The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) reports since its creation in the late 1950s, it has extended the Dominican Republic 64 loans totaling US$1,450 million. The organization’s annual report for 1995 indicates that the money was used to finance projects in education, technical cooperation for reforms in the health sector, and a multilateral investment fund to foster intermediary finance for dwellings in rural areas.
IDB development aid in education has primarily focused on promoting equality, efficiency and sustainable growth in pre-school and primary teaching. The organization is currently assisting the government in carrying out the second phase of the ten-year educational plan, which aims to broaden opportunities for children from low-income families.
The Bank has also been instrumental in helping the government to conduct much-needed reforms in health, appropriating some US$900,000 from its non-reimbursable fund for special operations. It points out that the country’s indicators show that the population’s health conditions and coverage of basic services are below the average for the region.