Puente Desarrollo Internacional

We’re collaborating to strengthen Monte Coca! Together with Rayjon and Friends of the Dominican Republic, we’re starting phase 2 of our roof project to improve community infrastructure. Deteriorated roofs put families’ safety and health at risk, especially during tropical storm season.

**Our Goal:**

- Phase 1:We’ll be renovating 20 roofs in the El Chucho sector.
- Phase 2:We’ll be renovating 23 roofs in the El Lugo and Construcción sectors. ‼️Stay tuned for more updates on Phase Two‼️ 📳

The “Casa a Casa” plan is a sustainable action plan made possible through Global Partnerships and Puente Collect! Consider becoming a 🌎 global partner today by joining our monthly donor program!

Buy-in is a two way street! While local communities buy-in to construct solutions, it is critical for our international partners to buy-in to the Puente Model and provide their support! Consider “buying-in” as an international partner today!

Using community-sourced data, Puente amplifies the voices of residents to “change the future for good” -Crismary Gutierrez Co-Founder

Bathrooms, cement floors, roofs, medical intervention, and more! All of Puente’s data-driven solutions are designed by locals for locals.

"There are many ways to help! We always find problems in communities, and there are many communities that need help" -Crismary Gutierrez Co-Founder

Puente is constantly collecting data from new communities. By surveying locals, we identify challenges and design unique solutions for community development.

It costs Puente $100 to survey a community of 70 homes. Through surveying individuals, we can understand household needs, and create an action plan to meet those needs. Global partnerships are what sustain Puente! Your involvement directly impacts these communities and the world!

The butterfly effect of improved sanitation is remarkable!

Raising the baseline for sanitation lowers disease burden and improves quality of life. Sustaining a healthy living environment is shown to improve children’s attendance at school, promote environmental stewardship, and amplify wages and job opportunities for adults.

~Source World Bank

Compromised hygiene creates serious health risks! Providing safe/sanitary bathrooms is one of the most effective ways Puente impacts community health.

“Without adequate sanitation facilities children are susceptible to disease transmission, stunting, and under-nutrition, which are critical for childhood cognitive development”

~Source World Bank

Improving the baseline of sanitation for individual homes drastically improves the health of a community, a country, and the world! Puente WASH is tackling the issue of sanitation one household at a time!

Puente forms a bridge that connects communities across the globe 🌎 This month we collaborated with Constanza Medical Mission and the Boston Community for another successful medical mission in Constanza!

Thank you very much for your support!! ❤️

Puente would love to have you there! Join us Tomorrow for what is sure to be a great night at Stockroom East in South Bend.

__________________________________________________________

5/18/24 4-8 PM

Stock Room East

625 E Jefferson Blvd Suite C, South Bend, IN 46617

Golf outing AND a concert!? A big day for Puente Events- Saturday is bound to be busy! Make sure to pace yourself out there!

__________________________________________________________

5/18/24 4-8 PM

Stock Room East

625 E Jefferson Blvd Suite C, South Bend, IN 46617

Support Puente this Saturday at Stockroom East! Enjoy the musical stylings of the Mad Drunken Americans, Roccos Pizza, sweet libations, and much more revelry! Get your crew together and have fun for a great cause!

______________________________________________

5/18/24 4-8 PM

625 E Jefferson Blvd Suite C, South Bend, IN 46617

Your support means everything to our team! Events like our golf outing and charity concerts keep our development programs viable. Thanks for your support! We hope to see you May 18th! ⛳️🎤🎸

The work is never over! While Puente is surveying for new community needs and constructing solutions, we are also monitoring the effectiveness of completed projects. Monitoring and Evaluation is a critical part of ensuring the Puente Model is sustainable. By conducting 3 month, 6 month, and 1 year evaluations Puente makes sure projects go as planned.

🚨 ¡¡New Team Members Inbound!!🚨

We are excited to welcome two new summer interns to Constanza this Summer! Rebecca Franco and Harry Jeffers from Indiana University’s Kelley Institute for Social Impact will be brining their skills and fresh perspectives to the team this summer. Very excited to welcome these Hoosiers to the team!

Our Puente Potty project in Doña Lila is a significant step forward for public health in the community. By constructing 22 new bathrooms for 22 families, Puente is reducing health risks for the entire community. We have completed 14 bathrooms so far. When finished, this project provides 81 people, 45 of them being children with a new safe and sanitary bathroom. Check out the community buy-in at work!

📈🔍 Relational databases are the backbone of Puente’s impact-tracking prowess! With the ability to collect multiple records from the same individual, we can precisely monitor and measure the effectiveness of our solutions. Join us in leveraging the power of data to drive positive change and track progress like never before!

📱 Puente Collect is more than a mobile app, it’s a game-changer for community development! With Puente’s Tech Team leading the charge, we are harnessing the power of data for meaningful change!

Once a specific need is identified, our community development practitioners educate locals and oversee construction projects. By training locals in this process, Puente is able to scale efforts in new communities and further build capacity!

Puente’s goal has always been to empower residents to lead all local development projects. We are proud to announce 9 new community development practitioners just completed training! We now have 65 local leaders working to make a difference across the DR!

Puente’s Community Development Practitioners keep the wheels moving! They keep the fire lit! They are what make the clock tick! Thats why training these specialists in community development and data collection is the first step of the Puente Model.

Puente has partnered with Friends of the Dominican Republic and Holy Family Mission to take action in Sabana! Thanks to YOUR support, and the help of our partners this community will be receiving 15 new and improved Puente Potties. And due to the specific water needs of this community, these bathrooms are equipped with a water storage tank for 24/7 water access!

The lack of sanitation infrastructure in this Sabana de Maricao was observed by our partner, Holy Family of Cevicos. Data from the HFC health clinics showed that community members were suffering from gastrointestinal and skin conditions caused by contaminated water.

We are excited to collaborate with Rayjon and expand our impact into Consuelo where 75% of residents do not have access to a bathroom nor latrine. This community is highly motivated to change that and so are we!