination Recovery Initiative (Bottom Up) program, has delivered more than $200,000 in telecommunications equipment to more than 100 local nonprofit organizations and municipal agencies.
The entities are in the regions that the Bottom Up has impacted over the past three years in Aguadilla, Arecibo, Barceloneta, Cabo Rojo, Camuy, Ceiba, Fajardo, Humacao, Isabela, Luquillo, Manatí, Naguabo, Orocovis and San Germán through a grant from the Economic Development Administration, the Foundation said.
“The nonprofit sector has proven to be vital for Puerto Rico’s socioeconomic development. The recipient organizations of these equipments may be prepared so that, in the future, an atmospheric event such as Hurricane María, does not limit their communication capacity and consequently of response,” said Alma Frontera, vice president of operations and programs at the Foundation.
“With this delivery we’re contributing to community resilience, one of the main focuses of the Bottom Up program,” she said.
The equipment donated was procured from telecom company goTenna, and provides the entities with a tool that allows communication even without a telephone or wi-fi signal, the nonprofit explained.
“The donated goTenna Pro X devices, which create mobile mesh networks, allow communications even when cell phone, wi-fi and satellite signal aren’t available,” said Carlos Ayala, program manager at the Foundation.
“It’s a technology that increases the ability to create connectivity anywhere on the island. The teams work by communicating with each other, this allows all recipients of this technology to establish direct communication in the event of any emergency,” he said.
Bottom Up is a program the Foundation designed in 2017 after Hurricane María, as an economic recovery strategy based on a sustainable model that supports communities to be more resilient and proactive in the creation of tourism assets and economic movement.
As part of the program, a team of 15 professionals moves to the impact regions for a period of six months to get to know the community, its entrepreneurs, organizations, and leaders, creating a spirit of collaboration.
