Unleash the Leader in a Girl

Dear Friends,

We have some exciting news, and we need your help!

For the past several months, Mariposa staff, volunteers, and girls have been working to create our own social media campaign for the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence. We had the chance to collaborate with girls’ rights activist and Girl Rising producer, Holly Gordon, and Talía Tavárez, granddaughter of heroine Minerva Mirabal.

The 16 Days of Activism Campaign begins on Friday, November 25th. This day is the anniversary of the assassination of the Dominican national heroines, the Mirabal sisters, and has been declared the International Day of the Elimination of Violence against Women. The Mirabal sisters, also known as the Mariposas, risked and lost their lives to fight for freedom. Their murders, ordered by dictator Trujillo, symbolize the violence women experience worldwide, but the proximity of their death inspires the Mariposa girls as leaders in the movement against gender-based violence.

Mariposa girls, staff, volunteers, friends, and community supporters will be participating in the campaign. We are working hard to spread the word and make it go viral, and we need your help!

We have created the hashtag #nosoytumamacita (I am not your mamacita) as a way of speaking back against the violence that is invoked upon women and girls daily. This hashtag addresses one of the most prevalent forms of gender-based violence: the street harassment that women around the world face every day. However our campaign will address other forms of violence and culminates on December 10^th, International Human Rights Day.

We are encouraging girls and women around the world to post photos of themselves affirming their identities.  For example, a woman could create a sign that says “I am a doctor and save lives. #nosoytumamacita”. Men are welcome to join in on the campaign too, and can post affirming messages such as “I don’t support violence against women #nosoytumamacita” or “She is more than a statistic #nosoytumamacita.”

Below, you will find a pre-made poster that you can print and fill out. Take a picture with your sign and make it your profile picture! Get your friends, family, classmates, co-workers, etc. to join in as well! On Tuesday, November 29^th, Giving Tuesday, let everyone know there will be matching opportunities on Global Giving to support our programs!

Everyone has the right to live a life free of violence. Take a few minutes to lend your voice to the fight against gender-based violence worldwide. We look forward to seeing your posts on Facebook, Instagram & Twitter. Thank you, as always, for your support!

Sincerely,

The girls, staff, & volunteers at the Mariposa DR Foundation

Links:

• Follow the campaign on Facebook!
• Follow the campaign on Instagram!
• Mariposa Website

Dear Friends,

This year we had another successful summer camp at the Mariposa Center for Girls! We welcomed volunteers from around the world, hosted groups of students, scholars, teachers, athletes, artists and dancers, all of who helped enrich our programs with their skills and positive energy. We held camp activities from the beginning of June until the end of July, with days at the center filled with fun and educational classes, as well as weekly excursions and adventures.

This year our summer camp was special because we really had three separate programs—one for our younger girls ages 8-12, one for our older girls ages 12-15, and internship placements for our oldest Mariposas ages 15-18.

The camp for the youngest girls, the Maripositas, was filled with exciting and educational classes. Throughout the summer, we worked on strengthening swimming skills and teamwork. For some of the girls, this was their first time in a pool! It will come as no surprise that swimming was one of their favorite classes—not only does it support healthy lifestyle through exercise, but it also empowers the girls to overcome fears and learn a new skill. In addition to swimming, the Maripositas worked on math skills, strengthened reading comprehension, practiced environmental stewardship in outdoor education class, expressed themselves through art and boosted their confidence through dance! The girls were able to learn from visiting artists such as Pepe Coronado, a Dominican silkscreen artist from New York, and Christal Brown, the head of the dance department at Middlebury College.

This summer, the Mariposa DR Foundation also debuted its new biking program! Through a generous donation, we now have 60 bicycles and helmets to use to teach our girls how to ride bikes and give them greater mobility. The summer camp for the older girls included daily biking classes in which the girls explored their community through various bike routes and learned basic bike maintenance. They also had English, reading, swimming and sports classes.

A select group of Mariposa girls that reached the highest swimming level last summer were able to enjoy our surfing program! The girls spent two mornings a week on the beach learning how to catch waves and building their confidence in the water. The surfing program culminated in our 3^rd Annual Mariposa Surf Contest on the last day of camp. All of the Mariposa girls attended the event, shouting words of encouragement and excitedly waving their posters of support! This year we had two winners, one in the beginner category and one in the advanced. It was a wonderful end to a successful summer to have the whole Mariposa family together, having fun, supporting each other, and soaking up the sun!

Our summer programs aimed to not only enrich the girls’ lives through academic support and the arts, but it also served as a safe place for them to spend their summer. By spending their days surrounded by friends and supportive staff, engaging in stimulating activities, the Mariposas continued on the personal journeys towards empowerment! Thank you for all the crucial support you give to girls’ education and empowerment, we could not have done it without you!

With gratitude,

The girls, family, staff and volunteers at the Mariposa DR Foundation. 

Links:

• Visit the Mariposa website!
• Like our Facebook page
• Find our annual report and other publications here