Peace Corps’ program support in the Dominican Republic evolves over time to meet the new needs expressed by the government and community groups. Those that served in the early years will find some things the same and others quite different. Community development and capacity building remain the fundamental orientation of the multitude of sectors and special initiatives. Two groups of approximately 40 volunteers each arrive yearly for in-country training. The trainees are hosted by Dominican families to provide friendly immersion in the language and culture. This is has proven more effective than US university campus training of the early years in that the trainees have developed stronger understanding of the culture, language, and projects earlier on.
The current projects or areas of specialization are Information Technology for Education, Special Education, Community Economic Development, Health, Water & Sanitation, and Youth. Sectors have third year volunteer leaders known as PCVLs.
In addition to the formal project areas, there are a number of cross-sectoral initiatives. Peace Corps DR is creating innovation with new initiatives in HIV/AIDS prevention, Environmental Conservation, Family Communication/Violence Prevention, Girls Leadership, Youth Service and Sports. These initiatives known as ESCOJO, Brigada Verde, Padres Activos de Hoy, Estrellas de Hoy, Futuro Brillante, Celebrando Cibao y el Sur, and Servir y Jugar have resulted in volunteer designed manuals, conferences, and local clubs that engage over 2,000 youth in over 100 communities nationwide in organized leadership and service activities related to various fields of action. The models have been shared with other countries throughout Peace Corps. Many of these initiatives also tie into the Sirve Quisqueya national alliance to promote youth service by all young Dominicans, of which Peace Corps is a founding member.
Brigada Verde group near Bonao giving their musical charla
Brigada Verde is a good example of the initiatives, which is an environmental component of the national youth service initiative Sirve Quisqueya. Its mission is to promote leadership and civic action among Dominican youth through the implementation of environmental education activities and environmental youth groups. Members are youth promoters who raise awareness of environmental issues in their local communities and spur action to counter practices detrimental to the environment. These youth serve as multiplicadores, trained to teach others to be leaders and protectors of their local environments through educational workshops, classes, community action activities (earth day celebrations, summer camps, community trash clean-ups) and promotion of youth leadership.
Learn more about all these initiatives, and look at the staff reports on results on the next page...