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!