HOMEMADE TOYS

These are typical Dominican toys.  As families can't afford to buy toys, the children use their imaginations and come up with homemade toys.  This is a pull toy, a car, made from an old oil container, and wheels compliments of the top of a water jug.  The stilts are made of tomatoe sauce cans.  Hours of fun!

HO HO HO

Our Christmas party was a blast as you can see by the happy smiley faces below.  We managed to pull it off with a few donations from friends, thank you Shirley, Mary Moo, and Bob Lucas.  We had 150 kids.  The kids decorated their tree, danced, and ate well.  They had ham and cheese sandwiches, fruit kabobs, and punch with fresh fruit, and cake.....oh the cake!  Thank you Lynn Lauzon for the donation of all the toys, clothes, and shoes.  Please thank your boys for us for being so generous.  With some toys that were also purchased we were able to give each child a Xmas gift.  They also took home a goody bag full of candies, cookies and lollipops. Thank you Casa Nelson for our Christmas tree, Jorge's Bakery for our bread, La Llena's for our beautiful Christmas cake.  Thank you to the New Market for all our donated fruit, and for the great discount on our ham, cheese, apples and grapes.  The kids managed to dance the afternoon away even with their full bellies.

Merry Christmas to you all!



OPENING OF DOMINICANADA

Great News!  We are anticipating the opening of our Dominicanada Youth Development Centre in the New Year.  The Centre will include recreation classes in art, music, sports and much more.  We will also have classes for the mother’s of our children.  The present feeling of hopelessness is very apparent in the eyes of the mothers in Playa Oeste.  Most are in a depressed state because they are constantly greeted with closed doors, and have no available opportunities to make changes. They have no choices and are slowly giving up.  Families are just barley surviving. Adults are desperate to generate a daily income just to feed their children.  This will all change!  Our Centre will hold Literacy classes, English classes, sewing classes and more for our moms.  By reaching out to those in need, our Dominicanada Youth Development Centre will transform despair into hope and restore dignity to the children and families of Playa Oeste in Puerto Plata.  We’ll enable productive futures through supplementary education for all involved.  Let the games begin!

POWERTRIPS

My long time friend Judy Warrington was here today with 3 lady supporters that will be planning their annual March Powetrip http://www.powertrips.org/.  Judy has been a loyal supporter here in the Dominican Republic for many years.  Her student groups come each March to renovate public schools and hold teacher workshops at the public schools that so desperately need help here in the Dominican.  Judy and her colleagues, Lara, Colleen and Cathy held a craft class for the kids at Ilda’s school.  They made butterflies, paper chains and ornaments for our Christmas tree.  The kids love crafts and a fun time was had by all.

NEW JERSEY IN THE HOUSE

We took Bob and 14 of his teachers from New Jersey out on the Monster Truck today to deliver 800 pounds of donated school supplies.  Each zip lock bag had a notebook, 3 pencils, pens, erasers and sharpeners in it.  There were 400 in total.  We went into the countryside first, then to Sabana Grande School, and finally into Playa Oeste, to Ilda’s school, where we will eventually open the Dominicanada Youth Development Centre.  Thank you Bob and gang for all your donations.

CRAFTS WITH CHRISTIANE

My friend, Christiane scheduled a craft workshop at the school this morning for our 5 teachers.  They were taught some Christmas crafts and in turn will show their students in time for Christmas.  We made decorations for Christmas trees, angels and Santas.  The class was to be for teachers only, but somehow along the line we ended up with 10 of our kids that joined in.  The teachers enjoyed their time, and the kids learned very quickly and were pleased to know they could take their crafts home with them.  Thank you Christiane for a wonderful morning.

SOLAR COOKERS

Our first attempt at parabolic cookers was very interesting.  We were trying to make a gasless cooker that our families could use to cook their meals when they can't afford to buy propane.  Parabolic solar cookers are very efficient and are used all over the world, in Africa and in Haiti.  However conventional parabolic cookers are quite expensive.  The proper parabolic type wasn't possible, so we attempted a makeshift cooker.  The problem is the aluminium is a special one, and we are not able to purchase it here in the Dominican Republic.  You can see in the photos that our water was very hot, but we will need this special aluminium to have it reach boiling point.  We will keep trying!

FITTING DAY

It was fitting day today!  We had the children try on their uniforms.  You can see in the photo below how happy the kids are.  They are so grateful to be able to go to school.  It is a privilege for them to attend. Every child that is lucky enough to get the chance is very grateful.  Thanks to all of you who gave them the opportunity!

UNIFORMS

The Director of our school, Ilda, and I went to Jimenez department store this morning to buy uniforms with the donated money from our bake sale.  It was a bit tricky trying to get all the sizes right, but we managed to purchase all the shirts, pants, socks, and shoes needed.  Most of the kids had outgrown their uniforms from last year, so there were many that wouldn't be able to attend school at all without these uniforms.  Thanks all!

NOTEBOOKS

Notebooks were purchased today and all the Dominicanada supporter’s stickers have been placed inside each front cover.  Each child now knows the names of their friends in Canada who sponsored their school notebooks with their bake sale donations.  All school supplies were also distributed to the children, all from the proceeds of our bake sale,  many thanks everyone!

PUERTO PLATA BOUND

Ally, Max and I flew back to Puerto Plata today; we’ll get Ally ready for her first day of grade 3, then I’ll purchase the school supplies and uniforms so that all my DOMINICANADA kids will be able to attend school as well.  The educational system is free here in the Dominican if children attend public school.  Our school is a municipal school, so there is a fee of $10.00 a month for our kids to go to school.  The biggest expense for the families is the school supplies and their uniforms.  Without the supplies and uniforms the children are not permitted to attend classes. 

DOMINICANADA BAKE SALE

The bad new is, my first attempt at the big bake sale was a flop.  It rained all weekend, and we didn’t have too many customers.   The good news is, my second attempt in July, was much better.  Sunny skies and lots of visitors.  I set up the sunroom at the cottage with lots of goodies that took me 3 days to bake, and our advertisement for free Dominican coffee was a big attraction. Chrissie, Lynda and Carolyn were there from our board of Directors.  Thanks for your help ladies!  All the proceeds will go towards notebooks for the children at the school. Each person that purchased $5.00 of baked goods was given a Dominicanada sticker that they signed saying they had donated that notebook for a child.  The sticker will be placed inside the front cover of each notebook, so that the children are aware of the person’s name that donated and wanted to help them.  The bake sale was great fun, the nicest part was just talking to all my neighbours, and it was a great day.  I have the best neighbours in Balm Beach!  Thanks to you all for your donations and support.

OFF TO CANADA

Ally, Max, and I flew to Canada today for our summer vacation.  I will also have a chance while here to do some networking and fundraising for Dominicanada.  Enjoy your summer everyone!

CANADIAN VISITORS

Julie and Leanne flew to Puerto Plata this week from Canada.  They were kind enough to bring extra luggage full of school supplies and medicine.  We went on a little tour today, to the Conani School.  There is a community clinic attached to the school.  I helped Julie and Leanne translate the instructions for the medicine to the nurses at the clinic.  We also stopped at Ilda’s Club Francisco del Rosario Sanchez School to drop off all the school supplies. Thanks Ladies!

LOGO

My creative brother in law Doug came up with a fantastic logo for Dominicanada today.  It will be our logo for t-shirts, I.D. cards for the kids, and more.  Thanks for a great logo Doug!

BIOS AND PHOTOS

I spent a very emotional day, compiling all the information and photos of the children and their homes.  So much poverty for me is bearable in small doses, but to see all this poverty compiled on paper is very difficult to witness.  I pull my strength from knowing that everything will be better for these kids in time.

HOME VISITS COMPLETE

Today I finished my 60^th home visit.  It was one of the most heart wrenching.  Jordania is 8 yrs old and lives with her grandmother and her aunt.   She was enjoying her 4 yr old cousin’s company when I was at her house to visit.  Her house is the farthest from the Centre, and in the worst condition.  Only 2 rooms for 4 adults and 2 children.  When I walked out to the back of the home, I was shocked to find her 28 yr old uncle, who is mentally challenged, living in what resembles a horse’s stall behind the house.  There was a bed frame with an old dirty piece of foam on it, which prompted me to ask if he slept there.  The family told me that he is always in that stall.  Up until a month previous, he was fixed to the bed with chains for fear that he would run away.  There are no facilities in that area for challenged children or adults.
My work must continue….

APPLICATIONS AND HOME VISITS

We are on our way; first step Applications and Home Visits!  I spent the day filling out applications with all of our Dominican mothers from the school.  I have known most of the children for a few years now, but today met half of their mothers.  We filled out their applications and I paid a visit to the homes with the mothers who will be joining our program.  I have seen a lot of poverty in the years I have been here, nothing really shocks me anymore, but the conditions of some of these homes, are the worst I have ever seen.  Some with dirt floors, no running water, and no toilets.  The backyard of most of their homes is the seashore, which in most cases would be pure luxury.  In the case of Playa Oeste the seashore is a garbage dump.  A very humbling day for me, a day that gave me strength to continue on, more determined than ever….

DOMINICANADA

Today is a great day!  I have made a personal commitment to open the Dominicanada Youth Development Centre here in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic.  My board of directors, who have been so helpful and supportive, are some of my closest friends and colleagues, thank you all for your positive energy.  There is such a great need in the area of Playa Oeste, most families are non-traditional, and most mothers are single.  The vicious cycle of unemployment is never ending.  Unemployment stems from a lack of education.  Therefore, we are dedicated to empowering underprivileged youth, to help them become self-sufficient young adults. Dominicanada will be a Youth Development Centre in Playa Oeste.  Our goal is to further educate the children of the community through recreational activities.  I will work along side Ilda Catalina Rosario my long time friend, and director of the Club Francisco del Rosario Sanchez School.  I will be working very closely with Ilda and 60 of the children from her school. Stay tuned.