Santa Maria del Batey Foundation

  Dominican Republic

Hato Mayor

Durations of Program: 1-2 weeks, 2-4 weeks, 5-8 weeks, 3-6 months and 7-12 months
Typical Duration of Program: 2-4 weeks
Dates: academic year or summer

Description: Experience teaching and working with children amid the raw natural beauty of the Dominican Republic. Design your own volunteer experience: from one-week children's programs, to ongoing crafts and skills classes, to teaching English for a school year. All volunteer interests are needed and we welcome a diversity of volunteers to work alongside the local people to transform the lives of children.

Many children of the bateys, or sugar cane plantations, are undocumented as a result of being born to Haitian immigrants, and so are banned from public schools. Without an education they have no hopes for employment away from the plantations. Volunteers at Santa Maria del Batey work alongside our teachers and staff to prepare them for better futures and offer them their only chance for education. Working in a simple but beautiful 12-room school building, volunteers can help out in the classrooms, teach their own classes, and lead various activities. The chapel offers religious classes on Saturdays, and church groups are welcome to volunteer with the chapel as well as with the school.

Hato Mayor is a small town in the eastern part of the Dominican Republic, a 2.5 hour drive from Santo Domingo. Volunteers are housed in the town itself; the school is located in the neighboring bateys, a 20-minute drive from town along dirt roads.

Highlights: The work of volunteers at Santa Maria del Batey is important for the economic development in a region of the country where there is no established network of non-profit organizations. Santa Maria del Batey benefits hundreds of families, and the school is the only educational opportunity for the batey children of this region.

In July of 2006, diplomas were awarded to the first graduating senior class of Santa Maria del Batey, and many of the students won scholarships to continue their education in the capital, Santo Domingo. The warmth of the Dominican people and their optimism despite the harshness of their living conditions is an inspiring setting in which to work. Volunteers are met with unbounded appreciation, and their services go far in transforming the lives of these children.   

Volunteers will work with the Foundation Director to create a meaningful volunteer program at the school that will best use their personal skills and interests. Volunteers may teach their own math, science, or English lessons; create a crafts club or theatre group; design health workshops; run a sports camp (our soccer teams are the regional champs!); help out with the construction of the new dining hall and teachers' residence; or help with grant-seeking and grant-writing. You may also get new inspiration and ideas from the lush, green surroundings as you walk the breezy corridors of our school. Whatever your dream volunteer experience is, we want to work with you to ensure a rewarding adventure. No timeframe is too short to share a connection with the children and to leave your mark here. Please note that for the above activities, a working knowledge of Spanish is essential as our full-time teachers do not speak English.

Qualifications: No special skills or experience required.

Cost in US$: $500 for one month

Experience Required: no

Typical Volunteer: Socially conscious, environmentally-minded, respectful of cultural and religious beliefs, resourceful and committed.

Age Range: 18 or older

This Program is open to World Wide Participants. This Program is also open to Families, Couples and Individuals

Participants Travel to Dominican Republic Independently

Typically Participants Work Independently Or in Groups of 2-5

Application Process Involves:

• Phone Interview
• Resume
• Written Application

Post Services Include:

• Exit DebriefingAbroad

Santa Maria del Batey Foundation's Mission Statement: Our mission is to improve the quality of life for people of the bateys in the rural province of Hato Mayor. Santa Maria del Batey offers quality education at all grade levels as well as vocational training for the children of the bateys. We believe that education is freedom and leads to employment opportunities that break the vicious cycle of batey poverty.

Year Founded: 1999

Santa Maria del Batey Foundation is a Catholic Christian based organization. We do not require our participants to be of the same faith. Our volunteers will not be involved in religious proselytizing.