Dominican Republic
 

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Country Profile

Welcome to the Dominican Republic! CRWRC has been working in the Dominican Republic since 1983. Home to some of the richest culture of both "Old" and "New" worlds, the Dominican Republic is filled with signs of its heritage. Sharing the island of Hispaniola with Haiti, the Dominican Republic has seen major developments over the last years. Originally claimed for Spain by Columbus in 1492, it was ruled by Haiti for 22 years before achieving independence in 1844. Years of non-representative rule came to an end in 1966 with the election of Joaquin Balaguer who maintained a tightly controlled government. Since 1978, democratically held elections have proved successful, placing opposition candidates in government.

CRWRC's major area of focus has been working with the Haitian immigrants that live permanently in the Dominican Republic. Through the programs of Diaconía Reformada (a program of the Dominican CRC), CRWRC is working to improve the well-being of these people In addition, Asociación para la Visión Integral (AVI) and train local churches to work with reach out to their communities doing with transformational ministries.

Fast Facts

Population: 9,956,648 (July 2011 est.)
Area Comparative: slightly more than twice the size of New Hampshire
Literacy rate: 87%
Life expectancy: 77.31  years
Population below poverty line: 42.2% (2004)
Gross Domestic Product per capita: $8,600 (2010 est.)
Religions: Roman Catholic 95%
Languages: Spanish

(From the World Factbook. Click here for more information on Dominican Republic)

Partners

Diaconía Reformada is a program of the Christian Reformed Church of the Dominican Republic. This program trains local churches to work with their reach out to communities through with a variety of ministries such as:

  • Diaconal Training – The Diaconía promoter works with local church committees to promote transformational development in their communities. Churches investigate what local needs are and begin to plan small programs to help meet those needs.
  • Income Generation - Diaconía trains groups of people to form savings groups, which enable participants to invest in their homes or micro businesses. The income earned by participants plays a significant role in the family economy.
  • Literacy - Through this program, local volunteers are trained to lead literacy classes each week. Community members attend classes two or three times each week and improve their reading, writing, and math skills.
Staff Newsletters

We Did It Ourselves ~ July 2011

Communities Use Resources from Within to Create Change ~ March 2011

Christmas Greetings from Santo Domingo ~ December 2010

Saving Groups Provide Hope ~ September 2010 

Update from Santo Domingo ~ June 2010

Response to Haiti Earthquake: A Sign of Transformation in the Dominican Republic ~ March 2010

What Do Eggs Have to do With HIV? ~ December 2009

Diaconal Training Transforms Community ~ August 2009