Sister Island Project

Volunteer Opportunities

Come make a difference! Experience the warmth and vibrancy of Dominican culture as you stay with a family, do good work, and have a great time.

Spring Break 2012 Service Trips -- Contact us for your dates of interest

Summer 2012 Service Trip -- July 5-July 12, 2011 (7 days - $640 per person) or July 5-July 14, 2011 (9 days - $810 per person).

Both the 7-day and 9-day trip in July 2012 will include volunteering with a home construction project, leading the summer arts camp in partnership with Dominican counselors, and a guided day trip.

Honestly speaking, our trip was amazing. The people in the village were so friendly...the trip was definitely a life-changing experience. Masita and Yennifer were both great hosts, and Vitalia, whose house we stayed at, was also very understanding. Thanks to the trip to the DR I was able to pick up so much Spanish! It was great! -Sarah Zaidi, Wellesley Student, 2008 Volunteer

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I just wanted to express how utterly wonderful and transforming this experience has been. I went into the trip thinking that I would be serving the poor and left feeling as if the community had done more to help me than I could have ever done for them. I was truly touched by the generosity and hospitality of a community that immediately opened their arms (and homes!) to a group of random Americans. Being able to become fully immersed into a culture so different from my own for a week really changed how I see the world. I have nothing but positive remarks about my experience and wish that everybody could get to see the world through different eyes as I did. Without a doubt - one of the best things I have done in my life; I would go back in a heartbeat! I can't thank you enough for all this program has done for me. -Katherine Smith, James Madison University Student, 2008 Volunteer

“Our week in Cruz Verde was life-changing. It was nothing that I had ever experienced before. It was so rewarding to see the finished product on some of the physical labor that we did and to know that we truly left our mark on the community. It was also very rewarding to see the sweet children so proud of the arts and crafts that we had made with them and singing songs that we had taught them as we made our way to the bus to say our last goodbyes. Juan Miguel told us: "You are not only here for us, but we are here for you too.” Cruz Verde will always have a HUGE piece of my heart. Te Amo Cruz Verde.” -Eleanor Burkhart, student

Please read through the information below, and then for more information or to receive application materials, e-mail us at sisterisland@gmail.com. Thank you for your interest! Peter and Victoria, Project Co-Directors

In addition to our SCHEDULED SERVICE TRIPS, we offer a CREATE-YOUR-OWN-TRIP option. Throughout the year, you can volunteer independently or with a group you put together (family, friends, students, colleagues, school break). Contact us to explore this possibility.

Where We Work

Sister Island Project works in the Yabacao region of the Dominican Republic, a beautiful rural area in the Monte Plata Province, about an hour north of Santo Domingo. The Yabacao region is very economically poor, and is inhabited mostly by Dominicans of African descent and Dominican Haitians.

Service Activities

Volunteer service activities can include: Lead arts or music activities with children or adults, assist with home construction projects in the community, teach English, offer health/nutrition classes, assist with the sewing micro-enterprise project, help maintain the learning center (e.g. planting and caring for plants/trees on property, painting, etc.) and carry out individual service projects based on your skills/interests and community needs.

Other Enriching Experiences

In addition to practicing your Spanish in an environment of cultural immersion, there will be plenty of time to explore the community, play dominoes, enjoy music and food, dance (bachata and merengue!), encounter tropical plants, birds, and wildlife, visit with fellow volunteers and community members, or delight the local kids with your attention.

If you decide to independently tour the country after the end of your volunteer service trip, let us know. We'd be happy to offer travel recommendations.

Program Fee

The program fee covers: pre-trip preparation assistance, all program-related transportation in the DR, daily activity coordination from SIP Program Coordinators, food and home-stay lodging. You will receive 3 tasty meals a day and be provided clean, modest accommodations. There will also be a guided day trip to the Colonial Zone of Santo Domingo and a Caribbean beach for all volunteers.

The program fee does not cover airfare, tourist card, or immunization shots. Also, all participants must have applicable health insurance. Short-term travel medical insurance can easily be purchased at an affordable cost.

Many volunteers have raised part or all of their program fee and airfare, as well as support for program activities (e.g. home construction, sewing microenterprise, arts camp). If you want to fundraise to cover your program fee or to support program activities, we can provide a Fundraising Action Plan to help you strategize your outreach.

Transportation

As a volunteer, you will travel from your point of origin to Las Americas International Airport in Santo Domingo (airport code SDQ). You will be met at the airport in Santo Domingo, and we will coordinate all transportation within the Dominican Republic.

Lodging/Food

During your service trip, you will stay with a Dominican family in the small community of Cruz Verde. Living conditions are very simple – electricity and running water are inconsistent. This is an opportunity for warm cultural exchange, and a chance to encounter Afro-Caribbean culture off the tourist track. Volunteers will eat together – tasty, simple meals are carefully and hygienically prepared by several women from the community.

Speaking Spanish

Depending on when you volunteer, your program coordinators will be either bilingual or Spanish-only speakers from the community of Cruz Verde. Please contact us to inquire about your dates of interest. When a Spanish-only program coordinator is leading your service trip, we encourage volunteer applicants who have a basic-or-better conversational ability in Spanish, or who will be volunteering with a companion with that level of Spanish. If you are a Spanish beginner but still want to participate, please get in touch and we’ll discuss the possibility with you.

Youth Volunteers

Youth volunteers have been among our most generous and engaged volunteers, and we value creating positive experiences for young people. For that reason, new volunteers under the age of 18 should have good conversational Spanish and/or a significant history of travel/volunteer activities.

Student Groups

Student groups have excellent fundraising opportunities. As part of a school community, you have a built-in source of potential donations or support, through fundraisers, outreach, or scholarships. With advance planning, it is likely that you can raise most or all of the cost of the program fee and airfare. You also may have the possibility of obtaining class credit, by carrying out research or another learning project while in Cruz Verde. And with a group of 10 or more volunteers, you may be eligible for plane ticket group discounts.

Past Volunteering

We have coordinated service trips for over 250 volunteers, and our volunteers consistently report their deep appreciation for the opportunity to serve, learn, and connect with the Dominicans they meet. One volunteer wrote that volunteering in Cruz Verde was "an amazing, life-changing experience...the village welcomed us with open arms...it was so rewarding seeing how appreciative the people were...For those of us who didn't speak Spanish, we thought it would be hard, but that wasn't the case. We were able to communicate through other means - such as doing artwork, playing games, and other activities. All in all, this trip was an amazing experience that will leave a lasting impression on me."

We hope you can participate! Thanks again for your interest.