Natalie Maldonado

She is currently a social worker at Hospicio San Lucas, having graduate studies in Social Work with an emphasis on direct service. During her internship she specialized in the elderly population, identifying symptoms of sadness, abandonment, and isolation in this demographic, which led her to develop her social project focused on self-management and the right to self-determination, thus highlighting the strengths and abilities of the elderly. In October 2020 she showed initiative and interest in people who are victims of gender violence which led her to begin volunteering at the Centro Paz para Ti in Adjuntas. Together with the Administrator of the Center, Alana Feldman, a work plan was established to impact the community through telephone interventions with families in the mountainous area, listening to primary needs, and identifying any risk or pattern of domestic violence during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this space, she starts working as a Technical Advisor where she accompanies and assists 6 women promoters in the identification of women victims of gender-based violence in their communities. Natalie assists the Promotoras with the identification of resources and participants at risk and helps them establish work plans. To date, more than 20 women and their children have been impacted by this program, offering them emotional support, basic necessities, and referrals to government and private agencies, among others. Natalie is a nature lover, she has a "dog-daughter" named Moby who accompanies her on her adventures and she is also passionate about writing as a therapeutic medium. She feels a commitment to continue helping and contributing her knowledge in human behavior to the elderly population and victims and survivors of gender violence because she aspires to live in a just and equitable Puerto Rico.