Day 1: Caguas – A Community Developed through Compassion

Today we visited the artists collective and mutual aid society known as Urbe Apie. Their mission is to develop the cultural and economic wealth of the community through compassion. They have taken over some abandoned buildings to teach art and yoga classes, open a soup kitchen for those in need, provide cheap or free clothing from their “Community Boutique” thrift store, and to provide temporary housing. They also have a community garden and work with two other organizations to provide testing for hepatitis and HIV, and do a needle exchange for those living on the street.