Puerto Rico, Before and After Hurricane Maria: the Role of Iniciativa Puerto Rico-España

Abstract

Puerto Rico and Spain are united by a common history that goes back more than 500 years. The island is currently facing a complicated situation, with a debt of more than 72 billion dollars and a serious economic crisis, which has been aggravated by the dramatic personal and material damage caused by hurricane Maria in september 2017. In this context, the Iniciativa Puerto Rico España, an organization created by a group of young people and civil society professionals at the end of 2016 to strengthen relations between the two countries, has launched humanitarian cooperation campaigns with organizations such as Caritas. In the medium and long term, it will also seek to promote projects in the academic, cultural and institutional spheres, among others, that can contribute to the much-needed revival of the economy and moral recovery of the island.