There is one moment I will never forget. A room full of community health workers and outreach leaders. Latina immigrant women, leaders in their communities, just like us. They arrived with questions, ideas, and that unique energy shared by those of us who know what it means to start over from scratch. You could feel the hunger to learn in the air.
For years, bringing our programs beyond the Bay Area was a vision. Today, it is a reality.
Comunidades Prospera was born from that vision: sharing our model, our methodologies, and our approach to supporting organizations that want to build cooperatives and strengthen more humane, community-centered economies. We are doing this alongside incredible partners such as Visión y Compromiso, United Way, Órale, Somos Mayfair, and El Concilio of San Mateo.
What moved me most was watching these women transform. Together, we discovered that cooperation is not competition—it is strength. What one person lacks, another brings.
And this dream reached even farther.
In Connecticut, through a groundbreaking partnership with Havenly, Prospera facilitated this same training for immigrant and refugee women. Seven hours. Three languages: Arabic, English, and Spanish. Yet despite the different languages, there was something that needed no translation: our shared dream of creating a better future for our families. Different cultures. Different geography. The same heart.
“What I loved most was how we were able to connect as women with a shared purpose. I especially appreciated how the activities encouraged us to imagine, share, and build together from our own lived experiences.”
That is what Prospera Communities is all about. We don’t arrive to teach from above. We arrive to walk alongside others. As we often say: What do you need? What are my strengths? How can we make the celebration better together?
Thanks to visionary partners like Capital Impact Partners and the Latino Community Foundation, we continue to grow.
Comunidades Prospera is an invitation to grow together. If you are part of an organization or foundation that wants to build collective power and create more just, people-centered economies, let’s dream together. Contact us at info@prosperacoops.org.
By Claudia Arroyo
Executive Director
Blog written by Claudia Arroyo with AI support.
