La Hispaniola Pathways

  The Dominican Republic

The Dominican Republic, a nation of almost nine million, occupies two-thirds of the island of Hispaniola, southeast of Cuba in the Caribbean. Rich with agricultural and other resources, it is home to enchanting beaches, mountains, and tropical forests. Its vibrant mix of cultures has produced outstanding writers, musicians, and, most famously, baseball players.

 But in the Dominican Republic today, children and adults face widespread poverty, malnutrition, environmental degradation, lack of access to health care, lack of access to education, and minimal economic opportunity.

 Education

Education is a fundamental human right inaccessible to many Dominicans, and its lack is closely linked with many other aspects of poverty. One 2001 report on the Dominican Republic noted that “educational attainment is closely tied to income distribution; in fact, 85 percent of poor heads of households have never completed primary education. In rural areas…the uneducated population is 2.5 times greater than that of urban areas. This cycle of inherited poverty is replicated as low-income children enter school underdeveloped as a result of poor educational and mental stimulation, and poor basic nutrition and healthcare.”

Better education means residents have improved economic opportunities that in turn enable parents to provide more adequate food and health care for their children. Increased literacy also means community members can expand their informed participation in the Dominican Republic’s maturing democracy.

Environment and Sustainability

The people in rural area, are people with little money. Land sustains them as it sustains their plants and animals. The region has suffered a great deal of environmental damage, much of it due to clear-cutting and use of toxic chemicals by large sugar plantations which have now closed down. This combination of land damage/economic abandonment has seriously weakened an already fragile rural economy. For this reason, an ecologically informed perspective is crucial to sustainable rural livelihoods.

Also, eco-tourism is a promising form of employment for Dominicans. Tourism has been one of the most lucrative industries in the nation during the past decade, and eco-tourism has the potential for sustainable benefit to Dominicans on a local level. For this reason as well, a learning center that promotes and models care for the environment is an investment in the well-being of the communities of rural Dominican Republic or Spanish speaking side of Hispaniola.

Important local information before you travel

•Like Cuba, the official language in the Dominican Republic is Spanish.  Make sure you aren’t left confused and take a phrasebook with you.
•The Dominican Republic is home to an enviable array of rainforests and national parks. But be sure to take precautions against malaria, which may still be contracted in these areas.
•Avoid drinking the tap water in the Dominican Republic and, unless in a luxury hotel, stay away from having ice in your drinks. Bottled or boiled water should be consumed instead.
By playing safe, anyone can enjoy a fantastic holiday in the Dominican Republic, but if you’re a font of local knowledge, we’d love to hear from you.

 EXPLORE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC TAKING a customized,  learning or just an  outreach trip  !!

Related: Moving to DR

Note: External links will open in a new browser window.

Official Sites of Dominican Republic

Presidencia de la República Dominicana
The Presidency of the Dominican Republic

Bienvenidos a la República Dominicana
Official tourist information Website.

Secretaría de Relaciones Exteriores
The Ministry of Foreign Relations (SEREX)

Diplomatic Missions
Misión Permanente de la República Dominicana ante las Naciones Unidas
The Permanent Mission of Dominican Republic to the United Nations.
Embassy of the Dominican Republic
Washington D.C.

Statistics
Oficina Nacional de Estadística
Dominican statistics (in Spanish)

Maps
Map of Dominican Republic
Shaded Relief Map of the Dominican Republic.
 Google Earth Dominican Republic
Zoomable satellite view of Dominican Republic. 
Google Earth Santo Domingo
Zoomable satellite view of Santo Domingo.

Map of Central America and the Caribbean
Reference Map of Central America and the Caribbean. 
 

	News DR1 Resource for information regarding the Dominican Republic. Hoy National News (in Spanish). Listin Digital News from the Dominican Republic (in Spanish). DR Radio and TV stations Estaciones de la República Dominicana en la red List of Radio and TV stations of the Dominican Republic (Spanish).

	Arts & Culture Altos de Chavon Cultural Center Foundation A multifaceted artistic community with art exhibitions, craft workshops, and artistic presentations, and educational programs in art and design. Teatro Nacional The National Theater.

	Business & Economy Banco Central de la República Dominicana Dominican Central Bank. Cámara de Comercio y Producción de Santo Domingo – CCPSD Santo Domingo (in Spanish). Dominican Products Ambar Dominican Amber.

	Destination Dominican Republic – Travel and Tourism Guides DominicanRepublic.com The official internet portal to the Dominican Republic. Tourist Board Dominican Republic Directory and tourist guide by the Ministry of Tourism. Secretaría de Estado de Turismo More official tourism information for the Dominican Republic. Dominican Rep. Travel Guide and Information Center. National Association of Hotels and Restaurants Vacation planner information on the country. Santo Domingo Santo Domingo portal to the capital city of Dominican Rep. Travel Advice Regularly updated travel advice provided by the governments of various countries.	Books about Travel Dominican Republic   Travel Guides Dominican Republic   Travel Guides Dominican Republic   Guide de tourisme et voyages en République Dominicaine (in French)   Dominican Republic Travel Guides   Guide de tourisme et voyages en République Dominicaine   German Books: Reiseführer Dominikanische Republik

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	Education Pontificia Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra Universidad Católica Santo Domingo Universidad Nacional Pedro Henríquez Ureña The National University. Universidad del Caribe

	Environment and Nature Flora and Fauna of the Dominican Republic Information on Dominican Republic’s 16 national parks, nine natural monuments and six scientific reserves.

	History Dominican Republic History Elaborate history of the Dominican Republic from the time of Columbus’ discovery until today.

	Search  Consigalo Dominican Directory (Spanish) Dimelo A Domincan Search Engine. Rincón Dominicano Dominicana Online. Additional Information on Dominican Republic BBC News Country Profile: Dominican Republic Governments on the WWW: Dominican Republic LANIC: Dominican Republic Dominican Republic online information resources. Open Directory Project: Dominican Republic Wikipedia: Dominican Republic The World Factbook — Dominican Republic