School in Sosua/Puerta Plata for donations

The school for the deaf in Puerto Plata is a very worthy cause. You may get other suggestions as well.

mexx78 said:

Hi there,

I got some stuff to bring with me to donate to school kids (one small extra suitcase). I would love to hand the stuff over personally to a school. Also I would like to shoot some pictures for the forums.

The dreamproject requieres a donation entrance fee of at least 35$ to get to see a school. I already spent 120$+ for the schoolstuff and dont want to spend any more, my budget for donations is pretty empty.

Can anyone suggest a school or knows a teacher or other organization where I could place the donations? There are pencils, little painting books, rulers and some small toys. I will be staying in Sosua.

Any suggestions?

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You may contact the Sosua Children Foundation.

The best person for you to communicate with is Angie Wolff, who heads up the efforts for the organization.

Her e mail follows!

angie@internet.net.do

Also, if you are in the POP area, another organization for you to consider would be Fundacion Patria.

For information here, please contact Ramon Ripoll, Executive President

clubhotel.merengue @riu.com

I hope that this will help you out.

Visiting schools, on the other hand while being good for the traveller, seeing the smiles, and the excitement, is great for the moment, but please remember the folllowing.

"Guidelines for Giving", based on directives from the International Ecotourism and Philanthropic Travelers Societies - they emphasize that giving must be conducted in a manner that is best for the children involved.(rather than for the self-gratification of the donor)

Cheers
Jimmy

Now that is a wise post!

Well done Jimmy:

Giving is great but not at the expense of the children or the dignity of the schools that are trying to do the best they can with what they have.

And Mexx78: Well done on your part for thinking of the children. they are the future (Yeah, I know, a "canned phrase", but true nonetheless). If you have time you might make contact with a Regional Education Director there in POP and ask him/her which little schoool could benefit the most from some stuff. Or Ask Ripoll, a very good person to know.

Cordially,

HB

mexx78 said:

Thanks... as I already I would like to place the stuff through a middlman/organization which knows how to handle this "problem". Otherwise I wouldnt have posted here.

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mexx78

It is great to see you so willing to assist the children.

I do not mean to offend you, or any other fine traveller, but with bringing donations, there also comes a responsibility.

I just thought that I would pass along some additional information for you, and the other fine posters of this forum who are planning on bringing donations to the wonderful children of the Dominican.

The DREAM Project does not "charge" for tours of the schools they support, rather they take their "members" on the site tours, if they would like to visit, on Thursday mornings only.

This is just to remind that these are children with names and pride.

Put your self in the place of the children and their families .

Here is a good read for all;

RESPONSIBLE TRAVEL PHILANTHROPHY

As travelers are becoming more socially conscious and responsible,
organizations like the DREAM Project are beginning to unite individual
tourists so that people of all cultural backgrounds are able to make a
lasting difference. Filling your suitcases with books for children and
joining trustworthy organizations, like the DREAM Project, is the best way
to make meaningful contributions to the people of the Dominican Republic.

DONATION PRACTICES TO AVOID

Unfortunately, throughout our existence we have seen many good intentioned
donations not only prove ineffective but become instruments of detriment to
our children.

The following list of practices should be avoided due to the unintentional
harmful consequences.

?Random gift giving: Gift giving to individual children that you do not
personally know can foster an attitude of dependency that, without
overstating the gravity of the situation, can become a way of life. Our
children will learn that it is all right to accept gifts from strangers and
in turn come to expect and demand these gifts, whether they be shoe shine
boys on the street or kids running after a tour bus.

?Spontaneous School Visits: Random school visits can disrupt classrooms. As
eager tourists snap pictures, the children become dehumanized, objectified,
and turned into objects of pity.

?Direct donations: Direct donations to schools can go unrecorded and never
find their way into classrooms or the hands of the needy children for whom
they are meant. Donations that are unaccounted for can be stolen for
personal use, stored away, or even thrown away.

Cheers
Jimmy

I am not sure if Angie, of Sosua, is the same person who handles the donations for children, their books, uniforms, etc at the small cafe in Sosua. But I have found they are "for real" and the best way to go. By making a minimal donation, I believe $35.00 they are able to but the uniforms,book bag, pencils, etc. that a child needs to attend for 1 year. Remember school is "free" as long as you have the uniforms. Of course, a home life with parents is ideal, this organization knows who is who. Is dedicated to this purpose so 100% of your gift goes towards the children. The archives will have the specific post about them. Or ask when in Sosua.
Wow! $120.00 could send almost 4 kids to school for a year. Amazing!
And thanks for thinking of the children.
John

Mexx78. I can't really give exact directions. It's 1 of the 2 cafes across from the disco classico. They are either belgium, german, itallian. DUH! But i learned about it on DR1 so it's in the archives. About 3 months ago.
Like you ,I used to gather things in the USA. Like stuffed animals, toys, learning supplies, etc and give them out in the barrios. My kind of Xmas!
But it was costly, for me, and ultimately not sufficient. Their approach just made so much more sense. I'm sure they'll take the donations,though.
I know some one will read this who knows the answer. Hello! moderator?
hope this helps. let us know. John

school visits

Personally, I think school visits should be limited and am all for people having to kick in a bit of extra to visit. While these kids are in need of help, the whole point of helping them go to school is to give them the tools to become self-reliant in the future.

A constant parade of (comparatively) rich visitors disrupting the school, however well-intentioned, would be counter-productive. Instead of concentrating on making the most of the opportunity they've been given, the kids would constantly be reminded of who's giving it.

It's great that people want to help, but oftentimes those of us less experienced in this sort of project should defer to the better judgement of those who dedicate their lives to it. If the organization says that visits should be limited to certain days, so be it. Likewise, if they request a cash donation, or a membership fee, or whatever, that should be respected too.

After all, we're all trying to help the same people as best we can.

Joe

joecanada said:

Personally, I think school visits should be limited and am all for people having to kick in a bit of extra to visit. While these kids are in need of help, the whole point of helping them go to school is to give them the tools to become self-reliant in the future.

A constant parade of (comparatively) rich visitors disrupting the school, however well-intentioned, would be counter-productive. Instead of concentrating on making the most of the opportunity they've been given, the kids would constantly be reminded of who's giving it.

It's great that people want to help, but oftentimes those of us less experienced in this sort of project should defer to the better judgement of those who dedicate their lives to it. If the organization says that visits should be limited to certain days, so be it. Likewise, if they request a cash donation, or a membership fee, or whatever, that should be respected too.

After all, we're all trying to help the same people as best we can.

Joe

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Well said.

Cheers
Jimmy

mexx78 said:

Sounds nice and very fair. I would love to participate at one these schoolvisits. But I think the kids will be on holiday when Im there..... Are thursdays the only possibility?

Hopefully Angie can arrange something similar in Sosua.

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Call me when you are in Sosua and I will take you to all the schools you want to go to. My number in Sosua is 2231178 and I would be happy to take you around.

Scott

Escott said:

Call me when you are in Sosua and I will take you to all the schools you want to go to. My number in Sosua is 2231178 and I would be happy to take you around.

Scott

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Mexx78,

I think Escott's offer is your only good chance. Nothing better than going to the schools your self and giving them the donations. You will recieve a warm welcome from the students and the school administrators. You are doing a good deed and good luck with your journey.