The Raising Hope Team began their adventure with Samaritan Foundation in the Dominican Republic at 4 am on July 12th. They started with prayer and then headed off with 17 humanitarian aid suitcases filled with baby clothes, baseball equipment and hygiene kits.
John Huizinga, the president of Samaritan Foundation greeted our group and presented an orientation session for us.
Our activities for the week included spending our mornings working on 2 houses which involved transporting concrete blocks and dirt to fill a foundation and painting doors and slatted windows while interacting with local people. In the afternoons we visited different Christian ministries that are offered to the people in Sesoua. We visited the slums and Asher School, which offers education to the youth of the area and provides breakfast and lunch on a daily basis enabling the kids to concentrate on their studies.
We also went to the Nazareth House, a home for children with special needs. Sister Mercedes, called out of a convent to start this home 14 years ago, lives with 15 children who have a variety of disabilities. She calls them her children and they call her mom. They are a family built around the love of God.
The Pregnancy Resource Centre was one of the places we visited and we learned what type of support is available to girls who become pregnant at a very young age. They receive help up to a year after the baby is born, as well as education and resources to provide proper care and nutrition.
The house dedication was a highlight for me because we were able to meet the family who will receive a modest house for which we raised funds: Senora Dariela, Senor Reynaldo and their children Elizabeth, Ransel, Dariany, Moises, Dariela and Railyn ranging from age 8 to 26 days old.
We are very hopeful that the work that was done in one week at the Villa Samaritano, as we partnered with The Samaritan Foundation who take a “hand up” approach, will change lives for the better for at least one family in the Dominican Republic.
- Alice, Raising Hope Team Member
John Huizinga, the president of Samaritan Foundation greeted our group and presented an orientation session for us.
Our activities for the week included spending our mornings working on 2 houses which involved transporting concrete blocks and dirt to fill a foundation and painting doors and slatted windows while interacting with local people. In the afternoons we visited different Christian ministries that are offered to the people in Sesoua. We visited the slums and Asher School, which offers education to the youth of the area and provides breakfast and lunch on a daily basis enabling the kids to concentrate on their studies.
We also went to the Nazareth House, a home for children with special needs. Sister Mercedes, called out of a convent to start this home 14 years ago, lives with 15 children who have a variety of disabilities. She calls them her children and they call her mom. They are a family built around the love of God.
The Pregnancy Resource Centre was one of the places we visited and we learned what type of support is available to girls who become pregnant at a very young age. They receive help up to a year after the baby is born, as well as education and resources to provide proper care and nutrition.
The house dedication was a highlight for me because we were able to meet the family who will receive a modest house for which we raised funds: Senora Dariela, Senor Reynaldo and their children Elizabeth, Ransel, Dariany, Moises, Dariela and Railyn ranging from age 8 to 26 days old.
We are very hopeful that the work that was done in one week at the Villa Samaritano, as we partnered with The Samaritan Foundation who take a “hand up” approach, will change lives for the better for at least one family in the Dominican Republic.
- Alice, Raising Hope Team Member
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