I want to take some time to set the scene. It feels like an injustice to have started
this blog without giving background information, history and statistics about
the Dominican Republic, so here I go, with fun anecdotes, too!
I’ve been to the
DR before, for spring break, during my sophomore year of college. We (eight
college friends and I) landed at a tiny airport (probably Punta Cana regional
airport, but I don’t even remember) and were whisked away by a tour bus and
dropped off at an all-inclusive resort in the hot-spot beach destination known
as Punta Cana. Even then, I remember thinking how odd it was that we were being
taken from the airport and passing by migrant workers, poor families selling
mangos on the highway, metal roofed dwellings, and naked children playing
without shoes on only to arrive at a fancy, beautiful, and clean all-inclusive
resort with running (hot and cold) water and electricity. I remember thinking how
strange it was that I was passing kilometers of impoverished people only to
head to the land of luxury and white sandy beaches. In the moment, I didn’t
have much that I could do about it, so I’m not gonna lie, I went ahead enjoyed
my all-inclusive spring break beach vacation just like the next vitamin-D
deprived American college student. Two years later, I suppose the time has come
for me to redeem myself. I’m here again, only this time I’m here to experience
the country for all it truly has to
offer - the colorful personalities of the people, their festive traditions and
wonderful dancing, and the insecurities and instabilities of a developing
country without proper and reliable sanitation, education, and health
services.
The Dominican
Republic is a small country in the Caribbean, with a population of only about
ten million. The entire landmass of the DR itself is about the size of New
Hampshire and Vermont and occupies 2/3 of the island of Hispaniola, with Haiti
to its left occupying the remaining 1/3. It’s a vibrant country known for it’s
rum, meringue and bachata dancing styles, bananas, and beaches. In terms of
development areas, I’ll focus on a few – education, health, and women.
Education -
UNESCO ranked the DR 129th out of 133 countries for education (that’s not good). Here, children go to school in shifts, because there are not enough teachers or physical classroom space to serve the children here. That means that 1/3 of children are in school from 8am-12pm, another third attend from 1-5pm and the final third go from 6-9pm. Usually, children receive about 2.5 hours of education a day, but if it’s raining, or a kid has to help around the house, he/she will not attend school. Some kids go once a week, some not at all. And only about 86% of children make it past 5th grade, and only 60% finish high school. My host sister, Kiara, for instance, is in fourth grade. She started school this week, and walks on a busy highway to get to school. There is no bus and as she puts it, “Nadie le importa si llegamos a la escuela” or “No one cares if we make it to school or not.” She started the school week with 15 students in her class, but by the end of the week, she said there were about 25 kids who had at least shown up one day or more that week. I asked her how many attend daily and she said about 12.
UNESCO ranked the DR 129th out of 133 countries for education (that’s not good). Here, children go to school in shifts, because there are not enough teachers or physical classroom space to serve the children here. That means that 1/3 of children are in school from 8am-12pm, another third attend from 1-5pm and the final third go from 6-9pm. Usually, children receive about 2.5 hours of education a day, but if it’s raining, or a kid has to help around the house, he/she will not attend school. Some kids go once a week, some not at all. And only about 86% of children make it past 5th grade, and only 60% finish high school. My host sister, Kiara, for instance, is in fourth grade. She started school this week, and walks on a busy highway to get to school. There is no bus and as she puts it, “Nadie le importa si llegamos a la escuela” or “No one cares if we make it to school or not.” She started the school week with 15 students in her class, but by the end of the week, she said there were about 25 kids who had at least shown up one day or more that week. I asked her how many attend daily and she said about 12.
Women’s health -
In addition to the primary education problems, in the past few months, the government here has become preoccupied with the alarming and increasingly large number of teenage pregnancies. According to the United Nations Population Fund (UNPF), 105 in every 1,000 teenage women become pregnant in the DR, much higher than the world average of 49. The other day, I read about a southern migrant community of about 20,000 people, where there were 1,811 teenage pregnancies between April and June of this year. And when these young mothers need maternal health services, there are few clinics for them to attend. In terms of maternal health, the DR ranks behind every Latin American country in terms of access, sanitation, and services.
In addition to the primary education problems, in the past few months, the government here has become preoccupied with the alarming and increasingly large number of teenage pregnancies. According to the United Nations Population Fund (UNPF), 105 in every 1,000 teenage women become pregnant in the DR, much higher than the world average of 49. The other day, I read about a southern migrant community of about 20,000 people, where there were 1,811 teenage pregnancies between April and June of this year. And when these young mothers need maternal health services, there are few clinics for them to attend. In terms of maternal health, the DR ranks behind every Latin American country in terms of access, sanitation, and services.
Health -
With a GDP of almost $9,000 per capita, the Dominican Republic falls well behind the regional (Latin American) average of more than $25,000 per capita. Poverty is concentrated (for the majority) along the entire border of Haiti. Some unmet basic needs are related to housing, overcrowding, wastewater and solid waste disposal, and access to potable water. The prevalence of HIV/AIDS here is also much higher than the regional average, with 440 cases per 100,000 people compared to 319 in the region. Per person, $529 is spent on healthcare in the Dominican Republic, compared to the United States which per capita reaches almost $4,000.
With a GDP of almost $9,000 per capita, the Dominican Republic falls well behind the regional (Latin American) average of more than $25,000 per capita. Poverty is concentrated (for the majority) along the entire border of Haiti. Some unmet basic needs are related to housing, overcrowding, wastewater and solid waste disposal, and access to potable water. The prevalence of HIV/AIDS here is also much higher than the regional average, with 440 cases per 100,000 people compared to 319 in the region. Per person, $529 is spent on healthcare in the Dominican Republic, compared to the United States which per capita reaches almost $4,000.
The needs here are abundant, and I’m starting to see them first hand. I’ve been given
all of this knowledge and what I do with it next is the important part. In a
training session on the volunteer’s role in development, we talked a lot about
how our attitudes are going to make or break our service. We are here to learn,
adapt, integrate and facilitate, but if we do that with the wrong mindset, the
mindset of “us” helping “them,” we’re here for the wrong reasons. I am here to
work with Dominicans in a spirit of cooperation and to empower them to motivate
change within their own communities. I am not the answer, I am a part of a
long-term effort to create sustainable change in a country with scarce
resources. And as I’m told, sometimes that can be extremely frustrating because
I may not see immediate (or any) results. I’m a part of something much larger
than myself, and when the going gets tough, remember this will help.
An amazing quote
stuck with me from the training last week. It went, “If you’re here to help me,
you’ve come to the wrong place. If you’re here because your liberation is bound
up with mine, then let’s get started working together.” (Very fitting that a
feminist Australian Aboriginal woman wrote it). For now, that’s a little
background about the DR and my role in development here with the Peace Corps.
More information and statistics to come for sure!
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| The DR occupies 2/3 of the island of Hispaniola and shares the other 1/3 with Haiti. The island is about the size of New Hampshire and Vermont. |
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| The shape and flag of the DR. |
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