Archive

"A huge joy was being able to go to the Bateys and actually see the work of our D.I.K. partners there. One of those partners is New Joy Foundation. You know, you go into some of the Bateys and there can be kind of a, um, just a sadness... But you go into Batey 106, where New Joy Foundation is, and there's just this overwhelming sense of hope, particularly among the young people at that Batey. So, New Joy Foundation (or Fundacion Nueva Alegria) at the core, it was founded with the intention of giving youth education and training- like helping build them up in their dreams, so that they would have hope that their life can look different from the back-breaking work they have seen their parents do their whole life. Really just giving them hope and a vision for their future. So they have classes so that they can learn skills like sewing, art, dance, drama, cutting hair, entrepreneurship, digital marketing. If a child dreams it then Liony Batista, who you see pictured here, he wants to help make that come true. Help support them and build them up and show them that they're not just like dust in the wind, that the Lord has a heart for them and a mind for them and that those desires are good. And just so many of the people we met, so many of the youth we met, were so articulate, so hopeful. They really had a vision for their life and they really believed that the Lord had His hand in their life, in large part due to the work of New Joy Foundation. We came alongside this foundation around 2015. One of the things we sent was a large container of fabrics, and that was kind of one of the first classes that got going... was this 'Joy of Sewing' project, where girls would come and take that fabric and learn to sew little purses and things and then resell them. That started in 2015 and today, continues to be a class that's offered alongside all of these others, I mentioned earlier. Another thing that is really beautiful is, New Joy Foundation also serves in a barrio in Santo Domingo. And so in Batey 106, it's a lot of Haitian immigrants. In the barrio, it's a lot of Dominican kids. Part of New Joy Foundation's vision is to really bring those groups together. And so every year, the Haitian and Dominican kids, they go to camp together. And the first time Liony and other leaders did it, the kids were a little reticent to it. Like, 'We don't know how this is gonna go.' but now, they're friends with each other. They look forward to it. It's a big part of their lives." - Katie, Cross Catholic Outreach

At this time, Friends of Hope is on the ground at the explosion site looking for ways to put our resources to work. The Dominican Republic is a third world country and basic needs and services are often a daily challenge. Given the catastrophic nature of the circumstances, they are especially difficult to procure. An immediate need is water. If you can help us, please donate. We have a team on-site that is converting interest into action, as we speak. Thank you