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May 2009 Mission Report

We write this report not only for the information of our benefactors - all those who support us in so many ways, but also to help ourselves focus on our work and draw some conclusions on how we can continue to work effectively. Our objective is not just to serve the people of Los Toros but to collaborate with them and establish goals and objectives that will help their community to grow.

Travel went well, we arrived with warm weather and rain, just enough to get out bags wet! All 22 of our checked bags made it safe and sound along with 11 carry-ons and 10 briefcases and a number of extra backpacks snuck onto the planes! We were met at the airport by Ignacio, Marys and Tommy Atwell; it took two pickup trucks and a car to get us to our hotel where Socrates and other students met us with welcoming smiles, my cell phone, umbrella and bottles of cold water! We got to Los Toros the next day without any problem and had some rain for the next three days but then things dried up. Because of all the rain this year Los Toros is green and lush, crops are doing well and there are enough mangos around to feed a multitude - and they were delicious!

Perhaps the most gratifying part of our trip was the collaboration we received from the students and people in Los Toros. The Beca students really pitched in this year and worked side by side with us. They made great contributions in our outreach work in Las Guanabanas and Sajanoa, though some had to return to take exams others stayed the entire time with us and made a great effort to help us in many ways. It also was most gratifying to see the young adults from St. Joe’s take on leadership roles and work hard to accomplish the objectives and goal we set for this mission trip.

With regret we write that the saddest moment in many years was experienced in Los Toros when a thirty-four year old mother with five children died during childbirth while we were there. It was a great tragedy for her family and the entire village. We carried some of their burden of sorrow with us as we returned to the USA with a resolve to help the community find a way to avoid this type of tragic death in the future. Already members of our committee are working to resolve some medical issues and training to help people recognize conditions and develop strategies for treatment. Though we cannot solve the problems of the village we can help them to define the issues and look for ways to resolve those issues in the future. You can read the sad story of Yanida Beltre and the struggle of the Los Toros Community to overcome situations like this soon on our “Observations” page.

This year we worked together with the people of Los Toros to do two “outreach programs” that they planned for their community. The first was to their nearest neighbor - Las Guanabanas and consisted of teaching English and Computers to young people as well as a dental education program for children. The people of Las Guanabanas were kind and hospitable to all of us. We were joined by Nicolas who was an immense help with computer classes and by Fidalis, Lissette, Lenny and Kenny who helped with English classes. While Ryan, Kelly, Chandler and Peter worked in Los Toros, Katie, Lolo (Aaron), and Elena (Eileen) worked the whole day long in Las Guanabanas and were joined by the entire group on Monday afternoon for the dental program. On Wednesday we presented the community with meds to stock a pharmacy for emergency care, they do not have a medical clinic or doctor. They were thrilled to get the meds that people gave us to bring on the mission!

The other outreach was to the community of Sajanoa which is about five miles further from Los Toros than Las Guanabanas. This community is a bit remote and quite poor. They lack much and are struggling to grow. We collaborated with Los Toros to bring them meds for their pharmacy and also do a dental program. There were about 200 kids jammed into the church to participate! It was great to see their enthusiasm and we felt that along with Los Toros we really helped the community. We met with the youth on Wednesday evening and could see their struggle for education and social growth. Next year we wish to do more in Sajanoa; this is a community that really needs support.

The dental clinic in Los Toros is just wonderful! It is helping people get control of dental health and will make a significant impact on the community in years to come! It may not help many adults who now have no teeth but it certainly will prevent the next generation from entering that condition. The dentist comes two days a week and is supported by a volunteer staff that prepares patents and helps keep records! They need some office equipment, a filing cabinet, desk and a small table; this is perhaps US $250.00. We are working at getting a generator for them because frequently the electric goes out and they cannot use the compressor which is now so vital to a dental clinic; we have about $1,500.00 for this and need about another $1,000.00. At this time the dental clinic is a significant service to the community of Los Toros and they are most proud of it!

The people of Los Toros are ready to form a Water Filter Cooperative to help one another gain easier access to purified drinking water! Within two days they presented a list of over seventy people who wish to have a filter! They each will pay about $100.00 pesos and another $25.00 pesos each year for five years to join the co-op. With that they get a ceramic (clay) silver impregnated filter that will give them water that is safe to drink without spoiling its taste by having to use chlorine! They will participate in an education program and help others to learn how to keep water safe and promote good sanitation! Right now we have funds to purchase about fifty filters - so there will be a waiting list.

The Los Toros Beca program is flourishing; we will have another graduate in a few weeks and perhaps another in the fall! There is a waiting list to get a scholarship and as we gain graduates we allow others to enter the program. The enthusiasm for education in Los Toros is tremendous - at all levels! The pre-school is working hard to help children get a head start; the education committee already has a list of families that need shoes and uniforms for next fall, many of these children will remain shoeless until next August when the education committee will buy and distribute shoes and uniforms. With the shoes and uniforms comes a pledge from parents to keep their kids in school and to help them to learn and grow.

About two years ago the head of the sewing school, Mercedes De Leon said; “I have a dream”. “My dream is to have a real “Sewing Center” in Los Toros where students of all ages can learn to sew and make things”! Right now the program meets at the community center in very cramped quarters with little room for teaching and working on projects. Outside the community center, close to the library is space for a building that could house the sewing center and we may have a sponsor to help build it! It is not just a matter of teaching women how to sew; it is helping them to develop skills that allow them to grow intellectually, socially and economically. With reassured self confidence they can learn to solve some of the many problems and challenges they face daily. It is not just a step out of economical poverty but giant steps in self confidence and personal pride in what they can achieve in their lives. Through mutual cooperation, collaboration and support for one another women in Los Toros have an opportunity to nourish their families by demonstrating achievement and making a contribution to both family growth and community development. Not many communities have the organizational skills and teaching skills available to tackle a project like this - but Los Toros has a great enthusiasm and spirit to grow in this area! It is a golden opportunity to promote growth and development for women living in the poverty of the third world. This is a significant moment; hopefully all will seize it to truly make a difference in many, many lives!

We took two suitcases of gifts for Mother’s Day - which is on the last Sunday in May in the DR. The Los Toros youth and the St. Vincent de Paul group gratefully accepted them and organized them for distribution at Mass on Sunday May 31^st! Mother’s Day in Los Toros is a community event and perhaps one of the most important days of the year. Women in Los Toros lead the community in so many ways and bring a tremendous spirit to education and healthcare and so many areas of concern within the community. It is a day to acknowledge not just motherhood but the role of leadership that women play within the community. The support that we carried there demonstrated our solidarity with mothers and with women throughout the world - a true global outreach!

Farming is the base economy of Los Toros; the farmer’s cooperative has an opportunity to help manage and grow that economy. With encouragement and direction the Farmer’s Cooperative can make a difference in the lives of people struggling to make a living. We met with the group and hope to help them renew their efforts are collaborating and helping farmers to manage their crops and achieve economic growth. But it takes times to develop programs and achieve true collaboration and cooperation. Right now is a time for encouragement and support.

Finally, we are accountable; yes the committees in the USA and in Los Toros hold themselves accountable not just for every cent given to them but also for the responsibility they have to help their community. They try to use their time well and make a real effort to try to be productive. They work hard to generate enthusiasm and support for the community and for their work. It is only through mutual respect, trust and cooperation that results are achieved; and likewise it is imperative to maintain a positive spirit of hopefulness for the future. We returned to the USA with a sense of gratitude for what we achieved thus far and with great hope for the future! Along with the people of Toros, who always say it first, we express our profound gratitude for each tube of toothpaste, each pill, each small gift, each contribution towards a Beca, each gesture of kindness and support to people struggling in the third world. The impact of this goodness and kindness was vividly seen during our mission and made each one of us proud to be a part of such a wonderful effort of a community reaching out to others!