Disability Rights Dominican Republic Project #54662

Progress for 100 Dominican kids with special needs

by Fundacion Cuidado Infantil Dominicano

Project Report | Apr 9, 2024
Veronica

By Trudy Bekker | Director

Veronica

Greetings from Sanitago, the second city in the Dominican Republic,

We are happy because we have been enjoying cooler temperatures in the past Holy Week than during the years before!

Today I would like to share Veronica's story with you:

Hello, my name is Veronica and I am 26 years old. When I was 8 years old, my parents enrolled me in the home visit program of the Fundación Cuidado Infantil Dominicano (FCID) to learn how to control myself because I was always very angry and did not respect my parents. I hurt myself and didn't understand commands properly.

I slowly began to learn things like taking care of myself, bathing, dressing, and doing chores around the house. The FCID tried to assist my parents to enroll me in a school, but this was not successful because the school did not accept me after a while.

8 years ago The FCID started a group for teenagers like me and in this group I learned to socialize with others. I am now learning my vowels to both write and read them. I also know how to name geometric shapes. Others tell me that I talk too much, but I really like to talk about different things.

I no longer throw tantrums with my parents, I understand everything that is said to me and I love helping my group mates and my mother. I am really happy now. I thank God and the program for having so much patience with me.

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Veronica is one of the children that has lasted the longest in our programs (19 years). Partly because there were no other services for her and she was not the easiest person to deal with for her parents. Also her progress has been very slow.

Since the beginning of our work in 1993 we have been able to bring hope and progress to more than 2150 children in and around the city of Santiago. In the process we have trained more than 270 persons in the Portage Guide to Early Education method, adapting this for the different disabilities the children presented. Many of them have moved on, became psychologists, speech therapist, physiotherapists and are continuing to work with persons with problems or disabilities. Some of them have migrated to the United States and have found work in Child Services because of their experience in FCID.

We are very proud to have been able to stimulate not only progress in the children we served and still serve, but also in our workers, because many of them came to us with little education and were able to grow as persons and started their career.

We would like to thank you for your continuous support of our Foundation and inform you that this week we have a special campaign on this platform. Every donation up to USD50 will get a 50% match. This way you can multiply the impact of your donation for the support of the children, adolescents and young adults like Veronica we serve.

THANK YOU

Veronica 8 years old

Veronica 26 years old

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Feb 5, 2024
Metamorphosis

By Trudy Bekker | Director

Angel Gabriel showing his achievements

In the Dominican many children have two first names and even than there are a lot of children with the same names, even in our program. Today I present you with the story of one of them: ANGEL GABRIEL. He tells his story himself.

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I have been part of the Community Inclusion program in the Pekin neighborhood for 2 years. We meet two aftenoons per week. At first I spent the entire afternoon sitting and just listening and obeying. I didn't know how to read or write or interact with the others of my group, but now it's totally the opposite:

I can read and write, work as part of a team, help organize our workspace, ask for help if necessary, take turns playing Dominoes, Trouble or Memory. I also create my own simple jokes and enjoy socializing with the rest of the group and the other groups, I can add, subtract and multiply. At home I help out more: I do the dishes, make my bed, pick up the trash, play with my cousins and help my younger brother program his cartoons on television. Thanks to my family and the FCID team I completed all the achievements on the Portage checklist.

I always think that something funny will happen every day, I don't know what, but it will happen. I will continue practicing my gift as an actor, I have already given my first performance in the Christmas drama!

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This is just one example of how a young person with developmental challenges is able to change, if we present the correct environment and stimulation. We run 4 of these groups with a total of 22 adolescents and young adults living with disabilities.

I just wanted to share Angel Gabriel's progress with you and thank you again for your continuous support to our programs!!

Very much appreciated!

Angel Gabriel as Pastor in the Christmas drama

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Nov 28, 2023
Looking back

By Trudy Bekker | Director

Jerinson

Today I have two young people tell their story. Both went through our program as children and are now working. The supervisor met them in the community and asked them what they remembered from the visits when they were children.

Hello, I'm Jerinson and I live in Yaguita de Pastor, where I grew up. When I was 9 years old, my mother received a home visitor who taught her how to sit with me and dedicate special time to me every day, through a method that every week my mother taught me something different from what a child my age should know. That is how I became literate.
Now I am a grown man, I am 27 years old and I work in a metal company. I thank my mom and also the home visitor María Cristina for their dedication to help me on my way.

Hello, I'm Angel José. When I was almost 5 years old, my mom enrolled me in the Fundación Cuidado Infantil Dominicano to learn how to play with me and at the same time teach me what I lacked in knowledge for my age. This is how they prepared me to enter school, where I did well.
I also enrolled in baseball and I even graduated professionally. But I don't know what happened, my signature got lost along the way, and I was never able to play at this level.
I am now 24 years old and work as a sales representative for Altice, a telephone company.

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These two young men do our work proud!! Jerinson was 10 year when he was at the level to enroll in the local primary school, and was able to finish it at 18 years of age!!

While Angel José just needed to fill in some gaps in his knowledge and could enter school at the normal age of 6 years, as he recovered his developmental level to the average in one year. We are so glad for both of them! There was no kindergarden in the Dominican Republic in those years!

Today is Giving Tuesday and you can support us in our work with the children and adolescents with special needs that need help today in order to thrive and have a better quality of life: Study, get work like Jerinson and Angel José and some might even have a family!!

DONATE TODAY and help us get a part of the 1.2 milion dollars available for matching!!

Thank you in name of the more than 2000 children that have passed through our programs!!

AngelJose

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