The Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic occupies the eastern two-thirds of the island of Hispaniola, which it shares with Haiti. It has a tropical climate and year-round trade winds keep temperatures between 72 and 83 degrees. Nearly three out of four Dominicans have both black and Caucasian ancestry. Spanish is the official language, and 95 percent of Dominicans are Catholic. Nearly 90 percent of Dominicans live in rural areas where unemployment is high and malnutrition is widespread. A family's diet consists mainly of rice, beans and chicken. Though agriculture was long the economic mainstay, recent years growth in tourism has made the service sector the country's largest employer.
Where We Work
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Bavaro
Bavaro is a city of about 50,000 people. It is a city of huge contrasts elegant malls and resorts of Punta Cana next to neighborhoods of shacks. Most of the poorest neighborhoods are made up of Haitians that came to the city looking for work. Many of our Haitian students in 2nd Mile Education Center do not have “papers” which means they don’t have a birth certificate. Most schools will not allow them to attend without this documentation; however we have made the exception. Typically schools will charge tuition of $40 to $200 a month. The more you pay, the better your education will be. Because there is not a tax base in the DR, public education is rare. The cost of living is high; gas is $7 a gallon, milk is $5 a gallon. Housing is so expensive that 3 or 4 families may share one apartment. Services such as food banks, food stamps, welfare, or healthcare are not available for the poor. Education and learning English are the keys to breaking the cycle poverty. Individuals without education can only hope to make $10 a day. Opportunities for better working conditions and high paying jobs are available for those with education and knowledge of the English language. Our goal in 2nd Mile Missions is to continue providing opportunities for children to grow spiritually and academically so we can help them break the cycle of poverty in their world.
2nd Mile Missions | P.O. Box 733 Winona Lake, IN 46590 | 574-268-5339 | info@2ndmilemissions.org
