In 2004 a group of women decided to found what is now Proyecto Matria. We all knew that we wanted to work with survivors of domestic violence and give them a chance to rebuild their lives in peace. Our motto in 2004 was prophetic: “From dependency to independence, a path of transformation”. Since that year we have grown to tailor our services to the women and country we serve.

 

The transitional housing (Gaia) and economic development (Alchemy) services of 2004 are much broader today.

 

Here is a brief timeline of our development:

 

       2004- Foundation of Matria and creation of Gaia and Alchemy

       2006- We began the work of what became the first micro-enterprise incubator on our Island specialized in women: Libera.

       2007- We co-founded the Broad Movement of Women of Puerto Rico

       2008- We created Aurum, our microcredit program. That year we took our incubation model to the Dominican Republic and trained colleagues in it.

       2009-We received an honorable mention in the Miranda Foundation Solidarity Award

       2012- For the second time we were honored with a mention of the Miranda Foundation Solidarity Award and since that year we have been part of the award's advisory council. Additionally, we introduced our business incubation model in Hartford, Connecticut and in Istanbul, Turkey.

       2013- We launched our social enterprise IGEA (Institute of Gender and Advanced Education). That same year our housing program incorporated permanent housing to house 40 women and their families. We also co-founded the Broad Committee for the Search for Equity (CABE). We took our incubation model to the Basque country and our empowerment manual was translated into Basque.

       2014- We created Atenea and Las Matrias.

       2016- Marked another step forward for us with the expansion of our housing program

                    transitory to serve LGBT people through Gaia Arcoíris.

       2017- We started our Amare project, for the prevention of hate crimes.

       2018- We started our Casa Solidaria project in the Mira Flores de Orocovis neighborhood.

                   There, our Casa Solidaria team works with love, solidarity, commitment and determination with the community in areas of economic development with business incubators, education with the

                   solidarity school, impact on agriculture with the community garden, repair and reconstruction of

                   housing, and jobs, all working from a human rights perspective.

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Today, Matria has been part of the process of transformation and self-sufficiency of hundreds of people... including us... And it has become a bastion of human rights on the Island.

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   Now, we don't just serve survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking. We also serve heads of households living below the poverty level, people from the lesbian-gay-bisexual-trans (LGBT) communities, and we continue to expand services to other women and people who need someone to support them from an emancipatory vision.