Stichting Help

It is starting to become rather routine already; Casa Marina Reefs Hotel in Sosúa as an operating base for three weeks. I am received almost as a VIP there now, with several privileges.

Besides visiting our projects, I always determinedly make more contacts in search of the society in the background. I now quite happily, and sometimes literally, ‘take a peek in another person’s kitchen’. Meanwhile, I can get by quite reasonably in Spanish, but I still have a lot to learn.

In Casa Marina I met Astrid Verdel who, on holiday, had completely spontaneously brought along a large quantity of school materials from the Netherlands and delivered them to Judith’s school!

The Sosúa Kids Foundation has provided more than 300 children with a school uniform and learning supplies this year, and 4 students are going to the university. Dave, an Englishman who now lives in Sosúa, has meanwhile further reinforced the management of this foundation. I met him during a small meeting. Janet, Dave, Barbara and Lynden took me to several schools that a number of pupils attend thanks to the uniforms project of the Sosúa Kids Foundation. I took photos at these, and talked to the headmasters and some teachers. This was all during school time, and then you don’t want to disturb them too much.

There is also good news from the Colegio Evangelico Asher. Our foundation now gives the money for the teachers’ salaries directly to the recently founded ‘Asher Foundation’, which manages the money for the school. The school rents a very small building opposite the side entrance to the school for the kitchen plus a small extra classroom, fortunately for a very low rent. The situation around the school has become much safer, because the families living nearby who quarrelled violently have now moved. In spite of opposition from the landlord, a group of Americans have painted the inside of the school and erected a shelter above the small playground, a true transformation. It really touched my heart to see how high-spiritedly the children played during their playtime. Many are still tremendously traumatised, but it is clear that they feel welcome and safe at this school, and that is exactly what we are all working for.

The second-hand pickup truck, which could be bought with help from the Dutch Miva foundation, proved its worth on all fronts. For example, in the mountains on our way to buy supplies for the school in Santiago, we picked up a whole group of hitchhiking pupils from a public school and took them with us. They have to walk to school in school uniform for more than 1 ½ hours, in 32°C with extremely high humidity. A lift is therefore very welcome and they each individually thanked us very courteously.

I have already written, in previous reports, how difficult life is for poor people in the Dominican Republic, with the lack of money for food and medicines springing immediately to mind. However, apart from garbage piling up, there are also other practical problems in the poor districts. There is frequently power for only 4 hours a day. Then try reaching someone whose mobile phone battery has just run out. Consider the refrigerators, freezers and ventilators, which can only work for 4 hours in an outside temperature of 32°C. The majority of tourists have no idea of this, because the hotels have generators that kick in after 15 seconds.

The economic crisis mainly strikes hard at the tourist sector of the Dominican Republic and, as always, hits the very poorest the most. Here we have to do with fewer luxuries; for the poor Dominican this means more hunger and misery.

I hope to be able to travel to Sosúa again before next summer, to continue providing the help so desperately needed, thanks to your generosity.