Gender Equality Dominican Republic Project #11863

Mariposa Center For Girls

by The Mariposa DR Foundation

Project Report | Aug 25, 2014
The Snack Shack is Open for Business!

By Jessica Lawson | Co-Founder

The Snack Shack!

Dear friends,

We're excited to tell you about a new addition to The Mariposa Center for Girls. The "Snack Shack" is a fully operating business, completely run by the Mariposa girls themselves! With the help of a dedicated group of students visiting from Lawrence Academy in Groton Massachusetts, this past spring we constructed a small roadside stand where the girls are selling fresh juices, smoothies, sandwiches and snacks. Many of the ingredients come straight from our on site permaculture garden and outdoor learning space where Mariposas are growing their own food. This exciting project at the Center provides a great opportunity for our girls to gain real world work experience in a safe, learning environment. Volunteers are working side by side with the girls, helping them to develop business skills including inventory managment, basic accounting, customer service, teamwork and leadership.

One Mariposa in particular has taken a very special interest in working at the shack. Vivianna is 13 years old and has discovered her passion for the restaurant business. "I learned how to garden and grow food here at the Center last year. I can now grow the food, make recipes and create the menu and I want to own a restaurant when I graduate - or run the cooking school right here at Mariposa!"

As we grow, our goal is to become more self-sustaining. The Snack Shack brings visitors to the Center, allows our girls the opportunity to earn their own income and provides them with great resume building experience. Because of your generosity we are creating an interactive learning environment and our girls are not just thriving, they are excelling. Amazing things are happening at The Mariposa Center for Girls and we look forward to sending you more updates soon!

With gratitude,

The girls, families, volunteers and staff at The Mariposa DR Foundation

Vivianna in the garden

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May 20, 2014
We've got solar power!

By Jessica Lawson | Co-Founder

Solar Panel Delivery

Dear Friends,

We are thrilled to report a major development at The Mariposa Center for Girls. Just last month, SunEdison (NYSE: SUNE), a leading provider of solar energy solutions and services donated an entire 9.9kW solar energy system to power our center! Thanks to you and our project partners at Soluz and SolarWave, who provided additional support on this project, The Mariposa Center for Girls is now one of the largest educational facilities in the Dominican Republic that is completely powered by renewable energy. This milestone comes at an extremely significant time as the United Nations has declared 2014 as the first year of the "Decade of Sustainable Energy for All" which has a special focus on the links between energy, women and health. Because of your support, we are able to invest additional resources in education and training for our girls and local community members, putting us at the forefront of this important global clean energy movement.

Richard Hansen, CEO and Founder of Soluz, Mariposa Advisory Board member and pioneer in bringing solar energy to the Dominican Republic is committed to connecting organizations to provide energy access to underserved communities: "Matching SunEdison to help the Mariposa Center for Girls was a natural fit. "Having access to reliable and sustainable electricity will improve theier quality of life. The Center and the girls will benefit from this program for years to come".

The new solar energy system at the center ensures that we can keep our main office, computer lab, sewing machines, pool and other resources that require electricity running consistently. The new system also greatly reduces our energy costs and promotes Mariposa as a shining example of environmental sustainability. On April 22nd we had a special Earth Day celebration at The Mariposa Center for Girls where representatives from Soluz and SolarWave gave a presentation to the girls, incorporating various environmental topics including organic gardening, tree planting, clean energy and recycling. In 2014 we will continue to build and strengthen our environmental education programs, helping girls make the connections between economic prosperity, benefits to the community, environmental health and their own well being.

None of this would be possible without the generosity of people like you and we thank you for your continued support. We look forward to sending you more exciting news as we gear up for summer!

With gratitude,

The girls, families, volunteers and staff at The Mariposa DR Foundation

Celebrating Earth Day!

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Feb 18, 2014
Mariposa Center for Girls Grand Opening Gala a Huge Success!

By Jessica Lawson | Co-Founder

Mariposa girls rock the stage!

Dear Friends,

The Inauguration Gala for the Mariposa Center for Girls was a huge success! Final preparations were completed, performances were learned, and the center was transformed in preparation for this amazing event. All our Mariposa girls, young and old, played a role in this special event. Some put on incredible musical, dance and circus arts performances, others trained as waitresses (which can also help them to find jobs now that the event is over!), and a group of girls our youngest girls practiced their English for the gala so they could say the blessing.

Jose-Luis Lopez, who plays Graffiti Pete from the Tony Award Winning musical In the Heights, worked six days a week for an entire month with a group of Mariposas, teaching them the choreography to perform a selection from the musical during the gala. We are unbelievably proud to say that all 23 girls who auditioned were able to dance in the performance. Additionally, many these girls were part of our original Mariposa group that was created four years ago! It was so special to have them take part in the event and show off how far they've come. Fourteen year old Mariposa Girl, Aritza, who has been in our program with her three sisters since the beginning, cried tears of joy and proclaimed that she would remember this special evening for the rest of her life. The best part of the whole evening was hearing the Mariposa girls shriek with excitement as they exited the stage from an amazing performance.

The stars of the evening were undeniably the Mariposas, but we had some incredible guests attend as well. There were preformances by the Tony Award winning Lin-Manuel Miranda and the sweet music of Ensemble Meme. Special guests included international bestselling author Julia Alvarez, Girl Rising producer (and our event MC) Holly Gordon, and members of the famed Mirabal family.

With all of these incredible happenings, we wanted to recognize that none of this would have been possible without your support over the past few years. It's hard to believe that less than two years ago, Mariposa programming was taking place in a small apartment. The Mariposa Center for Girls is officially open and we are honored to be serving more than 100 girls and their families. We look forward to keeping you updated on all of the amazing progress we have been able to make at the Center thanks to your generosity.

With love and our deepest gratitude for your continued support,

The staff, volunteers, and children of the Mariposa DR Foundation

Holly Gordon, Executive Producer of "Girl Rising"

Aritza learning choreography

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