Hi Angela,
It's our gov. that is hesitant to give the visa. The DR gov. would have to issue a passport. If the child doesn't have a birth certificate, no passport. Another obstacle.
As far as going back to make things better. The key is to find politicians who are interested in really making things better for the poor. They must "walk the talk."
Second, many Dominicans don't want to go back. If they can find a way to stay in the US, make a decent wage, eat rice and beans and send money home - this makes things better - and there's no middle - man on the "foreign aid."
In Santiago, in the late 60's, you had to boil the water you drank. There was poverty and illiteracy everywhere, children selling peanuts in the streets, digging for clothes in the garbage of the rich, grown men looking for work cutting grass with a machete, machantas riding donkeys through the streets selling fruit and veggies, and others selling live chickens, etc. There were apagones almost every evening, and the indoor plumbing couldn't accommodate toilet tissue.
A prominent University hired an American MSSW to live there and teach "Community Development" to Dominican students in the school of Social Welfare. He sold everything and moved his family to the DR. He had learned Spanish from the migrant workers on the farms in Wisconsin. An old VW bus, a washer, dryer, fridge, and b&w portable tv were their luxuries. Nobody else spoke Spanish. A cook who knew the local ways was a necessity.
Many eager Dominican college students learned the latest information and did many studies throughout the cibao valley. How many students and professors have followed in these footsteps over the years?
Today in Santiago, you have to boil the water you drink. There is poverty and illiteracy everywhere, children selling peanuts in the streets, digging for clothes in the garbage of the rich, grown men looking for work cutting grass with a machete, machantas riding through the streets selling fruit and veggies, and others selling live chickens, etc. There are apagones almost every evening, and the indoor plumbing still can't accommodate toilet tissue.
Is it the professor, or maybe the students changed their minds about making a difference? I doubt it. You don't study Social Work unless you really have a desire to help.
Things have not changed much in over 30 years. The past is an example of what hasn't worked. In the future, new innovative ways might help.
There are many people on this board who share your desire to help improve the lives of poor Dominican children. Myself included.
Perhaps your fellow students and professors have some ideas about change. Instead of trying to fix the poverty and illiteracy, how 'bout some ideas on convincing the "tutumpotes" of the value of change for the poor?
IMHO
mk