Dominican Republic
About The Dominican Republic Child Champions in the Dominican Republic tell us about their country.
The Dominican Republic is a country that occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island of Hispaniola. A place of beauty and color, it boasts scenic tree-covered mountains and lovely white-sand beaches along with sugarcane fields, a variety of traditional cuisine, local music, and a deep love for the game of baseball. The people are friendly and charismatic with the ability to express joy even during difficult times. And this resilience is sorely needed because in the Dominican Republic, there is a vast rift between the privileged and the poor.
Most of the slums are located in the middle of cities where employment is low, crime rates are high, and crowded homes are constructed from a mixture of low-quality materials. The air is filled with the smell of decay, and black water runs down garbage-lined streets. Many households have simple electronics but no access to education or enough food to eat. The strain of deprivation often leads to neighbors taking out their anger and depression on one another, resulting in yelling, name-calling, and other acts of hurtfulness and disrespect. And the children caught up in the midst of these difficulties are the ones who suffer most.
OneChild is committed to bringing hope to the hard places, which in the Dominican means going to areas near larger cities but that remain underrepresented because basic services, educational opportunities, and ways to earn a livable income either do not reach them or are being withheld. OneChild’s dedicated Child Champions represent “hope in the flesh” in this space by going where no one else will.
Dominican Republic Hope Centers
Child Champions at OneChild’s Hope Centers in the Dominican Republic are given the freedom to work within their local context, selecting appropriate resources and using them according to the level of need in the surrounding community. The program follows this model, supplying what children and families need in any given moment. For example, OneChild in the Dominican Republic prepares kids for higher education, offers adolescents life-skills courses, and helps families of sponsored children by providing quality day care. OneChild also provides food relief and the opportunity to hear the gospel. In this way, we’re able to serve the whole child and give them the best chance at a better life. Most of all, kids are shown daily examples of God’s love, which gives them the best reason to HOPE.
Future opportunities for the children and youths in the Dominican Republic are the key to the success of the country. And with educational, vocational, socio-emotional, and spiritual guidance from OneChild, the next generation can thrive.
We are accountable to the children we serve AND to our donors.
Our accountability to our donors is one of our highest priorities. Our goal is to use the funds entrusted to us as wise stewards. To do this requires continued monitoring of our fund distribution. OneChild is also a member in good standing with the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA)