Digital Archives: ¡Loíza Vive!
¡Loíza Vive! is an innovative project laying the foundation for sustainable, community-led cultural heritage conservation in Loíza, Puerto Rico.
Since 2018, LWB US has worked in the city of Loíza, a major center of Afro-Puerto Rican culture on the island. But the municipality faces many challenges, with a median household income of $17,000 annually and one of the highest violent crime rates on the island. It is geographically isolated, accessible only by low-lying bridges that easily flood. Loíza was devastated by Hurricane Maria in 2018 and many public services damaged by the storm have not reopened. Further, nearly 30% of residents don’t have any type of home internet connection.
- In 2019, LWB US hosted the design jam (“¡Empréndete Loíza!”), a series of workshops facilitated by experts from across the island focused on designing creative solutions for challenges facing the Loíza community. The winning team designed a project using photography to reduce violence in their community.
- We worked with El Ancón de Loíza to organize workshops on sustainable agriculture, health literacy, entrepreneurship, culture and dance, design thinking, and marketing. Community leaders in the Sector 23 y las Gardenias neighborhood organized two summer camps focused on sports, environmental stewardship, healthy eating, and entrepreneurship.
- We have hosted health literacy workshops to train local leaders to teach about preventative health.
- In 2020, LWB US partnered with Link Puerto Rico (LinkPR) to install multiple T-Mobile hotspots with 14 gigabyte/month service in Sector La 23 y Las Gardenias in Loiza. During the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, we also distributed dozens of ConnectED kits containing laptops, WiFi hotspots, and curated educational resources for young people.
- In October 2021, we transformed an abandoned public building into a vibrant community center with technology, culturally relevant books, and space for young people.
“These community events unintentionally are having a reconciliatory effect on people. We have witnessed ‘rivals’ or people with significant differences come together to collaborate in retrieving their collective memories”
-Resident of Loiza, Puerto Rico