From 2007 to 2008, Torres developed a training center in Iraq – at its own expense - to train Iraqis in a variety of vocational and computer skills. Currently, our team of instructors at this facility are training Iraqi women who have lost their husbands during the course of the Iraqi conflict. This training and the instructors, materials, computers, network infrastructure, meals, transportation and all management and administrative support is completely funded by Torres.
Our CEO Jerry Torres is on the Board of Directors to develop the first ever hospice to U.S. veterans – a project that Torres has dedicated over $250,000 in donations and volunteered time to. Additionally, Torres awards scholarships every year to handicapped U.S. citizens to support their efforts to achieve a higher education.
Most recently, Torres has provided funds and volunteers to humanitarian programs in Sudan and Columbia. Our program in Columbia, which began in 2008, involves working with an indigenous tribe called the Arhuacos – one whose ethno-linguistic population of about 15,000 people is shrinking along with their traditional lands. Located high in the northern tropical region of the Andes Mountains, these people - in addition to high infant mortality rates associated with malnutrition - have suffered greatly due to their location in a hotly contested area in the war between the government and the revolutionary group known as FARC. It was only after the government gained control of this area that it became safe for us to do volunteer work there. Despite their challenging external environment, the Arhuacos remain a peaceful people with almost no crime or violence. Torres charitable program to help the Arhuacos is focused on the following areas:
- Education in agribusiness – we help them develop farms to raise animals needed to feed the tribe
- Improvement of their school facilities (currently about 160 of 15,000 attend school)
- Improvement of hygiene for the children of the tribe
Kudos to all volunteers and people involved in these humanitarian efforts – your compassion and dedication to improving life for those less fortunate helps define Torres as a company.
This article appeared in the June Torres Times.
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