NECHAMA Volunteer Opportunities in Puerto Rico Review

Summary

Like many relief organizations that came to Puerto Rico after the hurricanes of 2017, NECHAMA focuses its relief efforts on helping homeowners rebuild their homes. What sets this group apart is its commitment to forging personal connections between its volunteers and the people it serves. Volunteers engage with members of the communities they serve, listen to their stories, and bring comfort and joy to people whose lives have been upended.

Type of Volunteer Work

NECHAMA focuses on helping homeowners in Puerto Rico restore, rehab, and rebuild houses that were damaged in Hurricane Maria. This includes repairing concrete and tin roofs and doing minor repairs. The organization also stresses the importance of establishing a connection with the people it serves and the value of listening to their stories and providing them the comfort of a sympathetic ear. 

Area and Scope of Operation

The organization concentrates its efforts in the residential areas of the town of Loíza, Puerto Rico, a town of 30,000 on the northeast coast of the island. 

Volunteer Support

NECHAMA provides its volunteers with meals, a place to stay, tools, and personal protective equipment. Accommodations are described as "very basic." The organization makes arrangements for transportation and support. NECHAMA requires its volunteers to carry personal traveler's insurance during their time in Puerto Rico.

Reputation

NECHAMA has been doing relief work in the US since 1993. Its operations in Puerto Rico are its first project outside the continental United States. In 2017, NECHAMA earned the Silver-Level GuideStar Seal of Transparency, attesting to its commitment to aboveboard accounting and operations. The organization's financials for 2016 show $548,000 in revenue, 95% of which was derived from grants, gifts, and donations. It spent $564,000 on program services and an additional $50,000 on administration. 92% of the organization's expenses were for program services, suggesting that the organization does a very good job at keeping overhead low. Reviews of NECHAMA on GuideStar and GreatNonprofits.org were, as of this writing, uniformly positive. The organization has no presence on Give.org or Charity Navigator.