Street Census Redone

When Project Esperanza first came to Puerto Plata as a Virginia Tech student organization in the summer of 2006, we conducted a street census with the understanding that the results would be submitted to Integracion Juvenil, a Dominican foundation, that was opening up a home for boys on the streets. We created 140 profiles over the course of one month and submitted the information to Integracion Juvenil. We were told that Integracion Juvenil rejected the profiles as 96% of them were of Haitian youth and adolescents, and they did not intend on receiving Haitians into their home.

This is where our work began. The average age reported was 14. We were told that some of these kids were living with “bosses” who sent them out selling and then took their money at the end of the day. Very few reported living with family, and those who did reported living with a brother, a cousin, or an aunt, but not their nuclear family (mother, father, and siblings). The original profiles were lost in a damaged hard drive before we could collect the exact statistics, but it was remarkable to us that 0% of the Haitian youth reported currently attending school. Some had reported attending school in Haiti before coming to the Dominican Republic, while others reported never having gone to school before. Probably 85% reported living in the barrio of Padre Granero, where we began running a school shortly thereafter, whereas the other 15% reported living in the barrio of Agua Negra on the other side of town. When asked why they came to the Dominican Republic, they all said, “to search for life”. Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, so it makes sense that so many venture over to the other country that shares the island with them in hopes of finding “life”.

At the end of the month long census, some found out where our volunteer house was located and they began coming by in groups asking to see the photos we had taken of them for the census profiles. We were sad that the home we thought we would be able to lead some of them to through Integracion Juvenil was not going to be a reality for them. So we began a lunch, tutoring, and recreation program at that time from noon to 4pm. We began learning much more about them and over time, some did disclose their stories.

Someone in Haiti, normally a neighbor, had convinced them to come with them to the Dominican Republic. Sometimes it was with a parent’s consent, and sometimes this person had convinced them to come in secrecy even when the parent did not consent. They promised the boy that life would be better in the Dominican Republic. They would find bikes on the ground easily that they could have and ride, radios as well. They would go to school and eat better meals. Then when they arrived, they were often made to live harsh street vendor lives where they wake up early, search for wood to build a fire, and prepare sweets to sell on the beach. They were taught a route they would walk all day long to sell sweets on the beach. When they arrived home, they would turn their money over to the person they live with, and do an accounting. Some reported harsh punishments if they did not sell all of their sweets. Some showed scars where they reported being hit with machetes. We went with one to the hospital where the doctors found he had internal bleedings from beatings.

Some boys had even reported during the census that they lived with their father, and then we came to find out that the man they lived with was not their father, but someone who had brought them here in this manner. Over time, we found out certain men who were involved in this trafficking business. Women were involved in the kidnapping and enslaving that was going on here as well. It was a quite common practice. It is for this reason that we sent close to 50 youth back to Haiti to be reunited with their families who they reported being tricked. Their families thought they were doing a good thing for them. The adults running these operations said that their parents knew what they were sending their kids to. They didn’t want them or couldn’t take care of them. That is why they sent them.

We did not do the street census again until this year, 2015. I had thought about it in the past and quite frankly the idea scared me. The need and sadness we found during the first census was overwhelming and running an organization that was attempting to respond to the need had taken over my life. We have some great success stories from the first street census. Some young men who had never attended school before are now close to graduating from high school. Some have steady jobs. Some have started families. Some have been more responsible in starting their families than others. Some are here in the Dominican Republic while others have settled in Haiti. But we have lost some as well. Others spend time in and out of jail. 

Anol

I wrote a tribute to two we lost, Anol and Etienne, in the book I published, but since then we have lost two more. We have lost two of the first three who we offered mattresses on the floor to in 2007 when they reported sleeping on the beach or on someone’s porch. Both were scarred and problematic boys but had they had the chance to be given a permanent and loving caregiver and secure home and family, they could’ve done great. I am talking about a foster or adoption situation. Yes, they were a part of our group home, but both fell back into the streets as they needed much more individual attention than we were able to give them at the time. Here is a group home video from 2015 memories. The last slide which mentions Michael and Tina Reeder is actually out of date. For family and health reasons they unfortunately were not able to stay for the year they had hoped for.

I won’t neglect to say that it saddens me that so many volunteers (although not all volunteers) came and met these boys and then returned to their lives in the U.S. without doing anything to better the boys’ lives. Maybe these volunteers had other things going on in their lives that kept them from doing that, but I just think that if I have dedicated pretty much my whole life, then more could have at least written from time to time to ask how so and so was doing. I am not saying this to pat myself on the back or put others down but it is truly something that I have a hard time understanding. We all (volunteers) have our nuclear families, quality education, secure housing, food security, and job opportunity. I don’t think anyone can say that their problems have been too great to spare an occasional check in. Anyway, what is done is done and I hope we can only move forward for a better future. 

Alin did not last long in the group home. When there were 18 boys in the beginning (we tried to help everyone) and lots of fighting and power struggle, he requested to be sent to Haiti to visit what family members he had there. Upon returning, we did not allow him back

into the group home because he had many accounts of stealing and

Alin

other vices. However, had he expressed extreme interest in coming to school each day as others did, he may have been given a second chance. He did not. He continued to come to soccer practice some. Then I didn’t see him for quite a while. A few years ago, Jonel told me that Alin was in jail in Santiago and needed someone to sign for him or represent him at his hearing. I said that I could not. I was just overwhelmed with responsibilities and he had not maintained contact as others had to the point that I felt like I could vouch for him in any way. 

It was maybe a year later that I asked Chinaider about Alin and he said that Alin had been shot and killed in Sosua. The police shot him as he ran away from a theft. In law school, I learned that deadly force cannot be used to stop someone from theft or anything that doesn’t create extreme deadly risk to others. Someone running away from a theft should not be shot. However, here you hear of this sort of thing without repercussions to the shooter. I did not learn about this until after he was buried. Chinaider thought that he was buried in Sosua. 

Luis did not return to the group home after he stole a laptop from the administrative space he broke into in a separate building in 2008. He lived in town ever since and lived a fairly calm life. I never heard of any more problems from him and he did not seek any more help from me or any teachers or employees. He seemed to play a lot of Nintendo and eventually found a job with the trash truck. He even attended the public night school in town regularly and would have started 8^th grade this year. He was very scarred. I wrote about him in this blog post. Luis is the boy I was referring to who was said to have been used by the police for violence in Port-au-Prince.  

Jeres told me this past summer that Luis had gone to Haiti and was very sick. I was busy and did not ask and was not told anything further for over a month. Then one day recently we drove through the area of town where he lived and I asked Chinaider, who was in the car, for an update on Luis. He replied with, “Luis died”. He said that someone had taken him to family members in Haiti and he died within a few days. When I asked what sort of sickness he had he said that he became extremely thin and had no appetite. That is all I know.  

Rest in peace Alin and Luis. 

Bobby is someone who was in the group home until 2009 when we made contact with his mom and heard of the true story that he was pretty much kidnapped. We sent him back to her and she was so grateful. He came and went after that. He basically lived in between our group home, his mom’s house in Haiti, and another area where he had contacts in the country and worked in agriculture. Every time he came he had a really hard time living in a group setting and managing resources in a humble manner. By this I mean that he always ended up getting into a conflict because he owed someone money or took someone’s stuff. He is an extreme people person and makes friends everywhere but gets into conflicts when he owes money, etc. He didn’t deny his involvement in drugs from a very young age before he was ever in the group home but I do know he was clean for the most part before we sent him to his mom’s house in 2009. But it looks like at some point he fell back into that. 

Normally when he would go to work in the country, people would then report him buying drugs and stealing things. So this may be the root of his problem. 

The last time he was here and left was not even a year ago but without going into too many details, I didn’t want him to come back and didn’t plan on talking to him when he did come back. He turned 21 in January which is the age that we completely kick someone out of the home. At 18, they stop receiving aid with food. However, we had not let him back in the home for quite a while because of these reasons. He stayed with another young man who had graduated from the home, named Biby. Biby knew I did not want to see him, but nonetheless, came with him to my house when he arrived again. My house is next to the group home and was just one street over from Biby’s house at the time. I did not go outside to talk to him when they called me. They eventually left. Biby then saw me leaving later on that day and approached me. He said that he was not planning on accompanying Bobby to my house, but had done so because he sees that Bobby is now crazy. He arrived this morning and isn’t making any sense. It also seems like both of his thumbs are paralyzed. I listened, was surprised, and went on my way. 

The next day Bobby approached me when he saw me on the street and I was able to converse with him and see what Biby meant by “crazy”. He made some sense and remembered everyone, but did seem handicapped. A day later he had a tank top on backwards… one with a scoop neck and high back that was very apparently on backwards, but he did not notice. He speaks quietly and is unable to completely convey his thoughts, which seems to frustrate him a little. He walks around during the days and looks for work. He was caught stealing a bag of bread at a colmado down the street but they went easy on him when people told them that he was crazy. So we’ll see what happens. I am not sure what I can do for him unless someone really wants to take on his case. And even then, I don’t think I should personally be too involved with him directly as I would not like to give him any sort of welcome into my personal space. But someone else in the organization could perhaps help. 

9 years after the first census, I realized that it was time to delve in again. We started with winter break volunteers sitting in spots around town with a clipboard and a camera. This time we gave out bags of rice, beans, and a packet of oil as a thank you for participating in the census. Spring break volunteers participated as well up until May. Our summer volunteers did other activities but I still got a few profiles going around town in the summer as well. The results are quite different than 2006. In 2006 we divided into two groups and did it for one month, so probably 22 weekdays. We conducted the census in the afternoons. This consists of 44 half days. This year we did 15 half days and then I did a bit independently. Therefore, more time was spent on this in 2006. But it was very clear that in 2006 there were simply more youth working on the streets. Tourist police have completely banned two touristic areas to such street vending among youth: the Malecon or Boardwalk, and Central Park. Also, attempts have been made by the government to eradicate child labor in general. Of course we find many teenagers street vending and do profiles on anyone who reports being 18 or younger, and those older ages don’t count as child labor. But there was a significant lower amount of 10 and 11 year olds on the streets during this census. Additionally, it might be due to the fact that we did send around 50 kids back to their families in Haiti and started registering kids in school, and rewarding them with things for going, but the men who were highly responsible for the child trafficking in Padre Granero when we first began seem to have stopped doing that altogether. I haven’t heard of such activity in years.

The most alarming thing we saw during the 2015 census was not kids who were estranged from their families and living as servants, but two cousins and a sister. They live with their parents and say they go to school, but they can be seen often in the dark far from home selling peanuts. I drove the two boys home one day as it was dark and they were at La Sirena when they live far away from La Sirena. They fell asleep in the car and I made it to the area where they said they lived, then asked people on the road if they knew where the boys sleeping of my car lived. We eventually found their family. I talked to them about why they sent their kids out to work on the streets like that alone and until very late at night. They said that an adult usually went with them and would go with them in the future. They have financial needs. I said I would try to find some help to get them some groceries each month. And not to send the kids out anymore! Especially alone! I still see the kids very often, sometimes accompanied by an adult, and sometimes not.

Consumerism vs. Practicality

I took a trip to the U.S. for two weeks around Thanksgiving. It was my first time going back in two years. It worked out perfectly as I got to see lots of friends and family around the holidays and my sister conveniently had her baby early so that I got to meet my first niece! I found that many things had changed and I also saw many things through a new lens after spending so much time being immersed in a very different world. Among other things, I was introduced to a Blue Ray and also learned who Justin Bieber is.

While I was home, I spent a fair amount of time in pawn shops and electronic stores such as Radio Shack and Best Buy because we are setting up some small movie theaters here in Puerto Plata to generate income for Project Esperanza’s programs here. So I took advantage of being in the U.S. by researching AV options. I actually got a great deal on some equipment, came back with it, and we are now just working on some final preparations before opening up our first movie theater.

During this searching and investigating, I felt very aware of the consumerism present in the U.S. and compared it to a more practical knowledge and lifestyle that is present here in the Dominican Republic. I found a portable DVD player at a thrift sale which I thought I could use for the movie theater but it didn’t have its charger. I took it to Best Buy and thought they would have the charger without a doubt. The first guy I talked to examined the DVD player and assured me that they didn’t make such chargers anymore. I got a second opinion who agreed that the necessary charger was out of the norm, but perhaps Radio Shack would have it. I told them both that I was surprised that a large store that specializes in electronics such as Best Buy wouldn’t be able to help in such a situation. In the Dominican Republic, someone would quickly find a phone charger with the same plug head and cut the wires if need be in order to attach the head to the proper source. If they couldn’t do this, people often just stick the bare wires right into the hole and get the job done. I have seen this done on a regular basis by kids as young as twelve years old and no one has gotten electrocuted yet! Were they now trying to tell me that this DVD player was no longer chargeable and I should get a new one? If they were, I wasn’t buying it… literally.

I went to Radio Shack. They did not have the charger but I could go to the DVD player company’s website and likely order it from there. Before heading back to the Dominican Republic, I visited a Radio Shack in another city. They had a selection of cords with different jacks and could connect them to the proper source. This was more practical and what I would expect from an electronics store. However, I left the DVD player at home so we couldn’t find the right fit. I ran out of time and headed back to the Dominican without the charger, sure that we would cut wires but wary of making a mistake and messing it up.

Upon arriving, I presented the DVD player to my husband and explained the dilemma. Within a few minutes we were at the house of one of Project Esperanza’s teachers who quickly lent us an all too practical piece of equipment. It had four jacks on one cord and a source that could be set on 3, 6, 9, or 12 volts. And it worked!

“Where did you get this?” I asked the teacher.

“At a store,” he replied.

“It’s genius!” No one else seemed that excited. A few days later I showed up at Project Esperanza’s boys’ home for Haitian immigrant boys who have come to Puerto Plata in “search of life” and face many difficulties upon arrival. I found the charger in the wet grass in front of the house, source busted, and cord torn. My husband had left it there overnight with one of the boys to allow him to charge his CD player. I immediately began arguing with him.

“It didn’t work!” he defended.

“But it wasn’t yours!” I insisted. “You can’t just break it!”

I knew that things would be worked out with the teacher later, but needed the plug to run the movie theater, so I tried searching around Puerto Plata. The first store I visited did not have it. The second store quickly sold me a source with the same settings, (3, 6, 9, and 12 volts), and six interchangeable jacks! This was just too practical!

I returned to the boys’ home the next day to find the four in one head had been salvaged, connected to the plug of a cell phone charger, and was being put to good use. I was glad to see that and was not a bit surprised.

I recently had a conversation with another La Vida Idealist blogger about raising our respective kids in our respective developing countries and the better educational opportunities that are available in the U.S. However, while our future plans are not set in stone, I conclude that I can bring better formal education to my kids here in the Dominican Republic, but the consumerism and ignorance led by the domination of large corporations in the U.S. seem to pose a serious threat to practical education which, I think, holds just as much value as formal education. So while I am ever so grateful for the opportunities I have received and continue to receive as a U.S. citizen and I tear up at the pledge of allegiance and the singing of the national anthem, at this point, I have little desire to go back to live full time in the U.S. I would rather use my blessed life to bless others where blessings are much scarcer. And I want to encourage others to do the same. Let’s share the wealth! Live in a developing country!

The Social Aid Mediating Agency: Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic

I recently applied for an Echoing Green Fellowship for social entrepreneurs and was not one of the 12-20 of the 2,850+ applicants chosen. Therefore, I am posting my application here. Applicants apply for start-up surrort of a non-profit or for-profit organization that must be less than two years old and in the start-up phase. Project Esperanza is now 5 years old so I could not apply for support of her. But recently, upon request, I have been using skills acquired through directing Project Esperanza to perform services in the community that have been earning me a profit. I decided to organize and market these services in The Social Aid Mediating Agency: Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic. I have written up the contents to a website but have to finish with the new Project Esperanza website before I could work on this new website. I don't assume that this will be an agency that will provide an instant wealth of work, but will start off slow, be based largely on references, and grow and involve others over time.

Describe your idea for social change in one single sentence.

My idea is an agency that handles funds from loved ones in the developed world in order to help solve a problem faced by a local resident.

Describe your idea for social change in one single paragraph.

This agency will meet requests made by those in the developed world to assist loved ones here in Puerto Plata. It will be composed of a team of Dominicans, Haitians, and expats in the area who are familiar with the institutions and way of life in our city. The agency is committed to the development of society through partnerships with the developed world rather than the destruction and corruption of society through misunderstandings, miscommunications, and dishonesty with the developed world.

What specific problem in the world are you trying to solve? Where possible, use statistics and references to identify the size and scope of the problem.

Many Puerto Plata residents maintain relationships with members of the developing world. Residents often share problems they face with those abroad and request aid. Sometimes funds are sent to solve the problem. There are often barriers such as language, culture, lack of trust, and distance. When sent, the result of funds channeled is often the creation of a dependency of the receiver rather than empowerment. Misuse of funds can empower negative activity while the sender remains ignorant.

What, specifically, will be your programs or products? Who will you work with?

First, members of the developed world that wish to provide aid in response to a problem their loved ones in Puerto Plata face contact the agency through a website. After obtaining information, the agency determines whether or not we can mediate in the case. If we can be of service, we agree to assess the situation for a fixed fee. Through listening to the situation explained by both parties, a determined pathway is decided upon using the institutions and services available, mediated by a member of our agency. We will provide feedback to the funder as he or she receives feedback from the loved one as well. We will assist in areas of education, health care, legal, housing, financial, automobile, and purchases. Those who wish to give students a better education can request private tutoring, mediated registration in a language institute, computer school, or vocational school, and mediated registration into a private school. Our staff can attend health service appointments, court hearings, oversee housing and automobile repairs, assist in opening bank accounts, paying back loans, etc.

Describe the impact you hope to achieve. In what time frame? What specific metrics will help you determine whether your work is making a difference?

The goal is a shift in society where relationships between local residents and those abroad create less dependency and more positive growth and development. While local residents benefit from such transactions by being able to satisfy their carnal desires, this reinforces a system of depenency. The party sending the funds is in a dominant position and the party receiving funds is in a subordinate position. These relationships often remain as such or are ended without true positive development having occurred. This inhibits the receiver’s personal growth as he or she abandons personal efforts and becomes accustomed to a life that is not realistic over time. Through managing funds sent to meet basic needs and provide growth opportunities, the receiver moves from a subordinate position to an increasingly equal position. I hope to ensure that 100% of the cases the agency mediates follow this pathway. Cases that are determined to follow a different pathway will not be mediated by the agency. This will be measured by conducting simple questionares to both parties at the beginning and end of the agreement, as well as one year after the case.

How does this approach represent bold innovation versus the status quo?

Puerto Plata is extremely affected by visitors from the developed world. However, the result of contact with the developed world is, in many ways, the degradation of society. Prostitution is a problem here. The area is an attraction for sexual predators with little protection from the law enforcement due to lack of funding and professional training. Expats who live in the area often marry or form friendships with local residents. These people develop local knowledge and can therefore provide controlled assistance, thus influencing growth. There also remains a large population of visitors who live abroad but maintain contact with friends here. This agency combines the local knowledge of local expats and natives with the funds sent by visitors living abroad in order to provide controlled assistance and influence growth. This approach should reduce the sex worker industry by rewarding personal growth as opposed to personal exploitation. This approach takes an opposite pathway as sexual predators, a more effective pathway than those sending funds from abroad, and the same approach as expats living in the area but designed to serve a much larger group.

How much money will this organization need in the next 12 months? In the year after? How much have you raised so far? From whom? How do you plan to get the rest?

Lack of funds will not inhibit this organization from functioning since it is designed as a business with service fees charged but additional funding will allow the organization to function more comfortably. $25,400 is needed in the next 12 months. $30,000 is needed for the year after. So far I have raised just $320 from people abroad paying for my services to aid loved ones here. If I am not awarded this fellowship, I plan on officially launching and advertising the agency and covering all costs through service fees.

Your interest in starting this organization makes you unlike most people. What in your personal, academic, and/or work history compels you to dedicate your life to this idea at this time?

Since 2005 I have dedicated my life to launching and running a non-profit organization called Project Esperanza which serves the Haitian immigrant population in Puerto Plata. The Social Aid Mediating Agency is an embodiment of the marketable services I can offer as a result of the skills I have gained and, while providing valuable services, will simultaneously serve as a for-profit organization to support myself financially. The time is right as Project Esperanza is at a point where I can begin to step back but remain on call. However, perhaps I should answer what compelled me to ever co-found Project Esperanza. I was a high achiever academically and athletically throughout my school career in the U.S. I was also highly burdened by injustices throughout the world. I grew up on a farm with a strong love to care for animals. This grew into a love to care for and to protect people. As a Sophomore in college, I followed my instinct to volunteer in the Dominican Republic with a volunteer organization. My heart has been here ever since. I can’t contain the socially generative ideas that enter into my mind and can’t keep myself from acting upon them.

What skills or experiences demonstrate that you will be able to attract money, people, and other resources to your idea?

Through serving in the Puerto Plata community with Project Esperanza I have gained great insight into the institutions here, have built many relationships with community members, volunteers, and frequent foreign visitors, have developed cultural understanding, and have perfected my language skills in both Spanish and Haitian Creole. I now realize, after receiving requests from visitors from abroad, that I possess skills that can be marketed to perform a high quality, highly demanded service. I have quite a bit of fundraising experience and proof of my fundraising ability with Project Esperanza which has maintained a monthly budget fluctuating between $2K and $5K since January 2007. We have raised funds strictly from grassroots fundraising efforts, merchandise sales, and individual donors. However, I do not intend to do much outreach for the Social Aid Mediating Agency in comparison because without having a website or advertising the services, people contact me with specific requests. Also, I am a contributor on the La Vida Idealist network with Idealist.org. This draws lots of interest as well. I frequently receive e-mails from people wanting to volunteer.

What evidence do you have of your ability to overcome challenges and adversity?

As anyone who has been following Project Esperanza since it began knows, we have faced one challenge after another. Our efforts here began with a street census we conducted during the summer of 2006 where we collected information on the group of society that was visibly in the most need: the shoe shiners and street vendors. We soon learned that this group is largely composed of teenage Haitian boys who face great dangers in leaving their families and country to come to the Dominican Republic in “search of life”. This street census led to the development of a program specifically focused on this group of boys. However, we learned along the way that pulling this group out of poverty and helping them transition to educated men and productive members of society is not easy, especially when faced by discrimination. Nonetheless, the program continues today with many members of the original group beginning to take on leadership positions. Additionally, I am married to a Haitian man and we have a 15 month son. Our financial situation has been difficult and we face social opposition but we, like Project Esperanza, have persevered.

By Faith We Continue

Below is an essay I wrote for a Faith and Development essay contest put on by the Center for Interfaith Action on Global Poverty (CIFA) and the SEVEN Fund. As my essay was not chosen as a winner, it will now serve as a nice addition to my blog. However, I was awarded second prize in an If I Had a Million Dollars essay competition. The essay and a section about Project Esperanza will be published in a book in the spring.

By Faith We Continue

We began by executing business ideas left and right with the faith that our efforts would produce fruit. In order to create change we would need money; money to pay rent on a house to feed, teach, and provide shelter for street kids. We would need money to pay Haitian immigrant teachers to run grassroots schools that educate children and keep them out of the streets and money to pay for odds and ends such as purchasing chalk or items for someone’s shoe shine kit. Lastly, we would need money to get ourselves there and then back again.

I remember when we executed our first fundraiser. It was a chilly Saturday morning in November 2005. We set up a table outside of Wal-Mart and sold Project Esperanza t-shirts, coupon books, raffle tickets to win a football autographed by the Virginia Tech football team, and did face painting. The Friday morning before this first fundraiser we met at the chapel on the Virginia Tech drill field and prayed. We asked God to bless our efforts and had faith that He heard our prayers. We did not strike rich off of that first fundraiser but did make seed money for further fundraisers. Every Friday morning we met and laid our requests before God. We had faith that He heard us and He showed us that He did. We continued fundraising, designing more t-shirts, and found local stores to sell them in. We sold mistletoe at Christmastime, held a thrift sale, 5K race, and executed various other ideas.

As a group, we raised over $30,000 which we used to serve in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic that summer. Though we started by working on the construction of a neglected public school, our main summer project began when we ran a street census in which we met hundreds of Haitian boys who had left their home country “in search of life”. They walked the streets daily, some shining shoes, others selling different food items such as hard-boiled eggs, peanut brittle, or coconut sweets. They started showing up daily at the house we rented, so we began serving lunch, teaching lessons, and playing games such as musical chairs, hot potato, and soccer. We faced challenges in setting things up and had nay-sayers among us, but we kept the faith and kept up the prayer, which saved us.

The summer ended and we took over the long-term rent of the house so that we would have a place to come back to. And we came back as often as possible. We soon learned about the faith of these shoe shining, street vending boys we had met. They crossed the border from Haiti to the Dominican Republic and walked through the woods for days in order to avoid guards and arrive in Puerto Plata. They also executed their business plans in order to make ends meet and to, in some cases, send money back home. They faced so many challenges; challenges much more extreme than anything I had ever encountered. Their faith further sharpened our faith.

I took special joy in helping them organize their personal business efforts. We began a little bank to help them save money and to show them where there money was going. I often helped them purchase shoe shine kits and materials, making a contract outlining their agreement to work certain hours after school and give back half of their earnings until the start up costs invested were paid back. I didn’t make back my money in most cases but introducing the concept of a contract and a business agreement was worth it. Some of them began acting as middle men, purchasing jewelry from local artisans at low prices, then sending the jewelry with me to the U.S. to sell. I brought back their profits and they bought things such as clothes, bikes, and chickens.

I remember the first time we did this. Two boys purchased ten bracelets each and watched excitedly as I packed them up in my suitcase. However, their excitement soon turned into conflict when one suggested that they separate the money between the two, regardless of whose bracelets sold. The other disagreed as he had carefully chosen his bracelets and did not want them mingled with those of the other. A heated discussion broke out which almost turned into a physical fight. I yelled at them to stop! They couldn’t let the business break them apart! I gathered them together and we prayed over their business and their friendship. They were soon smiling. Three years later, these two are still friends and they still wheel and deal together. I keep an eye on their wheeling and dealing to make sure that it does not get them into trouble, as well as look for healthy business opportunities for them.

Now Project Esperanza celebrates her fifth birthday. What began as a Virginia Tech student organization in 2005 is now a registered non-profit organization in both the United States and the Dominican Republic. Our faith-based and business minded fundraising efforts have allowed us to generate a steady income to cover a monthly budget that has fluctuated between $2,000 and $5,000 since the beginning of 2007. More importantly, we have generated funds with specific sensitivity to those we serve, being sure to protect and not exploit in any way. We have also been as clear and transparent as possible, taking out no administrative salaries to run the organization but relying on part-time work opportunities and personal business efforts to make ends meet.

In Hebrews 11, we find that “faith is being sure of what you hope for and certain of what you do not see.” Time and time again we have acted on faith, taking steps without the visible and tangible security that everything would fall into place. This can appear crazy to those who lack faith. We can imagine how Noah appeared as he built the ark. And even those who have faith may question whether or not the God that you claim to have faith in is the same God that they claim to have faith in. They may question whether or not your efforts are truly carrying out His will. This causes many to observe but few to invest or risk much. But as we continue to overcome challenge after challenge, those observing cannot help but to admit that God whom we have faith in is in fact acting with us. He is our leader and counselor.

We are now faced with challenges in getting our first local business up and running. This business will be located in an area where we run a grassroots school which is also close to a tourist resort. The school provides education to about seventy Haitian immigrant children who mainly live in small one room houses with several family members and eat one or two meals a day. With tourist excursions passing through to “see the countryside” on a daily basis, social stratification reaches its peak. Passing tourist excursions include horse drawn carriages, four wheelers, horseback riding, and go-karts. Kids from the community have learned to run up to horse drawn carriages and beg. A complete image of royalty and peasantry is the result. The profit from these excursions goes to those running the excursions. Nothing goes toward developing the struggling community they pass through.

The business we are setting up is an internet center and gift shop. Passing tourists will be invited to stop by to receive information about Project Esperanza and the efforts we are making to develop the community, to purchase local artwork, and to use the internet. Volunteers have been forming a women’s group among mothers in the community, teaching them to make various forms of jewelry out of purchased and donated materials as well as beautiful indigenous seeds. The women are anxious to have a spot to sell their work. Other artisans include painters and a basket weaver. Food such as delicious homemade peanut butter will also be sold.

We have invested resources toward launching this new business but have steps to take before things are actually up and running. With limited resources, one can only act on faith. Many in this country do things similarly. They invest what they have to build a house halfway and have faith that they will be able to finish it one day. Getting this business up and running will likely lead to a necessary breakthrough for us. The income generated will provide financial stability, independence from U.S. funds, support from the visiting tourist population, and start-up funds to execute more business ideas, thus providing more work for local people.

When resources are abundant, it is easy to act without true faith. But at times like this, when you are almost there but have spent all that you have and have exhausted all of your resources, there is nothing else to do except pray for doors to open and ask God for more faith as you’re knocking and waiting. Bondye pa janm komanse pou li pa fini. God doesn’t start anything that he doesn’t finish. And out of loyalty to God our leader, we don’t either.