The weathered and tired hand of the volunteer meets the wary and innocent hand of the child, exchanging love and charity, and making a connection that will change everything.

 

The child comes away with a belly full of nutritious and wholesome milk; a taste he rarely enjoys. In his hand he now carries a large clear Ziploc bag. He holds it at arms length, dead ahead of his wide brown eyes. His smile is awkward but genuine and he cannot believe the generosity of the strange, new people who've recently arrived at his village; the ones who sing, the ones who build, the ones who bring smiles and medicine and books.

 

In that Ziploc bag is a neatly rolled fresh and clean pair of underwear, a brand new red plastic toothbrush and a tube of sharp smelling mint toothpaste. There's also a hard boiled egg, a meal fit for a king in his world, and he now knows there's one in every bag. And a toy, a wonderful new, confusing and exciting toy, bringing with it the idea of a child being a child, instead of a starving refugee, if even for a brief moment.

 

He carries the bag, full of wonders and treats, high in front of his face as he walks barefoot along the heavily beaten paths of his shanty village. Only a single thought running through his mind.not one of greed, not one of imagination and not one of entitlement; his one thought is simply to share this bounty with his family. He will not pause, he will not linger and he will not stall; and he will not open the bag, not to sample the egg or inspect the toy, not even to feel the soft fabric of the underclothes.

 

He will walk the path until he reaches the dilapidated and unhealthy shack that his family calls home. He will present this awesome gift to his Mother and trust in her, that she knows the right way to handle such an odd thing.

 

This JOURNEY will take place countless times, one for every child in every hut, in every village.every village that DOMINICAN SERVICE PROJECTS touches.

 

Together, we can change everything.

 

This year being the fifth consecutive operation of its kind and is set to be an inspiration in humanitarian thinking and doing.

 

Working through The Samaritan Foundation, headed by Elio Madonia and John Huizinga, Dominican Service Projects is a relatively small and unstructured group of regular people come together to raise funds, resources and talent in order to bring the simple opportunities of basic shelter, medical care, education and the necessities of healthy living to the less fortunate people of the Dominican Republic.

 

As in projects past, this group works year round to gather resources and once a year embarks on a project of humanitarianism, assembling as a cohesive group on the ground in the Dominican Republic, with the mission of helping to rebuild whole villages; helping to transform them from shanty towns to flourishing communities.

 

Paying their own way, from airfare to accommodation, each volunteer carries with them as checked luggage, basic toiletries, clothing, food, medicine and simple sewing kits (used to help local women start their own small businesses, to act as main sources of income, not only for their family, but for their entire community).

 

Dominican Service Projects is a grass roots effort to help those in need, by addressing the largest issues in these small villages, where and when it matters.

 

Housing - The goal is to replace the unsafe and unsanitary plywood and cardboard and corrugated metal shacks that make up these villages, with properly constructed, safe and sustainable cinderblock housing. Our volunteers dig in, swing the hammers, dig the foundations and help lay blocks for the houses and buildings that they have collected the necessary funds to build.

 

Water - Supporting and continuing the ongoing, multi-organizational goal of bringing clean, running water to all of these villages. A monumental task, completed one foot of pipe at a time. The volunteers help funds projects that bring people with the expertise in construction, negotiation and the sheer physical effort required to bridge the gaps in clean water services in this region.

 

Medical Care - The basic necessities of medical care are brought to the villages in the form of volunteer doctors and nurses, the construction of facilities, the donation of medication and other resources and education in basic cleanliness and the care of infants through the Baby Ministry.

 

Education - Pre and post natal education for the young mothers in these communities is essential for the prosperity of each village and is an equally monumental task. In addition is the building of school facilities in each community, offering the children the opportunity to elevate the outcome of their lives through on-going educational programs.

 

On top of all this, through the Milk Ministry every child in the selected village is given a care package containing a glass of milk, a clean new pair of underwear, a toothbrush and small tube of toothpaste, a nutritional snack (dependant on resources available) and a toy. Volunteers are often moved to tears at this point, faced with the beaming smiles and awe-struck reactions of the children, as though they've just been given a bar of pure gold.

 

Each village, through the donation of time, money and simple resources, is raised and resurrected into a cohesive community and is given the opportunity to flourish and prosper. Agreements are made in counsel, with the community at large in order to maintain this precious gift into the future, and in this way Dominican Service Projects can help change everything; and through this group of humanitarians, you too can be the vehicle of change.all it takes is a little caring and a small donation.

 

One thing sets Dominican Service Projects apart from many other charitable organizations, aside from their past successes, aside from their hands on approach to humanitarianism, and aside from their ability to bring normal people together and to achieve such vast improvements in the lives of those they try to help, Dominican Service Projects gives you, the donor, the ability to choose where your valuable donation will be used.

 

Your monetary donation can be used to help with any or all of the above initiatives, though beyond the massive financial requirements of this ongoing endeavour is the desperate need for consumable resources.