Overview of week - La Romana (2/8/14)

I wanted to take a minute first to say thank you for all your support and 2^nd just give a quick overview of what we did this week in the DR.  Our group of 4 Providence Rotarians joined with 5 other Rotarians from Maine and Canada to work hard, and make a small difference in the lives of many.  This past week we visited 6 bateys to test water filters that had been installed over the last 4 years, to make sure they were working properly.  We visited one batey to install 20 new water filters to people who would have clean drinking water for the first time on their batey.  We visited batey 105 and saw an unfinished latrine that needed to be finished and made that happen by plastering the floors, painting the walls, hanging new doors and painting those doors, installing porcelain toilets and connecting those 4 toilets to the water source, and installing a hand washing station.  We were able to make it possible so that the residents of batey 105 (totaling 100 women, men and children) could use a working toilet instead of going to the bathroom in the fields, or in a small plastic bucket, and then wash their hands with running clean water and soap.  We also gave the children on the batey balls, jump ropes, Frisbees, bubbles, notebooks, crayons, pencils and pencil sharpeners so that they could do something different and have fun! Many of the children did not have underwear and through our Rotarians and friends we were able to provide new undies for the children, some of whom had never ever worn undies… We went to batey 106 and assisted with building 2 new latrines and one new hand washing station.  More bubbles and balls were passed out for the children on this batey to play with and enjoy!

Our group visited two separate schools (one private church run school and one public school) to make donations that are the beginning of a great relationship of friendship and educational growth!  At the Hartman school, we visited the students in the 1^st grade and donated a notebook, pencil and colored pencils to 40 students, we also donated countless school supplies to the school for the use of children in kindergarten through 3^rd grade.  We also made a monetary donation – thanks to all of you that totaled $736, which will afford the school to get next text books for each of the classrooms and children at the school.

 

Thanks to the generosity of our club, the Dominican community in Providence and most of all to our member Tony Mendez we were able to deliver 60 dictionaries to the students at the Mercedes Laura Aguiar School, and in addition they will be receiving 900 more Spanish English Dictionaries from the above groups!  When we gave the dictionaries to the students they all clapped and thanked all of us!  It was a truly unbelievable and heartwarming experience!

We also continued building the relationship of Rotary by attending two Rotary meetings – La Romana Rotary Club and Rio Luce Rotary Club.  Both meetings we were able to discuss the work that we were doing on the bateys and the importance of the work that all of us are doing to continue to educate those in need of the importance of clean water, sanitation and proper hand washing!  Speaking of hand washing we also attended 3 sessions lead by past district governor of the DR to learn about proper hand washing and the importance of hand washing stations and having water filters in the homes and schools of the city of La Romana and the bateys surrounding the city!

I think I can speak for Wascar and me by saying that this year was better than last and that we saw the difference that we can make in a small batey community.  I know for Kevin and Gary it was an opportunity to see and learn about life on the bateys and have the opportunity to change the lives of those in such desperate need!  The power of Rotary and Service Above Self is alive and well and making a difference really is a blessing to have been a part of in the Dominican Republic this year!