Caraballo Community Center

Project Specifics:

• Name of Project: Community Center of Caraballo
• Location: Caraballo, North Coast, Dominican Republic
• Type of Facility: Community Library, Caraballo Boutique, Lawrence Academy South Preschool, and Youth Group
• Ownership: DREAM Project
• DREAM Start date at Project: June, 2003
• Special Donors: Add Your Light Foundation, Crossroad Foundation, Dunn Family Foundation, Elizabeth Ann Clune Montessori School, Lawrence Academy School, Oportunidades Para Niños Foundation, Ron Slack, St. Lattingtown ECW and the US Embassy.

Project Overview:

In the Dominican Republic, the word "batey" (bah - tay) denotes the living quarters or "neighborhood" of resident cane cutters on land belonging to a large sugar company. Batey Caraballo lies among the sugar cane fields of Montellano in the province of Puerto Plata. The overwhelming majority of residents of Batey Caraballo are of Haitian or Haitian-Dominican descent.

Although workers are granted a small plot of land on which they may build a home, the living conditions are far from desirable. Batey Caraballo is located on low-lying, overcrowded land, which is prone to flooding. In 2004, a mass housing project was introduced by the Christian CrossRoads Foundation and has provided up to 240 houses primarily for Haitian residents of the batey. This housing project called Villa Asencion is a model village of simple block housing that attracted families from all along the northern coast. The arrival of strangers to Caraballo has caused uneasiness and concern amongst the locals, especially the Dominicans who feel left out of the housing opportunity. Racism has escalated within the last 2 years as well as violent crimes. In addition, the batey is isolated geographically from the surrounding communities by the extensive cane fields and dilapidated road. This physical isolation is intensified by language and cultural barriers that make it virtually impossible for the cane workers and their families to seek services or create the social networks that are so vital to their well being.

The situation is further complicated by the fact that many cane cutters and their families are without legal documentation of citizenship. Under Dominican law, children without legal documentation are not permitted to attend Dominican public schools. Within Batey Caraballo, approximately eighty children of Haitian descent are unable to attend the local elementary school.

However, due to a recent change in the local school system that allows some Haitian children to attend the public school, what was going to be a schoolhouse will now become an educational center for Haitians and Dominicans alike.

In September 2003, the Crossroad Foundation donated a parcel of land with a clear title to The DREAM Project. Soon after, the DREAM Project received a generous grant from the Dunn Family Charitable Foundation that covered the cost of building the educational center.

In March 2004, a group of students and faculty from Lawrence Academy in Groton, Massachusetts worked hand-in-hand with members of the Caraballo community to build this unique community center and preschool.
Efforts from an NGO from the Netherlands, Oportunidades Para Niños, have enabled us to expand the community center project. In addition, in January 2004 we were approached by Add Your Light, a Canadian NGO that has now donated two buildings to our site, making this a truly international collaboration.

All of these efforts have been a huge success, thanks to the efforts of students and faculty Lawrence Academy in Groton, Massachusetts. For three consecutive years, Lawrence Academy has held service trips to work hand-in-hand with members of the Caraballo community to develop all of these projects, impart lasting contributions and form meaningful friendships. To date they have built a preschool, furnished a community center, and constructed a garden and sports field.

In February 2004, the DREAM Project helped the women of Batey Caraballo to start an organization of their own: Haitian Women for Community Development Through the Education of Our Young. This group was originally formed to help the community solicit its first Peace Corps volunteer to help teach them and their children how to read and write. The organization has since come to play an important role in helping this community to empower themselves.

CARABALLO COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS:

LAWRENCE ACADEMY SOUTH PRESCHOOL: ANDREA RIDDLE MONTESSORI PROGRAM

The preschool opened in April of 2005 as a half-day school for 27 young children ages 3 – 6 but soon expanded into a full day program to enroll another 30 children on the waiting list. Now in 2007, the school boasts 3 full-time local Montessori school trained teachers, a DREAM Volunteer and a total of 65 students. The teachers & director come from Haiti, the Dominican Republic and the United States. A feeding program has also been established during both morning and afternoon sessions, where students enjoy a balanced meal. The Padres, Amigos, y Maestros (PAM) Association was established in December of 2006 with the help of the Peace Corps Volunteer to increase parental involvement in the school and to provide assistance to the teachers. Everyday parents rotate duties enabling the teachers to spend quality time with the students. The Elizabeth Ann Clune Montessori School in Ithaca New York serves as DREAM´s sister school and has provided volunteers with teaching expertise as well as Montessori manipulatives.

YOUTH GROUP:

The “Nueva Generacion” ESCOJO MI VIDA Youth Group meets every Wednesday afternoon. A group of approximately twenty 13-19 year olds address topics affecting youth at a national level. They confront issues such as HIV/AIDS, STDs, and teenage pregnancy as well as learn life skills such as teamwork, leadership, communication, and decision-making skills necessary in daily life. The youth group forms part of a national movement of ESCOJO groups for which national, regional, and sub-regional conferences provide the tools and support necessary to form and sustain the group. Our program trains the youth to be “Multipliers” who will be able to carry on the message and information learned to other youth and community members. This group has traveled through out the country giving charlas, or presentations, using local entertainment such as dramas, dances, and songs as an effective way to reach the population. They recently established a fundraising project, producing perfumed floor cleaner and disinfectant.

COMMUNITY LIBRARY:

One of the metal structures donated by the Rotary Club serves as a community library. Books have been donated by a variety of sources and include basic level storybooks and high school level novels in English and Spanish. Spanish-English dictionaries and a set of encyclopedia are also on hand as reference materials. The library is run full-time by a community member since October 2006, who has been working hand-in-hand with the local schools to start reading corners in the classrooms and with the Montessori school to establish a reading program. Also, a checkout system has been working effectively, allowing any community member to borrow and return books. The library space serves as the meeting room for Montessori teacher staff meetings and youth group meetings.

CARABALLO BOUTIQUE:

The Boutique opened in January 2007 in the other metal structure on our compound donated by the Rotary Club. The store is run voluntarily by the Montessori school teachers, librarian, and the Peace Corps volunteer and is opened every Thursday after 4 pm. The items in the store include clothes, shoes, house ware, and toys, all of which are donations made to the DREAM Project in Cabarete and then delivered to us in Caraballo. All profits from the store are reinvested in the school, library, and/or store. For example, the profits from the first week of sales allowed us to install electricity in both the store and the library. Profits are also used to furnish the store and improve its organization with clothing racks, shelves, and hangers. Donations are constantly needed to continue introducing new items.

SEW-4-BOOKS PROJECT:

In October 2006, a group of Americans from St. John’s of Lattingtown Episcopal Church Women’s donated 5 suitcases of new cloth to the community. Our librarian, a skilled seamstress, decided to take on the task of sewing items most in demand in Caraballo. She began sewing tablecloths, table runners, place mats, bed sheets with pillowcases, and knitted table centerpieces as a way to fundraise for materials and books needed in the library. Items have sold in the community and through DREAM affiliates in Cabarete. Our long-term plan is to own a few sewing machines which can then be used to teach vocational sewing skills. We hope to form sustainable relationships with people who could continue to donate cloth and material, and continue to build a demand for our products in tourist locations nearby.

 

Project Timeline

2006/2007

• Water Project installed in February 2007
• Floor Cleaner and Disinfectant Fundraiser established February 2007
• Fence Project around Center started in January 2007
• GrassRoots Soccer-inspired program has 16 youth graduate as trainees
• Caraballo Boutique opens with donations from DREAM
• “Vamos a Leer” Reading project established in Montessori School
• Padres, Amigos, y Maestras (PAM) Association established at Montessori School
• Step-by-Step Training for 3 teachers from the Caraballo Public School
• Montessori School introduces new school menu providing varied and balanced meals
• Sew-4-Books Project established in Caraballo
• Fulltime Librarian hired to manage Community Library
• Cloth donation arrive from St. John’s of Lattingtown community service group
• Book donations arrive from the International Book Project
• Youth Group presents charla in Montellano, Sosua, Puerto Plata, Santiago
• ESCOJO MI VIDA Youth group begins their Peer Educator Curriculum

2005/2006

• Padres, Amigos, y Maestras (PAM) Association established at Montessori School
• Book donations arrive from the International Book Project
• Sew-4-Books Project established in Caraballo
• Full-time Librarian hired to manage Community Library
• Montessori teacher, Donyan Shadions, begins one-year fellowship position and implements a Montessori program
• Montessori materials donated by Elizabeth Ann Clune Montessori School
• Repairs made on Community Center and Rotary structures
• Delivery of bi-annual supplies
• Second Lawrence Academy group paints Community Center, organizes library, builds baseball field with bleachers and volleyball court/soccer field
• Inauguration of sports field
• Youth Group founded
• Sustainable candle making courses for Women's Group

2004/2005

• Books, supplies & furniture donated to community center library
• Peace Corps volunteer begins two year assignment
• Complete diagnostic of community
• Bathrooms, sinks and cistern installed
• First Lawrence Academy group builds Community Center
• Inauguration of Community Center

2003/2004

• Peace Corps volunteers solicited
• School supplies received and stored
• Add Your Light donates two aluminum buildings
• Selected plot of land
• Oportunidades Para Niños makes a donation
• Crossroads donates land

2002/2003

• DREAM Project founded
• 1999-2002
• Christmas dinner donations
• First christmas dinner donation
• First batey visit

Project Goals

• To expand our trilingual preschool into a full-day program.
• To support and train Montessori Dominican and Haitian teachers.
• To create a safe, supportive environment that draws upon the strengths of all individuals
• To train and empower local community members in leadership positions so that they can run community programs such as the library, youth groups and clothing shop, and continue to work towards the betterment of their community.
• To foster cooperative education and cultural awareness within our diverse community
• To inspire an atmosphere of respect and cooperation.

Project Needs

• Playground: DREAM is soliciting donations to construct an outdoor playground and sustainable garden.
• Computers and printers: Computers and printers that are in good working condition can be delivered directly to the DREAM Project in the Dominican Republic.
• Volunteers: DREAM is currently seeking Montessori-certified volunteers to work in the school and continue teacher training for the 2009-2010 academic year. Please refer to our volunteer page for more information.