Dominican Republic 2024

We started the day by meeting at the Crucero Community Center with La Piña community leader, Ramón. This was the final community leader that we wanted to hear from, so we were very thankful that he could find time to come speak with us.  After an afternoon of rest, we headed over to Hatillo to have coffee with some friends of Kim. We were able to hear all about these women’s experiences, as they grew up in rural Hatillo with 11 total siblings! A few of those siblings still lived in Hatillo, while several have moved to countries around the world. They told us stories of walking two hours to school, being one of the few homes with a radio, and sharing food with all those who pass by. The view from their homes was gorgeous as well. 

After we woke up on Tuesday, we were able to analyze Crucero’s water situation. We saw their cistern, their well, and heard a bit more about their struggles with water. We were then invited into the home of a mother in the community. There we were able to enjoy a nice cup of coffee and locally made ice creams. After lunch and a bit of rest we then presented for El Club de Madres. This is an inspiring club of women in Crucero who are the driving force behind most change in the community. This club is funded by the members and is able to help if anyone in the community is faced with unexpected troubles. After presenting and socializing with this wonderful group of mothers we headed back to the villa where we spent the rest of the night.

  We started off this day by sleeping in, which was much needed after several experienced a restless night. After a quick breakfast, the group headed off to the home of Maria, the lively and lovable neighbor of Kim and Carlos. Here, the group helped her prepare a large lunch, using a traditional dominican stove in the process. After the delicious meal, we enjoyed playing dominos and drinking homemade juice with Maria’s husband Malito. Unfortunately, after spending so much time outside, we were seemingly attacked by no-see-ums, leaving us with countless red and itchy welts :(. The rest of the day consisted of some much needed rest and relaxation, as a few were feeling under the weather. After a delicious dinner made by our own DVG, we enjoyed our last two rounds of hot seat, did devotions, cut up fruit, and had an early bedtime. Thank you to everyone who has been following along so far; we dare deeply grateful your interest and support in our mission!

Hi all! Today was a very fun day! Our day started with shopping in downtown Jarabacoa. After we got all of our goodies, we sat down at a juice bar for a much needed beverage and break. After juice, we headed back to the villa and had a classic build your own sandwich for lunch. We then went to Rancho Miel a local petting zoo in the Crucero countryside. We later  hung out at Club de Niños where we got to build connections with the community. We said a heartfelt goodbye to our Professor and Young-Sung and had a hearty stew dinner! Looking forward to what the next three days bring! 

 We started the morning off with breakfast: homemade johnny cake with syrup and bacon! Our morning, prior to lunch, was spent in the Hatillo community, where we looked into their water scenario and all equipment locations. Some of us hopped in the back of Eduardo’s truck and drove down the road from where we are staying to see their cistern, where many community members gather their water.  From there, we walked to their two wells and examined the piping and pump systems. The functioning well is meant to provide water for a few nearby houses and is also piped directly to the community’s cistern. It can only be turned on a few times a week, not nearly often enough to bring sufficient water. The other well is nearly dried up, and both wells have pumps that burn out quickly, leaving the community out of luck. Next, we got back in the truck and headed down to the nearby river, where the community had previously attempted to pipe water directly from. This system is no longer workin...

After a long day of walking and visiting the communities of Hatillo and Prensa de Yagua, we were brought to a ranchito to take a long rest. During our rest, we were graciously offered many snacks like homemade cheese and Dominican saltine crackers to replenish ourselves. We were also encouraged by the community leaders to play a full game of dominoes after hearing about our practice sessions from yesterday. We were very touched to see how welcoming the communities were, even amidst many problems and difficult situations. Students playing dominoes and resting in the ranchito. After the long rest, we thanked the community leaders and headed back to end the day with dinner (chicken noodle soup) and a group meeting, followed by a session of hot seat for dvg and some extra time to watch the national championship. :)