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I visited the Dominica School  in Santo Domingo for the fifth time and spent a week with them. It is managed by two orphans. Alexis ran the orphanage first, then asked his sister, Dominica, to join him in his efforts six years ago.

Last year I went to help facilitate the delivery of a car from Fiat Representatives  and Fiat Credit in France ( go to http://www.4dshift.com/fifth.htm ).

Here is an update. I found some improvements:

- the TELEPHONE, a running and insured CAR,

- some computers, and good clothes-- thanks to a delivery from the Maison de Sagesse. (House of Wisdom)

- and I found more kids in school (150, from ages 2 to 8) as well as more teachers, and an assistant Nanny.
I also found problems:

-  Almost no food for the 36 orphans and abandoned children; the U.S. church’s help stopped for 6 months due to a change in pastors.

- A generator was in the pawnshop, in order to get $312 to feed the kids. I had to pay $116 for the 3 months it was there (they charged 37% interest—amounting to 154%/year!)

-  And an uncertain future for Alexis, 29, who finally finished his Masters degree in education, but could not work in his field, since he needed to find $281 to pay his student debt and get his diploma… I seemed to be very tired of running the orphanage part-- and no wonder-- it is a 24h job, 7 days a week and he has done it for 11 years straight. That is why I need your help.

So the $750 I had raised in the hope of taking the children to a restaurant, had to be spent instead to feed the orphans for 2.5 weeks, get the generator out of the pawnshop, and furnish water for the sink of the new kitchen. (The kitchen stands in the far corner of the lot, 100 yards away. It had to be moved there for the safety of the kids, because classes were being held within yards of a leaking gas tank. This " kitchen" is actually a plywood shack; no one in this country would call it a kitchen.)

I updated the list of their current needs and already found two Pentium 75 computers! Who knows what you can contribute to the kids’ needs or dreams:

• vitamins, shampoo, toothpaste, toothbrushes, nice ribbons & gizmos for girls’ hair, etc., hyssop tinctures (it clears the lungs remarkably well)…

• dried fruits, raisins, etc. (I heard Cell Tech’s BlueGreen Algae would also be an effective concentrated food source for the kids)

• a camera for David, the 10 year old child with AIDS, who also needs IMMUNE boosters. He was not well at all during this trip.

• 10 to 12 recent computers (they traded in the laptop I brought for 3 Macintosh SE 30’s to teach the kids typing, accounting, etc.).

• Some Word and Excel programs for both IBM and MacIntosh, games, blank discs, keyboards (since the country uses U.S. keyboards-- not French ones-- to go with two 1994 Vectra 486/25UL’s and two San Sung DeskMaster 386 S/16’s).

• 50 pairs of sandals and/or tennis shoes (mostly ages 2 to 8)—the Original Rugged Skid Resistant is ideal for the coral

• 50 pairs of shorts and blue jeans, plus underwear - 30 backpacks

• $700 for the car insurance, due in July

• some cassettes or CD players. Also, they have only 1 huge TV (as the other got stolen)

• some requested a remote control car or truck

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

* any large pots and pans for the kitchen. They feed the 36 kids with only 2 large pans, and NO knives until I arrived

a US monitor to hook to computer I sent. We found out the French ones do not work!

•   They are very creative, so lots of toys and materials to build masks, to draw, to color, etc.
• - Lots of clothes-- including sweaters-- as it gets chilly at this time of year (50 to 60 degrees at night)-- mostly for ages 2 to 12, plus a few adult sizes for the director, Alexis, and 9 teachers or helpers, all women.

• $400 for Dominica’s school debt at the university, so her name can reappear in the computer! She should get a clinical psychologist’s degree in September 2001.

• $2,200 for the 2 months teachers’ pay during the summer. There are 7 teachers, who earn an average of 2,500 pesos/month.

• any money to start building the foundation and first floor of the new school, so that the 22 kids graduating this year can continue their studies within the same environment. (I hear the government recruits the brightest for a military school.)

a pair of boots for Vilecki, 12 years old, and a backpack. She helps with Atena, 2, Dominica’s daughter.
 
 
 
 

-  $600-$800 to be able to send Dominica to a conference in New York which gathers all the innovative educators from the Developing World. And Free mileage for Dominica's trip  to New York in September

- a Nintendo for Armando, since his mother is often VERY busy with emergencies. (Do you know of a second-hand one and games?)

- And of course, some volunteers to help build the future school!

I have 2 volunteers to carry duffle bags within 2 months, like this one I brought!

If you feel drawn to help, PLEASE SEND A CHECK to CITY OF JOY AID, Inc. at 7419 Lisle Avenue, Falls Church, VA, 22043. The tax deductible ID # is 54 1566941. Or contact Marie Allizon at 703.847.6147.

I left Washington with 240 pounds of clothes, shoes, toys, gadgets, vitamins, 2 laptop computers, 1 fax and 1 printer!!! Besides the $95 I had to pay for that extra bag, it all arrived safely. I also took 10 discs of photographs. The kids loved instantly seeing their faces on my digital camera… There was a lot of "Let me see!" "Ooooh!" and squeals of laughter.

The afternoon after my arrival, I took 10 kids to the beach, which is still a rare occasion for them. We met a Canadian there who rented me an apartment by the beach in Juan Dolio, and allowed me to take up to 4 orphans with me for the week. I would not have felt comfortable spending $90 to $100 by myself at a hotel (I could not find cheaper in peak season). This way, $400 covered food and lodging for 4 kids for 7 days. You should have seen the joy of those children: Pena, Melissa, Jose Antonio, and Yulissa. We swam, walked a lot, talked to the stars, found starfish, chased crabs and watched sunsets… you name it; we discovered it all.

Dominica, 34, manages the entire school part by herself, teaches the first grade, and is a true "Mama" to the orphans in need. It is not always easy to have orphans or abandoned kids. I found this out myself when my favorite, Peno, 5, woke up hysterically one day, crying for 10 minutes straight, unable to speak a word. We all tried to figure out what was wrong. Finally, he took my hand, brought me to the kitchen, and asked for bread. How could I know he needed food again, when we had eaten lunch only two hours earlier?

Dominica came in one night and shared her concern for her son Armando, nearly 11, who soon will not be able to stay at the orphanage because he is too old, with girls around. She had gotten word of an acre of land available, right across from the school (see picture below). It was being offered for $3300— discounted 20%, in appreciation for all the work she does for the neighborhood.

Knowing that I had a few good friends in Washington, I made inquiries about nearby properties. The owners of the discounted land were in a hurry, because their mother needed an operation, and they also had another offer. I listened to my intuition and left a deposit, promising to send the remainder ($2,300) before the end of April.

So when we can come up with the $2,300 needed, ($20 or $30 at a time will get us there) Dominica and Alexis could apply for a loan to eventually build a four-story, 400 square meter structure for the children, once they leave Dominica’s school in 3 ^rd grade. They could then pursue their studies with Alexis, who now has the right kind of diploma (a master) to run the high school.
 
 

I also introduced Dominica to Rev. Roberto Guerrero, who runs a crisis center in downtown Santo Domingo. Though born and raised in the U.S., Roberto is also Dominican. He was a co-pastor in Chicago, but wanted to do more on-site service. So he came back home to Santo Domingo with a great deal of know-how from his U.S. experiences. His center has doubled in size since last year, forcing him to upgrade-- he just moved. And he has 30 kids attending AA, all of whom have stopped taking drugs! A lot of them work or volunteer at the sports facility, which offers all the weights you could possibly lift, and provides five aerobics and other classes daily, attended by an average of 35 people. Though the center pays for itself, it receives help from U.S. churches  in the form of computers, volunteers etc.

Roberto mentioned his interest in the laptop I brought in exchange for three Macintosh SE30’s, which will be perfect to teach some kids typing and accounting. And he also mentioned a New York conference in September, which gathers diverse Third World educational innovators, such as Roberto and Dominica. So we see Dominica going there in the fall of 2000! She could certainly be an inspiration by sharing her wonderful experiences, but we need a ticket (do you have free mileage?) a place to stay, etc…

What we accomplished since last year:

• 300 pounds of clothes from the U.S., along with vitamins, a first-aid kit, arts-and-crafts materials, toys, shoes, games, 1 fax, 1 printer, 2 recent laptop computers. We still need Word & Excel programs for Macintosh and IBM.

• and probably 1,500 pounds from France, via House of Wisdom (a charity for children in need throughout the world and UNESCO- approved). Children were well dressed– even after school— wore good shoes, and had new mini-desks for studying.

• Nathalia, sent by House of Wisdom, lived at the orphanage and taught the kids for two months (and wants to come back). She was a tremendous help to Dominica this summer, and regularly took 2 or 3 kids to the beach…

• 3 more French students came for 3 weeks
• 1 student came to receive the container sent from House of Wisdom, and to distribute the goodies between the orphanage and a village of Haitian refugees at the border, where UNESCO is building a cultural center.

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

• 4 old computers (386 and 486, which they have not been able to use yet, because they are missing a transformer from 220 to 110 volts, some hard disks, and programs to run it.)

• A teacher with current computer skills is now at the school, so the kids can eventually learn Internet skills. The hope is that one of those brilliant orphans will "make it" and help the rest of them…

- $700 was raised to help move the kitchen and get more rooms ready for school

• The kitchen was changed, but this doesn’t mean much, since it is still merely plywood slapped together in a corner of the property, so that kids would be safe to study. We need a lot of help to bring it up to code!
• Very appreciated were a First Aid Kit, shoes, toys, blue jeans, clothes, backpacks, all gadgets (scissors, color paper, pentels, glue) to create, my old fax which may be hooked, which also is as a photocopy, the Essential Oils I brought created by M. Zayat to help with their SINUS, MOSKITO, TICKS, ENERGY, St. John's WORT for their cuts & scratches, PROTECTION, ADD, BREATHING (+ Hyssop tincture for their soar throats and bronchitis) and of course the "Where do you hurt" massage oil I used on them! Click here for more: http://www.4dshift.com/products/oils.htm

Be HAPPY and GRATEFUL for what you have. A running toilet was a BIG luxury when I came back!

Should you wish to contact Dominica & Alexis directly --they speak perfect English-- the phone No  and the fax is : (809) 335-6302. They have call waiting and an answering machine). I would say afternoon or evening is a better time.

Marie in heaven with the twins and Melissa...

& others 
 
 

the youngest ones
 
 

For 43 more photos, click here: http://www.4dshift.com/SSSenglishphotos.htm