The Dominican Journey
November 3 - 11, 2001
Church World
Service / CROP
The delegation that was
organized by the
Church World Service
Carolinas Regional office returned from their 8 day
Dominican Experience on Sunday, November 11th. This group of 12
persons met with partners in the Dominican Republic that receive financial
assistance from CWS. The three groups that served as our host on this
important visit were Social Service of the Dominican Churches (SSID), The
Group of Interdenominational Pastors (GPI) and Caminante/Atrevete (the
Dare Project).
Children of the bateyes
The
participants experienced firsthand the lifestyle and struggles of urban
and rural families in a developing country and visited specific projects
sponsored by Church World Service. They visited agricultural initiatives,
programs to assist Dominican street children, micro-enterprise projects
with rural women's groups and schools and assistance programs for Haitian
sugar cane workers living in the Dominican Republic.
Covering
two-thirds of the island of Hispaniola, which it shares with Haiti, the
Dominican Republic is a geographically and culturally diverse nation.
Known for its old Spanish ruins, palm-lined beaches, and lush rain
forests, it exhibits a mix of Spanish, African and indigenous influences.
Rural village children
To gain an
understanding of the culture and the challenges for economic development,
the participants were introduced to daily life in the "campo" (rural
community life); Dominican music, dance and religious life; politics and
U. S. relations; and "Bateyes" - isolated Haitian worker communities.
Click here to access a
report on the "situation of Haitian migrant workers and their families in
the Dominican Republic" that was compiled by the Inter-American Commission
on Human Rights.
Batey housing
The trip was
led by the
Carolinas Regional Director
for CWS/CROP, Joe Moran and Assistant Regional Director, Kevin McCoy.
Joe is a veteran leader of
numerous CWS overseas trips and brings 11 years of experience living and
working in Latin America. Joe has visited Aldersgate on several occasions
to assist in our own CROPWALK efforts.
Kevin is a former Peace Corps
Volunteer and veteran traveler in developing countries. He lived and
worked for 2 years in the rural community of Sabana de la Mar in the
Dominican Republic.
Joe Moran
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Click Here to view Photo Albums of the Dominican
Journey. |
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