Sister Island Project

Dominican Republic

The Dominican Republic, a nation of almost nine million, occupies two-thirds of the island of Hispaniola, southeast of Cuba in the Caribbean. Rich with agricultural and other resources, it is home to enchanting beaches, mountains, and tropical forests. Its vibrant mix of cultures has produced outstanding writers, musicians, and, most famously, baseball players.

But in the Dominican Republic today, children and adults face widespread poverty, malnutrition, environmental degradation, lack of access to health care, lack of access to education, and minimal economic opportunity.

Yabacao

Our work is focused in the rural Yabacao region, where one of our project co-directors was born and raised. Her personal connections and history in the region have helped Sister Island Project to develop effective collaboration with Dominican community leaders.

The Yabacao region, located in the Monte Plata province, is a very poor rural area populated mostly by Dominicans of African descent and second-generation Haitians. It is a beautiful place with many joyful children. But in this region, most of the local towns have only primary schools, most going no higher than 4th grade. To pursue further education, students must at times travel long distances, often at night, which is particularly dangerous for girls.

Of those students in the region who have attempted to travel to pursue a secondary school education beyond the 8th grade, an estimated 70% have been forced to abandon their studies due to issues of accessibility, safety, and the pressures of poverty. In recent years, increasing numbers of young people have been compelled to depart for the city to work for very low wages, contributing to the disintegration of the community without any significant financial compensation.

Education

Education is a fundamental human right inaccessible to many Dominicans, and its lack is closely linked with many other aspects of poverty. One 2001 report on the Dominican Republic noted that “educational attainment is closely tied to income distribution; in fact, 85 percent of poor heads of households have never completed primary education. In rural areas…the uneducated population is 2.5 times greater than that of urban areas. This cycle of inherited poverty is replicated as low-income children enter school underdeveloped as a result of poor educational and mental stimulation, and poor basic nutrition and healthcare.”

Better education means residents have improved economic opportunities that in turn enable parents to provide more adequate food and health care for their children. Increased literacy also means community members can expand their informed participation in the Dominican Republic’s maturing democracy.

Sister Island Project is well positioned to coordinate international volunteers, collaborate with community leaders and local schools, and pursue resources to help create learning opportunities for Dominican youth and adults in the Yabacao region.

Environment and Sustainability

The people of Yabacao are rural people with little money. Land sustains them as it sustains their plants and animals. The region has suffered a great deal of environmental damage, much of it due to clear-cutting and use of toxic chemicals by large sugar plantations which have now closed down. This combination of land damage/economic abandonment has seriously weakened an already fragile rural economy. For this reason, an ecologically informed perspective is crucial to sustainable rural livelihoods.

Also, eco-tourism is a promising form of employment for Dominicans. Tourism has been one of the most lucrative industries in the nation during the past decade, and eco-tourism has the potential for sustainable benefit to Dominicans on a local level. For this reason as well, a learning center that promotes and models care for the environment is an investment in the well-being of the communities of Yabacao.