HC EMERGENCY RESPONSE FUND

In light of the devastation caused by COVID-19 on the Bahía de Banderas’ tourism-based economy, we’ve established an Emergency Response Fund (ERF) to assist the Human Connections community. Because of the generosity of HC’s donors, the ERF campaign has raised $15,500 USD since its launch in March. 100% of donations made to the ERF are channeled into economic relief activities that directly support our partners’ livelihoods. As a result of the funds raised with the ERF, HC has been able to:  

  • Step in as a safety net and provide partners in need with a weekly cash stipend to offset lost income and cover basic living expenses for their families until at least November 30th

  • Sell 210 pilot artisan boxes, which channeled over $4,000 USD to ten partners

  • Provide all partners with pandemic preparation kits

  • Promote partner businesses via our social media channels to help boost local sales 

  • Develop a suite of virtual experiences for international audiences to engage with artisans and entrepreneurs from the Bay of Banderas while building income opportunities for partners for sharing their expertise

And continues to work of the following initiatives:

Emergency Stipends

Financial stipends to local partners pay for essential needs to support their families. While the pandemic persists, the economic stress of losing the primary source of income intensifies and makes access to these safety net stipends increasingly important. We anticipate a need for emergency stipends will last until International travel is once again safe.

Artisan Boxes

Each carefully curated artisan box provides the recipient with a selection of HC partner products while highlighting the talents and traditions of each artisan. These boxes are a way to give a meaningful, socially responsible gift to a loved one while also creating revenue-generating opportunities for artisans in Bucerías. Our newest artisan boxes -- the Modern-Day Fiesta Box and the Together in the Kitchen Box -- will be available for purchase in October!

Virtual Experiences

The HC team has designed a suite of virtual experiences that will facilitate authentic interactions between international audiences and our artisan partners to hear their stories, see their artistic processes, and foster cross-cultural conversations. We have created three different experiences:  virtual viewing parties with an HC partner, public presentations with HC partners focused on a specific theme (i.e., indigenous culture and art, entrepreneurship), and immersive exchanges for students.

We are confident that both HC and the tourism sector will recover and be stronger than ever. We believe in the power of our shared humanity to help us endure challenging times and build resiliency. If you’re able, we encourage you to make a contribution to our Emergency Response Fund and support our Covid-19 Initiative. With your generosity, HC can be a source of strength, stability, and security for our partners and the larger Bucerías community to weather this storm with good health and dignity.

 
 
 
 

STAND WITH US

For our local artisan partners who rely on travelers and public spaces to sell their products, income opportunities are dramatically reduced.  As for HC, we are currently estimating our loss at $135,000+ — cutting our year’s budget in half. 

We hope you’ll stand with us to ensure all members of the HC family are able to live healthily and with dignity despite the challenges that face us. Because when the global community starts to rebuild, an empathetic, interconnected spirit will help us heal.

CREATE YOUR OWN FACEBOOK FUNDRAISER

Interested in fundraising to support HC’s Emergency Response Fund? Use our toolkit below to build your Facebook fundraiser.

Questions? Contact our team at info@humanconnections.org.