Communities leading their own development
We support sustainable economic activities, youth development and community-led solutions rooted in solidarity, local knowledge and respect for Puerto Rico.
Learn about our work →Working alongside local organizations to strengthen communities, protect natural resources and create sustainable opportunities.
Solidarity that creates meaningful change
We support sustainable economic activities based on solidarity among community residents and society. We promote youth development and help empower communities to address the issues they understand are the most pressing in their lives.
The organizations we collaborate with, work to maintain and restore the natural environment, develop community-owned microenterprises and improve residents’ quality of life.
Their work has been severely affected by the natural and economic challenges Puerto Rico has experienced during the past several years. Their continued commitment to improving their communities inspired us to connect them with international volunteers.
Participants can support the people of Puerto Rico while learning about community organization and sustainable development. They can also experience the island’s culture, history and natural beauty.
Our mission
Our mission is to support community-based organizations in developing communities by providing resources, through the work of volunteers, that help them achieve their economic, environmental and social goals.
Our vision
Our vision is a society based on solidarity among human beings, placing the care and well-being of nature, including people, at the center of economic, social, cultural and technological development.
Meet our director
Luis Sáez Núñez
Director · Geographer · Community Development SpecialistLuis Sáez Núñez is a geographer with more than twenty years of experience in the community development field. He has worked with disadvantaged communities in Puerto Rico and the United States, focusing on sustainable economic projects, environmental justice, community education, participatory planning and microenterprise incubators.
In Puerto Rico, Luis has worked with the Office of the Coordinator for the Socio-economic Development of Communities, also known as the Special Communities Office. He has also worked with the Corporation for the Proyecto Enlace del Caño Martín Peña and the Universidad del Este.
In the United States, Luis worked with Nuestras Raíces, Inc., a nationally recognized community-based organization addressing environmental justice, urban agriculture and food security in Holyoke, Massachusetts.
He also worked at the Mercy Corps y IREC and the Community Education Project, supporting adult education, literacy and economic justice initiatives. As an Environmental Career Organization Diversity Fellow at the U.S. EPA Region 1 Office in Boston, he worked with environmental justice and urban environmental programs.
Luis holds a master’s degree in science from the University of Massachusetts Amherst Geosciences Department and a bachelor’s degree in arts from the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Geography Department.