to be loved, as to love;
Dear Friends, “What’s Another Year?� was the name of a song in a Eurovision song contest some years back. It may well be very fitting for us in 2009. We will be celebrating seven years in the Dominican Republic. We have lots to be grateful for and as our home and children keep growing, we see the blessings of Fr. William Wasson in the everyday life of our children. From the day we accept a child and his/her siblings, we commit to doing our best for them through thick and thin. I have often been asked what part of our work is most difficult. I always respond the same: motivating the children to do their best and strive to fulfill their dreams. We recently had a case of trying to convince an eleven-year-old child that she is best served to stay with us, while she struggles with wanting to return to her grandmother (a woman with little means and, one might say, little interest). Even though the grandmother had been asked to come speak about issues regarding her granddaughter, she did not come. After a recent home visit, some of her old school friends spoke with her, and even they did not understand why she would want to consider returning to her old home. They themselves would gladly take her place if their families would only agree. Of course if you see this girl she does not look unhappy, and actually she is not unhappy. She is a girl struggling
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with indecision and confusion and trying to reach out. We do what we can to give her the attention she deserves and try to convince her we know best. I hope we will succeed. Everyone who has come to visit our home admires what a beautiful place we have, and it is. We have made many advancements during the past years but there is still a lot more to be done. The following report will give you a glimpse into our daily activities and accomplishments over the last year. I want to express my deepest appreciation to all the people who, in one way or another, have involved themselves in sharing the mission of Fr. Wasson with our children. My hope for the future is great, but nothing is accomplished alone, so stay in touch, keep the help coming and remember that we think of you often. With fond regards, Kieran Rigney National Director
House Direction The home worked with the Psychology Department and Family Services to provide workshops and lectures for both the children and caregivers, focusing on discipline and conduct and the communication gap between the house and school, between the caregivers and the children, and the caregivers and administration. The home has had a couple of changes: one, is hiring two cooks and having all three meals (breakfast, lunch, and dinner) prepared in the kitchen. Previously, breakfast was prepared in the individual homes, but that has changed due to costs. The home also has a new mechanic who is an ex-peque単o from Haiti. Another change is the start-up of the Youth Leaders program. The home hopes to address the issue of values in both the children and adults and construct the chapel in this coming year. We continue to strengthen the family unit so that we live and share as a family in peace, love and harmony and so that comprehension can be achieved. We are striving to develop not only the intellect of the children but also their spiritual side by implementing workshops that allow the children to discover their potential apart from their studies.
Sister Fanny Barragan House Director
Education The Education Department has accomplished a great deal in 2008 and has implemented many changes in the academic program. One of the biggest changes has been the construction, which started in January, of the second phase of the primary school. By the start of the school year in September, four classrooms were ready to be used. The additional space allowed for the Education Department to implement a seventh grade classroom, (the school was previously pre-school to sixth grade), an accelerated course for children that are academically behind age-wise, an English laboratory, and a religious laboratory. In 2008 the school hired a secretary, school psychologist, physical education teacher and four teachers. There are now 16 employees and three volunteers. We have 23 students enrolled from the nearby Batey Nuevo, ten students who are children belonging to NPH staff members, and 150 resident NPH children, making it a grand total of 173 students. There are seven NPH children enrolled in eighth grade. They attend school in the nearby town of San Pedro de Macoris. There is one child enrolled in an accelerated high school course, meaning he is completing his last two years of high school in one year. He is expected to graduate this year and will be the first child to graduate high school.
Employees: Caregivers: 44, Teachers: 17, Kitchen staff: 3 School: NPH students: 150, External students: 23, Students of NPH staff: 10
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There are many students that are exceptional but the story of Noel stands out. At the start of the 2007 school year, Noel was 13 years old and in fourth grade. During the school year, he studied hard and was able to test out of fifth and sixth grade. He is now in seventh grade with an average of 90. Noel is an exceptional case and serves as an inspiration for all the children that want to advance in their studies. Some of our needs are teachers’ desks, a printer that has the capacity to print a large quantity of worksheets, and two computer printers. We would like to implement workshops such as music, sewing, art, folkloric dance, and vegetable gardening. Apart from the workshops, the school would like to hire special education teachers and a speech therapist, but again we need funding. Another goal for 2009 is to reinforce the reading and writing skills of our children. Our home recently received a volunteer with the objective to start a library; therefore we need books, shelves, tables, chairs, and all other necessary library furnishings. The NPH school that was built in 2007 is an environmentally friendly building. The school is in the process of receiving an eco-friendly certification. If the school receives this certification, it will be the first eco-school in the Dominican Republic and we hope to receive the certification in 2009. Orlando Valdez School Director
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Youth Leaders On April 24, 2008, seven children participated in the very first youth leaders’ meeting at Casa Santa Ana. The Youth Leaders group is led by Sister Yadira Tautiva. The objective of the group is to create a sense of unity in the home and to teach the youth that they are integrated members of society. The youth learn to recognize their own knowledge, skills and abilities and to share them with other members in their community. The group also addresses self-esteem, values, leadership, responsibility, being actively involved; but above all, to be creative and develop projects that are both short and long term endeavors that will benefit the development of our home and younger children. Thus each participant has developed a project. Mireya developed a project that helps another NPH youth, who has a learning disability, to learn to read and write. Mireya meets with her three times a week. Junior and Victor developed a program that involved working with Casa San Esteban and Casa Santa Ana to lay gravel down and keep the courtyard of the homes clean. Jose completed a course in carpentry and used his new skills to develop a carpentry project with the boys from Casa Santa Rosa. This allows him to share his knowledge, skills, and abilities with other children in the home. He has taught the children how to measure wood boards. The other youth participants were going to help in projects of literacy.
One of our goals for 2009 is to create a project that generates responsibility and enthusiasm. The participants are currently investigating the costs of implementing a chicken and egg project in the home. The Youth Leaders program has started but still has a long way to go, but the participants have indicated the most important aspect is that they have started and are dedicated to the continued development of the program. Sister Yadira Tautiva Youth Leader Coordinator
Family Services / Workshops / Lectures The Family Services Department has three main objectives. 1. To provide psychological attention to the children and caregivers. 2. To capacitate the caregivers and children to manage situations that they are presented in daily life. 3. To train the teachers and caregivers about discipline in the classroom and home. Our team visits the houses on a daily basis to discuss any concerns or needs the children or caregivers have. The committee then meets the last Tuesday of every month to discuss workshops and training sessions that would be beneficial to our caregivers and children. On average, 20 to 40 caregivers participate in the training sessions. The caregivers have received the following workshops this past year,
Physical Abuse and Punishments, How to Handle Aggression, Ideas and Tools for Parents, Spirituality, HIV/AIDS, Practical Child Raising, and Teaching and Consequences. As a result of the workshops, trainings and lectures, the caregivers have learned to handle situations with better emotional control, improve their physical appearance, communicate better, participate in meetings and integrate themselves into a team. The children have received workshops on self-esteem, responsibilities, discipline, values, HIV/AIDS, and the children in third through sixth grade receive a sex education course. Children who are ten or older receive lectures on how to set good examples for the younger children through good behavior. The Family Service Department was fortunate to have a summer volunteer from Spain who gave lectures to all the office personnel and teachers on effective communication and team work, emotional IQ, public speaking, developing your potential, creativity and knowing yourself. The volunteer also spoke to the children about values, love, asking for forgiveness, and commitment. The Family Service Department is in charge of making sure children and caregivers receive technical courses that interest them. Peque単a Carmen, one of our NPH youth, expressed interest in attending beauty school. Family Services
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arranged to send Carmen to beauty school on Saturdays. Another child was interested in carpentry so he attended carpentry courses on Saturdays. The department also organized a sewing course for the caregivers and they will teach the children what they learned. In addition, the caregivers can now sew the school uniforms, curtains and other items in the home. The department also organized the summer internships for three of our children at CESPM, which is a local electrical company and an internship at Clientes Industriales, which installs windows. In 2009, a new employee will be responsible for the Family Service Department. Her goals are to improve communication and create unity between all departments, evaluate how the workshops and trainings are helping the caregivers and children, and promote stronger interaction between the older children and younger children and siblings. She would also like to integrate more workshops led by professionals in various specialized subject areas. Juana Rodriguez Family Services Coordinator
Social Work The Dominican Republic is a country that is a unique blend of races comprised of origins from Spain, Africa, the British Islands, and Haiti. At our home in the Dominican Republic, these various origins
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can be seen in the faces of our children. To us, our children are all Dominicans because they are born in the Dominican Republic and grow up speaking Spanish and learn the traditions of the Dominican culture, not the language or culture of their ancestry. However, the Dominican government does not want to recognize children that were born to illegal immigrants in the Dominican Republic. The government passed a statute stating that all children must take an academic exam to pass 4th grade, 8th grade, and again to gain entry into university. However, an individual cannot take the exam if he or she does not have documented papers. The Social Work Department realized that 72 children are undocumented. The goal to get all 72 children documented was realized by making contact with the “Junta Central”. As a result of the social worker’s efforts, all 72 children are currently awaiting their documents. In addition to documenting our children, the social worker has been busy investigating cases. She investigated 20 cases between January and October 2008. Of those 20 cases, 15 children have been accepted to NPH. Four children left the home between January and October 2008. The home currently has 170 children. There is a particular case that is exceptional for our social worker. Juan’s mother stated very clearly prior to her death that she did not want anyone in her family to care for her children. Therefore, her children
arrived to us from a nun working in the community where Juan and his sister lived. Juan is an eleven year old boy who has lived at our home, Casa Santa Ana, for one year along with his nine year old sister. The siblings also had a brother who decided to leave NPH. Upon arriving at our home, Juan was very thin and did not interact with the other children. He did not know how to eat with a spoon or fork and he did not know how to use a toilet because he was accustomed to going to the bathroom in a patio outside of his house. Even though he had been enrolled in school and liked it, he did not learn very much because he lived in an environment that did not support his academic learning. After one year in our home, Juan has gained weight, learned how to use a spoon and fork and an indoor toilet. His social skills have improved greatly and he interacts with the other children. Also, he is now able to read, write, count, and has graduated to first grade. Juan is a very well behaved child. He always says thank you, please and completes his responsibilities on time and with few complaints. There have been a few changes in the Social Work Department. One of these changes is the social worker now evaluates all the children entering the home because her title is clinical psychologist. Another change
included modification of the form that is used for children leaving the home. Our social worker would like to accomplish the following in 2009: investigate and present more cases to the committee, assist the children in traveling to other countries, and conclude the documentation of the 72 children waiting for their papers. In order to accomplish these goals, it would help to have a camera for taking pictures, a laptop computer, and filing cabinet to hold her files. Olga Lidia de Jesus Social Worker
Psychology The Psychology Department addresses children with mild, moderate and severe psychological problems. The children that suffer from these problems are either treated in Santo Domingo or the psychiatrist comes to the home. The children that have psychological problems have improved tremendously. The department also addresses conduct, emotional problems and low self-esteem issues. The school hired an educational psychologist who uses Montessori and dyadic techniques. Prior to the arrival of the school psychologist, our Human Resources Manager, who is also a psychologist, was evaluating the children in the school plus the caregivers. Now, the HR Manager evaluates the caregivers and the educational psychologist evaluates the children in school.
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Our school psychologist works with an average of 40 children on a regular basis. Other staff includes two volunteers, one art therapist, three physical therapists, and two support employees. There are many stories of children that have made tremendous progress with issues of self-esteem, poor behavior, and emotional problems. The case of Miguel stands out. Miguel suffered behavioral problems and was very aggressive. He would throw himself on the floor and spin in circles on the ground, throw rocks and say bad words to everyone. One day he was ready to fight with another child. The psychologist entered the house and was able to get control of the children by having them stand back-to-back and then slowly they lowered to the floor and spoke about the situation and Miguel’s feelings. Miguel is now a different child. He is an active member of the family. He is no longer aggressive but a leader in the home. He serves food to other children in his home and is in charge of putting toothpaste on their toothbrushes. Miguel no longer sees the psychologist on a regular basis. He is an exemplary case of a child that wanted to receive help and change his attitude and realized this opportunity existed at NPH. He has learned to accept himself and others. He is learning how to be affectionate and compassionate toward others by giving hugs rather than misbehaving. This is a big accomplishment for a child that was once unbearable.
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We would like to have a therapy room which features role playing activities, puppets, dolls, and memory/ sequence games. These types of activities help children discover their world and interests. Another room would be for occupational therapy and feature puzzles, games and other tools to develop skills for children that are emotionally or cognitively disabled. A speech therapist is also needed for our children with speech impediments. The psychologist hopes that the children will learn skills to manage their emotional, mental, and selfesteem problems so that they can become active, integrated, independent and productive members of society. Carmen T. Franco Juana M. Rodriguez Psychologists
Healthcare The clinic moved into its newly constructed building in May. It is composed of a dental lab, two examining rooms, a physical therapy room, laboratory, medical storage room, kitchen and three observation rooms. Several successful surgical procedures have been performed at health centers outside of NPH. These include an operation of a child with tenotomy who is now able to walk better. Another boy was successfully operated on for cryptorchism. A brother and sister received operations
to repair their perforated eardrums. Another child received corrective foot surgery enabling him to walk with both feet flat on the ground versus his previous condition in which he had to walk tip-toed on one foot. Besides accomplishing these operations, the clinic has had several successes. One was in January and the other in February in which two Canadian doctors examined the caregivers and women from the nearby community, Batey Nuevo. If needed, medicines were distributed to the women. In October, the Lions Club conducted eye exams, general exams, and dermatologic exams for all NPH children and for people from the surrounding communities. They also donated an extra wheelchair for a boy with cerebral palsy. As a result of having a new clinic building with more space, the Health Department has been able to implement several new procedures and programs. Children that are two to five years old go to the clinic once a day to drink milk and all liquid medications are administered by syringe. Children who are HIV positive go to the clinic for their snack which ensures that it is tailored to their special needs and verified by medical staff. Another new procedure is that all new children at NPH must first go to the clinic for medical
observation before being placed in their assigned home. The addition of a dental lab allowed for the home to make an agreement with the local university to have dental students directed by their professor come to the NPH clinic every Friday morning to examine the children’s teeth. A dermatologist visits the clinic once a month to treat our children with skin problems. Children continue to receive their vaccinations in the hospital nearby San Pedro, not in the NPH clinic. The clinic staff now consists of one part-time doctor, one public health volunteer, one full-time licensed nurse, two full-time auxiliary nurses and two physical therapy volunteers. The clinic is in need of furnishings such as beds, tables, fans, and lamps. The clinic also needs a fixed laboratory. The dental professor and her students are a great help to the home; however, a four-hour, one morning per week session is not a sufficient amount of time to treat the children. The clinic needs a dentist that visits the home more frequently. The home also needs a full-time doctor. The clinic is always in need of the following medications that are not expired: Dr. Christina Hafner-Eaton Public Health Officer Dr. Myra Vittini - Doctor Lic. Aurelia Mojica - Licensed Nurse Nicolasa Vasquez - Auxiliary Nurse
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Update on Lisbeth Thank you to everyone who has passed along requests and continued to pray for our most fragile child, Lisbeth. She has made significant progress recently. Lisbeth is an eight-year-old girl who joined our home in August of 2007 weighing only 16 lbs at the age of six. She suffers from Cerebral Palsy, gastric reflux, and severe malnutrition due to serious constrictions with her esophagus, the valves along her GI tract and stomach. Although Lisbeth’s weight had risen to 22 lbs, the Gastroenterologist recommended that she have surgery to place an external feeding tube into her stomach and ultimately have the constrictions in the GI tract altered. We hoped that this surgery would allow her to gain strength and weight, and ultimately move out of the new clinic into the special needs house. Unfortunately, there were complications a week after the surgery in October, requiring Lisbeth to be re-admitted to the hospital in critical condition. She has now returned home but her weight had dropped back down to 18 lbs. Since the last update, Lisbeth has gained a pound, which may not sound significant but it is a 5.6% increase in her weight. At such a low weight, every ounce makes a difference. This eight-year-old girl is a fighter but she has had many obstacles to overcome in her short life. Lisbeth likes to have her hair, arms and legs stroked and enjoys listening to music,
singing, TV, and the other children. Right now, she doesn’t have the benefit of much interaction with the other children because she needs one-on-one care in the clinic. We are truly blessed to have a caregiver who takes phenomenally great care of Lisbeth. This caregiver lives in the same room with her at the clinic and works full days and nights except for her three days off every two weeks. We have a gifted Physical Therapist volunteer from Austria who has a full program of therapy for Lisbeth. This type of stimulation is essential for Lisbeth’s recovery and continued progress because the body absorbs more nutrients when receiving touch therapy. While I was showing pictures to the toddler house, they saw a photo of Lisbeth and even the youngest children showed concern, empathy and love for her that brought tears to my eyes and a lump in my throat. When we have had visitors to our home they are very curious about any children who are ill because the vast majority of our kids are exceptionally healthy, happy and appear carefree. When they meet Lisbeth they are often brought to tears, not because of her dire situation, but rather they express tears of joy. They report knowing that Lisbeth wouldn’t be alive today if it wasn’t for the work of NPH. This is absolutely true and we all know that Lisbeth is teaching us all to be thankful for each and every day. Please pray with all of us that Lisbeth will continue to recover, gain weight and thrive. Dra. Cristina Hafner-Eaton
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Volunteers One of the biggest changes at our home has been the development of the volunteer program. In the previous years, the volunteer coordinator position was passed from one person to another. Thus, consistency, formal evaluations, and guidelines were not implemented in the program. Thanks to our two new volunteer coordinators, the program has changed.
Volunteer Needs: Activities coordinator for the Special Needs Children Computer Teacher Assistant
There are two individuals who perform volunteer coordinator functions in addition to their regular job responsibilities at NPH. One volunteer coordinator addresses conflict issues, transportation when the volunteers arrive, home responsibilities, and all contact prior to the volunteer arriving to NPH. The other one oversees the volunteer meetings, evaluations, and contact with NPHI and the volunteer after officially being accepted to NPH. The job duties being split between two people is a new concept in the volunteer coordinator arena. Other changes include an orientation and training program which was created for our summer volunteers and evaluations are now done to assess volunteers’ work. The two new volunteer coordinators have also implemented teambuilding exercises for our volunteers and are planning one or two retreats a year to create group cohesion amongst the volunteers. There are many exceptional volunteers, but there is one volunteer that goes above and beyond what
is expected of her. Kelly received the Samuel Harrington grant for $10,000 to start an English program and language laboratory in the school. Currently, Kelly has spent a portion of that money on English language textbooks, workbooks, and furnishings for the laboratory. In the future, Kelly would like to implement more computer technology as a learning tool in her classes. Besides giving English class to our children that are between the ages of two and eighteen years old, both adults and children from Batey Nuevo can attend classes. One of Kelly’s goals is to know every single child at NPH and teach them English in an informal setting. To accomplish this, she eats dinner in a different house every night and the children have to speak English with her. The Volunteer Coordinators planned our summer program which consisted of two parts. The first program was in the morning. Volunteers did sports activities, creative writing and arts and crafts with the children that did not need to do remedial work in school. The second program was in the afternoon and all but four children participated in two workshops. The workshops consisted of dance, cooking, art, recorder, music, carpentry, taekwondo, and computers. The four children that did not participate in the summer program did internships with businesses in the nearby community of San Pedro de Macoris. The summer program was a learning experience for the Volunteer
Art Therapist Gardener Maintenance
Summer volunteers served: 8, Volunteers served 6 months or longer: 14 PequeĂąos from Haiti who completed an internship: 2
Sewing Teacher Dominican Republic 11
Coordinators in that it allowed them to determine what aspects need to be improved upon, developed in further detail, or eliminated from the program. The home currently has four volunteers committed to one year of service. The goal for 2009 is to continue to establish and organize the Volunteer Department and to fill the volunteer positions mentioned above. Anne Gielen and Megan Popa Volunteer Coordinators
Agriculture In 2008, the Agriculture Department cleared a major planting field and planted plantains, sweet potato, yucca, pumpkin squash, eggplant, bok-choy, onions, cilantro, radish, squash, sweet potatoes, oregano, peppers, beans and chives. We have 150 fruit trees that provide the home with a variety of fruits including avocado, oranges, cherries, soursop, guava, mandarins, mangos, sour oranges, passion fruit, noni, tamarindo and papaya. In addition to planting, this was the first year that pigs were slaughtered for meat which provided the home with a total of 593 pounds of pork with a value of $1,000. We also slaughtered two cows which provided the home with 700 pounds of beef with a value of $515. This saved the home a large sum of money because a pound of pork and beef costs approximately $1.60. A pen enclosure
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was constructed and finished in July. The farm has three full-time employees, one part-time employee and one agronomist who has been coming to the home one day a week since September. These five employees cannot be responsible for the whole agriculture project, thus participation of the children is essential for operation of the farm and for creating unity in the home. The farm has been trying to get more children involved. As a result, 73 papaya trees are cared for by seven of the oldest girls. Two homes are caring for the yucca production and two older boys are in charge of feeding the pigs on the weekends. A local project called Dominican Experience consists of Canadians assisting in the caring of the farm and Project Green. Yendi and Nicolas cut down a branch of a guava tree without permission. They were promptly reassigned to work in the garden. Now they come to the garden everyday by choice and have taken ownership for their work and created a positive energy in the garden. In order to develop the agriculture program, the home needs a Farm Director, a wood-chipper, tractor, farm shed and office, truck, a zinc overhang for the cows and a pen for the goats. Our hope is to grow 50% of our vegetables, 75% of provisions or food supplies, and 15% of the fruit for the home in 2009. We would also like to have nutrition classes for the children, caregivers, kitchen staff and
medical personnel to develop a menu that has more fruits and vegetables. Marijo Rozycki Special Projects Coordinator
Project Green Apart from the agriculture projects, there is Project Green. Project Green focuses on recycling, composting, landscaping, vegetable gardening and environmental awareness. NPH Casa Santa Ana has been selected to participate along with 13 other Dominican schools in a nationwide Project Green project which consists of planting. Project Green is responsible for the landscaping of the home. The home has a volunteer that comes one day a week to help with the project. The landscaping crew has planted shade trees in the park and baseball field area and palm trees along the sidewalk to the school and in front of the office. Project Green is also in the process of creating a central area for garbage collection and recycling. The Day of San Francisco and blessing of the animals was led by Project Green leader Marijo Rozycki. The goals for Project Green in 2009 are to finish the park, start the Growing Connection project again, improve the current waste system, landscape the home, redo the site plan for all of NPH Dominican Republic and implement Project ITER, which is an educational agriculture project that has been implemented in the NPH homes of Mexico, Honduras
and Guatemala. The vision of Project Green in the upcoming years is to be a model and an example in recycling, composting, vegetable gardening and environmental awareness. The home is thankful for all the volunteers and donations that have contributed toward this vision. Marijo Rozycki, Project Green Coordinator
Spiritual Formation The Spiritual Formation Department has two programs: catechism classes held on Saturdays and religious education received in the school. The first aspect has focused on the sacraments initiated through catechism classes, Baptism and First Communion, for our children that are eight years old or older. These children receive classes on Saturday afternoons. As a result of the catechism classes, on February 2, 2008, three children were baptized and nine children received their First Communion. During Easter week, the home baptized six more children. The Eucharists were celebrated by Father Eduardo who shares the majority of his time with us in the Dominican Republic home. Also during Easter week, the children participated in a retreat at the NPH school. The retreat focused on teaching the children to recognize God in themselves.
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Besides Saturday Catechism, the choir rehearses and then the whole house rehearses the songs together. This routine changed in August because the volunteer that accompanied the choir on piano finished his service and returned home. The home is now fortunate to count on Sister Marisol, who has been sharing the beautiful gift of music with our children since October, plus she has started a youth music ministry. Sister Marisol has been reuniting the youth of our home and helping them develop their spirituality. Sister Fanny, House Director, is in charge of spiritual growth of the caregivers. The caregivers meet once a week to share the word of God and to grow in their faith. For the anniversary of Father Wasson’s passing, the celebration included recital of the prayer of peace and a variety of special events. Our children participated in a theatrical production that was a re-creation of Father Wasson’s life, recited poems and sang songs that gave thanks to God for the marvelous work that he permitted Father Wasson to accomplish in his life. The Day of San Francisco was another special day for us. On this day we gave tribute to nature. The children made posters and dressed in animal costumes and learned the importance of caring for nature. We also had a celebration where the word of God was shared and a spiritual link was created between the
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children, caregivers and volunteers in the name of Jesus Christ and competition games were created. Everyone enjoyed the celebration very much. The Spiritual Formation Department needs to implement this type of activity more frequently because many of the caregivers have asked for a similar event. We have organized pilgrimages to the Basilica Nuestra SeĂąora de la Altagracia and the children observed a special event, the ordaining of the priests. The children also made a pilgrimage to the Basilica and celebrate other special religious events. Our children go to Mass every Sunday and at least once on the weekdays. Every first Friday of the month, the children and their teachers celebrate Mass together in the school because we want the teachers to be part of the spiritual formation of our children. During the month of October, the children accompanied by their caregivers recited the Rosary daily. It was especially beautiful this year because the children took initiative by organizing themselves into their own Rosary communities and sectors. The second aspect of the Spiritual Formation Department is religious education that the children receive in the school. This is where the children learn more about the church, its structure, and workings. In every class, values are addressed. This year we received our own classroom and
educational religious games such as The Route of the Bible. These games develop a dynamism in class. God bless you. Sister Yadira Tautiva Spiritual Formation Director
Sponsorship The number of children in the Dominican home is continuously increasing which means the Sponsorship Department is always looking for new sponsors. The goal is to provide every child with five international sponsors and at least one local sponsor. This was the first year that local sponsorship was promoted. A formal brochure explaining sponsorship was created and distributed to all visitors. Copies were also strategically placed in the information points of a nearby hotel/
resort. In addition to the brochure, a stronger “word of mouth� promotion method was implemented. As a result of these promotional efforts, eight local sponsors and 956 international sponsors were obtained. A Canadian work group consisting of 96 people visited the home and 12 of the 96 decided to sponsor a child. The home had nine new children enter this year and each child has at least one sponsor. Six European sponsors came to visit their godchildren this year. An Italian sponsor visited her godchild on Mother’s Day and the home was having a special celebration to honor all the caregivers who act in a parental role for our children. During this celebration, the Italian sponsor spoke to the children about the importance of being a parent and the honor she felt to be a godparent and sponsor of one of our children.
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In order to manage the Sponsorship Department efficiently and effectively, beyond sponsors, resources are needed as well. This year the department received a color printer donated by our visitors from Canada and a desk donated by Ocean Rock. The new office construction completed in June of this year resulted in the Sponsorship Department acquiring its own office area. There is now sufficient space so that in the future, children can come to the office and write their letters rather than write them in their home. The Sponsorship Coordinator increased her knowledge about the sponsorship program by participating in a conference held in Mexico during September. The conference addressed revisions made in the NPH sponsorship process.
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The Sponsorship Department is composed of one person who serves as the Coordinator. However, for a few months, the Coordinator was fortunate enough to have a volunteer to assist in the translations and help the children write the letters. The department is looking for a volunteer to continue with these responsibilities. The department also hopes to obtain more local sponsors for 2009 and a local professional photographer who is willing to donate his time and skills to take portrait shots of the children and print the photos at a minimal cost for the home. The Sponsorship Department is satisfied with its progress and looks forward to 2009 so the program can continue to grow and new goals can be accomplished. Roseline Paul Sponsorship Coordinator
Maintenance and Construction The home in the Dominican Republic has only been on its current property since 2005; therefore, the infrastructure of the home is still being developed and many construction projects have been either finished or are in progress. Accomplishments: Construction of the clinic was finished in May of 2008. The building is 28 X 35.5 meters and consists of two examining rooms, laboratory, physical therapy room, kitchen, three observation rooms, dental office, bathrooms, medicine dispensary, meeting room, private bedroom for the nurses, and an open courtyard. Construction of the administrative office was finished in June of 2008. The office consists of a conference room, 12 offices, a small kitchen and eating area.
Sanitary systems were installed for the new school, office and clinic. A system of tubing was strategically laid so the school will not fill with water during rainstorms. The construction of the warehouse for the Maintenance/Construction Department was started in January of this year and is in process. A water purification room was built next to the kitchen. It is 6 X 450 meters and is composed of block, a cement roof, and a ceramic tile floor and walls. The actual water purification equipment was installed in August by a representative from DPM Water Technologies. The home is currently purifying its own drinking water. A baseball field was built in July for the children. Along with the installation of the oven and mixer for the bakery, we accomplished daily repairs to the homes such as fixing stoves and toilets and general house maintenance.
department consists of only three full-time employees and a volunteer from Washington who finished his service in August, 2008, but we are still in need of additional personnel. All construction workers are contracted which helps us save in costs. We also have a need for a power auger, generators, batteries, electric wiring that is size 10, 12, and 14 and an industrial bench for the woodworker. We are grateful to Canada for the donation of two electric generators of 50 horsepower and to a Chicago work group for the donation of a lawn mower. Our team is always impressed and motivated by the interest and involvement of the international visitors who visit our home and dedicate their time, energy and skills to help us progress. Some additional construction needs are a warehouse, sidewalks and curbs, streets, vocational workshops for the children (plumbing, electricity, auto mechanics and wood-working). Francisco Reinoso Maintenance Director
We have accomplished a significant amount of work considering our
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Outreach Sanitary Installations in Batey Nuevo, Batey Aleman and La Cubana Our Casa Santa Ana home is located about 10 km outside of San Pedro City. The land is located in the middle of sugar cane fields. In earlier times, it was grassland that was used for pasture. Because of security reasons, our property is surrounded by a 2m block wall. The only neighbors we have outside the wall are the residents of a small and very poor village, called Batey Nuevo. Some kilometers north there is another likewise poor Batey called La Cubana, and south, another one called Batey Aleman. In order to maintain a close relationship with our neighbors, we try to extend our help and support. We do this by employing our neighborhood men as construction workers, the women as caregivers or cleaners, accepting their children in our school, providing medical attention, and in whatever other ways possible. However, there is still an obvious and immense economical distance between “inside” and “outside” the wall. The living and hygienic circumstances in Batey Nuevo, Batey La Cubana and Batey Aleman are on the lowest level of what you can find in the country. None of the households have running water and electricity is available only a few hours per day. For this reason, we try to realize small relief projects to improve their living circumstances.
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The purpose of the project “Latrines” is to provide our neighbors with new and functioning sanitary installations, to improve hygiene and help fight against illnesses. The existing sanitary facilities were constructed in the 1970s by the government and have not been maintained. They are deteriorated and have been in nonusable condition for many years. Thanks to donations from our friends from Canada and local workers, this year we were able to build three latrines for three family units in Batey Nuevo, one in Batey La Cubana, and one in Batey Aleman. The families are more than thankful! Thank you to all the helpers! House for Ramon In Batey Nuevo, we also helped construct a little one-room house for Ramon, a disabled painter who is trying to teach the Batey children about art and painting. He is not originally from the Batey and had no place to stay or paint. Now he has his own place and he is very happy and thankful. House in Santa Fe In March of this year, the small, wooden house of the family members of our gardener, Carlito, burned down completely. None of his six children were harmed but they had no place to live anymore. Right after the disaster they were living with neighbors. Thanks to donations from J&J Kids from Chicago, we were able to rebuild a little home made of block walls and a tin roof for the family.
Education – Alfabetization Course for Adults There are many people in the Batey who are aware of their lack of education. Although eager for knowledge, they never had the opportunity to study or to learn a craft. Many of them are illiterate. They would love to learn to read and write. Others who already know how to read and write would love to learn to use a computer, and others who are more technically talented would love to learn a trade. In March 2008, we formed a reading and writing class for a group of ten women. Unfortunately, classes have been temporarily suspended until an adequate teaching room can be built. Micro Loans There is no real “Mom and Pop store” in the Batey, no access to the most basic foods like rice, beans, plantains, potatoes, chicken, drinking water etc. or to the most basic house wares or hygienic articles like soap, washing powder, toothpaste etc. There are several people that would love to administer a small business selling food, meat, hardware, etc., and that would have the capability, but the seed capital is not available. Others would like to open small service businesses like a beauty salon, a barber shop, a cobbler shop, or a repair service, but again, without seed capital it is not possible. In cooperation with Project Esperanza, we are in the process of working out a system of micro loans to allow people, the Batey women especially, to start small businesses.
Medical Thanks to the Midwest Medical Mission group organized by Maureen Tippen in March 2008, we were able to realize a successful medical operation in Batey Olivares. Batey Olivares is a very poor Batey not far from our home and remotely located from the main road. Normally, help from the outside world has not been made available. This was the first medical group to work there and the mission was a success. Hundreds of children and adults were examined and medicated. The Midwest Medical Mission group and village were organized and people were extremely grateful. The Mission group is planning to return again next year and is already thinking of how to screen people who would need surgery and get them to the Antonio Musa Hospital, the public hospital in San Pedro where the Mission group will be active in 2009 as well. Furthermore, we had a second medical operation in October where all of our children were checked and treated as well as members of our neighbor communities, Batey Nuevo and Batey Monte Cristi. This operation was organized by the local Lions Club and Lions from Puerto Rico. There were ophthalmologists, dentists, dermatologists, pediatricians, and other medical professionals doing the check-ups and administering medications. It was a huge success.
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Future Projects Our NPH home in the Dominican Republic is surrounded by Bateyes. The Bateyes were built by the sugar cane field owners or companies to provide housing for their workers, the sugar cane cutters. Most of the Bateyes don’t have running water or electricity. In earlier times, the inhabitants had an income, at least during six months of the year, cutting the sugar cane. Nowadays the situation is worse. The sugar cane export has decreased dramatically so many sugar cane fields lie idle. The unemployment and poverty rate in the Bateyes is incredibly high. The population of those Bateyes consists of many children and the majority are in need of the most essential things. Often the economic situation does not even allow having one plate of rice a day, not to mention hygienic items like soap, washing powder, medicines, clothes, books, or school uniforms for the children. Our NPH home started helping with the above mentioned projects in the nearby Bateyes, trying to better the living circumstances within the bounds of economic possibilities. We would like to establish an extra fund on a yearly basis to assist our neighbors with projects such as building latrines; repairing broken roofs, doors and windows; painting houses; and purchasing medicines, diapers, and milk powder for babies. Thank you for your support. Kirsten Henschel-Rolla Outreach Coordinator
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