Service Learning in the Dominican Republic

By Paul Stevens

In his autobiography Mahatma Gandhi stated “All other pleasures and possessions pale into nothingness before service which is rendered in a spirit of joy.” I had the honor, privilege, and blessing of truly experiencing that quote on a Dominican Republic Service Learning Study Abroad Trip over spring break. Amy Holmes (Senior Director, Teaching & Learning) and I led a group of 16 students, alumni, faculty/staff, and community members to the island of Hispaniola to partake in a week of service and fun. DDCC partnered with the humanitarian organization 7elements in providing service to communities located on the northern coast of the country. Participants not only devoted their time but also their money as part of the cost of this program assisted in buying supplies for the service projects we did.

Monday March 4th was our first day of service. We walked to Escuela Basica Rural Las Canas which is the local elementary school in Las Canas, the beach town that 7elements is located in. This school teaches kids from kindergarten to 6th grade and the largest class size is 11 students. At the school we built a “hoop house” which is essentially an outdoor greenhouse with raised beds and a shade cloth covering. This was needed in order to allow the students to begin important agricultural school projects. The Dominican Republic has warm temperatures year round which allows people to grow crops at any time during the year. Wages are relatively low there so growing your own food is vital to getting all of the appropriate nutrition the human body needs. This greenhouse will allow the students to learn and practice basic gardening skills that will help them feed themselves and family members. The principal contacted the director of 7elements the next day expressing her sincere gratitude for the work we had put in. They had been waiting a long time for the supplies and labor to get this built. For several participants this was their favorite part of the week because we were able to be amongst the wonderful children at the school. The kids especially took interest in the bilingual folks that traveled with us as almost all of the children didn’t know English. Later in the week, I had a discussion with a DDCC student about that day and she so eloquently stated that despite the verbal language barrier, the language of love was still shared immensely amongst all at the school that day. 

(March 5th) On day 2 we worked on building a “bottle house” for a local family in need in the community of Las Canas. Bottle houses have wood framing and a tin roof. The wood framing is filled with various plastic bottles that are collected from the ocean, local forest, alongside the road, or from the 7elements lodge. The bottles are placed in the wooden frame and then covered with chicken wire that is tacked to the wood. Cement is then added into and over each section of bottles. There is very little need for insulation in a hot and humid climate like the DR so 7elements has found a way to reduce waste in the environment by reusing these bottles. Also, if a hurricane hits and causes a total or partial collapse of a wall there is less damage to any occupants. Our group cut and prepared the bottles, added the wire to the walls and also mixed and added the cement to the walls. Along with this bottle house, 7elements is working on a stand alone bathroom that the surrounding houses can share as they don’t have indoor plumbing.

(March 6) Day 3 we visited Chojoba Cacao which is a small local chocolate factory that is operated by a group of women in the local community. As their facebook page states they make “Organic chocolate products made with the hearts and hands of the women of Joba Arriba in the Dominican Republic.” 7elements helped to establish this women’s cooperative to provide economic opportunities for this community. We were able to try the various products they make as well as tour the facility and learn how chocolate is produced beginning from the cacao fruit to the finished product. In the afternoon we returned to the bottle house from the day before to continue working on new sections of the house.

(March 7) Day 4 was a much needed day of rest and relaxation. We were able to snorkel around some reefs off of Sosua Beach in the morning. After snorkeling we had a pizza lunch on the beach and had the afternoon to spend at the beach to swim, shop, or lay out under the sun.

(March 8th) Day 5 we participated in a “Medical Brigade” in the small and very rural community of Guanabano. We were fortunate to have a nurse practitioner and a registered nurse traveling with us in our group. We partnered with a local Dominican doctor to provide basic medical care and medications to folks that otherwise would likely not have. There were 5 stations at this brigade which was held at a local bar/pool hall. The first station was registration where patients would check in and fill out the medical form. The second station was where vitals were taken: blood oxygen concentration, blood pressure, temperature, height, and weight. At station 3, patients would share their medical history as well as state what medical issues they wanted addressed today. Station 4 they met with the doctor to discuss treatment options and receive prescriptions. Station 5 was staffed with a local Dominican pharmacist and our volunteers who dispensed the appropriate medications to the patients. Participants were able to work at various stations throughout the day and in total we were able to help 57 folks in this community.

(March 9th) Day 6 was our last full day in the DR. This was a leisure day where we went to the Dudu Lagoon in the morning and Playa Grande in the afternoon for a meal by the beach. Both places were beautiful in their own unique way. I believe we all needed and enjoyed a relaxing day where we were able to relax and recoup from the hard work we all put in throughout the week. As I was in the ocean reflecting on what a wonderful week we had I was once again overcome with gratitude and joy as I witnessed two of our participants serving a third participant from our group. We had a young lady who had never been in the ocean before and could not swim so these other two folks took it upon themselves to wade out in the water and hold her hands so she could experience the ocean for the first time. It was a sweet experience and reminded me of what a fantastic group we had representing DDCC during this entire week.

At the end of each day we would have “reflections of the day” where those who felt prompted could share their thoughts and feelings about what we did that day. Some evenings would also be accompanied by short lectures/discussions on topics such as human security, food/water/housing security, and the health care system in the DR. This was an impactful experience as feelings, thoughts, and emotions were shared within our group about the positive experiences we were having in the Dominican Republic. You could see and hear perspectives changing and personal growth occurring. My final reflection on this trip is best described in a quote by Ezra Taft Benson (15th US Secretary of Agriculture) stating “If you really want to receive joy and happiness, then serve others with all your heart. Lift their burden, and your own burden will be lighter.” I hope you will consider joining DDCC on future service learning study abroad opportunities and take part in such a transformative experience!