Beyond the Beaches: 5 Reasons Why the Dominican Republic is the Best Place to Volunteer
The Dominican Republic (DR) is one of the warmest countries I’ve ever experienced. Now, when I say warm, I do, of course, mean the high temperatures (& the humidity can be quite intense), but what I really mean is the people. When I first came to the DR with limited Spanish from a few high school classes, I was nervous that I would get lost not only in the language but also in trying to get from one place to another, since I had never been to the country before. To my pleasant surprise, I was received with open arms by everyone with whom I had the pleasure of interacting. I was invited in rather than cast aside as an outsider. I was immediately called upon to learn the local dances, try local food, and work alongside the local Dominican volunteers. I felt accepted and welcomed from the moment I arrived, which is not the case in other places in which I have traveled and volunteered. I had this sensation that I had potentially found an extension to my family here, and, eight years later, I can confirm that is absolutely true! Whether long, intense workdays or relaxing beach getaways, Dominicans will be playing music and dancing; they will be embracing one another; and they will be trying to get you to pronounce some quirky, fast-paced colloquialism that, once you can say it, you’ll never forget.
When most people think of the DR, they think of its beautiful beaches. Many have heard of the resort town of Punta Cana and perhaps have vacationed there or know someone who has. In fact, the DR is incredibly dependent on tourism: from 1985-2018, the DR had a real GDP growth rate of 4.9%, and, in 2017, tourism receipts equaled 9.5% of GDP, the highest in Latin America (Meyer, 2020). There are stunning beaches along the coast of the whole island. The DR is surrounded by two bodies of water, the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea. On the North Coast of the DR, there are beaches on the Atlantic Ocean, such as in the Puerto Plata and Samaná provinces. On the South Coast, you can visit beaches on the Caribbean Sea, a much calmer body of water, in my opinion, such as Boca Chica and Juan Dolio.
I started volunteering in the DR in 2013 and have returned every year since. I even ended up moving to the DR in August 2019! You can read more about my experience in the DR at the end of this post. Each day I spend in the DR, I become increasingly captivated by the country’s history, beauty, and complexities.
1. As the title says, the DR is so much more than beautiful beaches.
While many people associate the DR with its beaches, the country has so much more to offer: it boasts diversity in natural landscape and talents. Just within the capital (Santo Domingo), you can go from Tres Ojos, a set of underground caves with lakes full of bright blue water, to Zona Colonial, the first European city in the New World, to Acropolis, a giant shopping center, all within 30 minutes of one another. If you venture just about an hour east of Santo Domingo, you arrive at San Pedro de Macorís, a town famous for baseball and its players. San Pedro boasts five of the 30 Major Leader Baseball (MLB) Academies in the DR. Fun fact: in every MLB season since 1999, Dominicans have made up 9% of the active rosters, more than any other country (except the United States)! Go an hour west of Santo Domingo, and you will find yourself in the winding rural roads of San Cristóbal in pueblos (“towns”) like Villegas and Hato Damas, filled with brightly colored homes, all sorts of farm animals, and some of the most generous and hardworking people you’ll ever meet. If you have the opportunity to go farther, in just two and a half hours, you can get to Constanza, a town with one of the highest altitudes in the Caribbean region (1,200 meters). Constanza offers valleys of pine trees, temperatures down to the single digits (Celsius), and mountains overlooking vegetable fields. Some even say they’ve seen snow fall in Constanza! The north-to-south route through the middle of the country to drive from Cabarete, where I currently live and work, to the capital consists of winding canyons, farm life, and long stretches of highway surrounded by tall, full trees and expansive pastures. In fact, there’s no beach to be found until you arrive in Santo Domingo! In the border city Dajabón, you can witness the daily border crossings between Haiti and the DR. I got to go to Dajabón last October and hear about the contentious history between the two countries.
2. Mi casa es tu casa (“My home is your home”).
I have never visited a country that has made this phrase so real and true as in the DR. One day, I was doing site visits for the organization I work for, The DREAM Project, and we spent the day driving around in our van. We took a lunch break at a local cafetería (“cafeteria”) and grabbed some coffee from a small stand nearby before heading to the next visit. However, the next school we were going to was 30 minutes away, and I had to go to the bathroom. I asked the woman from whom we bought the coffee if there were a restroom nearby, but there was not. Her immediate response was, “Come! My apartment is right here. You can use my bathroom.” Now, I know that they say don’t go into strangers’ houses, but I felt safe, and my co-workers were right outside. The point, though, is that, without giving it a second thought, this woman opened her home to me. I can say in all honesty that I really do not think this experience would happen to me anywhere else.
My anecdote with this woman is not unique. Dominicans invite you into their homes, into their families, and into their hearts no matter what their living situation is. This is not an exaggeration. Dominican families, no matter what their access to resources may be, will invite you in and will be grateful for and humbled by you taking the time to see where and how they live. I have worked alongside families living in extremely rural towns without consistent access to running water, yet, without fail, when doing home visits, I will be offered a chair in which to sit in front of the house and a cup of coffee to drink. It doesn’t matter if you’re talking to a wealthy couple living in the heart of Santo Domingo or to a family with four young children living in a one-room home with a dirt floor in a rural town, you will be made to feel that you are in a place that is your home. You will never feel like an unwanted visitor.
3. There are incredible organizations doing sustainable work.
Despite the continued growth in tourism since the 1980’s, the influx has done little to alleviate poverty in the DR. Many local and international organizations, therefore, have been working in communities in the DR to try to combat disparities and inequities. For volunteer work to be effective, it needs to be rooted in the community with a plan for sustainability. As such, the organization does not perpetuate an indefinite reliance on an outside entity. In the DR, there are many organizations doing culturally appropriate, community-driven work, and one such organization working intentionally and in collaboration with the local community is The DREAM Project with which I’ve had the pleasure of working for the past year. DREAM operates under the guiding principle that learning changes lives and offers programs in early childhood education, high-quality primary education, and holistic youth development that are specifically targeted at existing challenges in the country.
One example is DREAM’s program Deportes para la vida (DPV, “Sports for life”), which is a program that uses games and sports to educate young people about HIV/AIDS prevention, healthy decision-making, and leadership skills. In DPV, participants learn about gender equity; sexual health; the myths, transmission, and treatment of HIV; and how HIV affects the human body. DPV is in direct response to gender and sexual health challenges in the DR. In 2018, the Gender Inequality Index* was 0.453 (UNDP, 2019), which is “the loss in potential human development due to disparity between female and male achievements in…reproductive health, empowerment and the labour market” (UNDP, 2020). That same year, the adolescent fertility rate for women aged 15-19 was 9.3%** (The World Bank, 2019). In 2014, the contraceptive prevalence was 69.5%*** (The World Bank, 2019). Using youth leaders as Certified DPV Trainers, DREAM combats stigmas and disparities related to gender equity and sexual health.
The education system in the DR is one of the worst in the world and is an area of attention for organizations like DREAM. Between 2015 and 2018, students’ average scores in reading and math on the PISA exam decreased, and the average score in science only slightly increased. The average reading score in 2015 was 358 and in 2018 was 342 (OECD, 2018; 2019). The average math score in 2015 was 328 and in 2018 was 325 (OECD, 2018; 2019). The average science score in 2015 was 332 and in 2018 was 336 (OECD, 2018; 2019). The image (click to enlarge) shows how the DR (red oval) compares with other countries on the 2018 PISA exam. In 2015, in the population of Dominicans over the age of 25 years, only 34.87% had completed upper secondary school and 12.38% had completed post-secondary (The World Bank, 2019). To work toward improving the education system in the country, The DREAM Project provides resources for families right from when a child is born by addressing the needs of young children in three key areas: birth registration, parent education, and Montessori classrooms. DREAM continues its support through literacy programs and professional development workshops free to students as they matriculate through school and into their careers.
Do your own research into what interests you! Learn about how the DR fairs compared to other countries in the world, what work is being done to improve the current conditions, and which opportunities are available to volunteer with community-driven, sustainable organizations. Many local and international organizations are working to combat inequities and disparities in the DR—research your area of interest and see with whom you can get involved.
4. Hay la mejor comida y baile (“There is the best food and dance”).
Part of being a volunteer is integrating into the country in which you’re working. To be able to truly meet people where they are and work successfully within a new region and culture, you must take a step outside of the day-to-day volunteering. Take advantage of any down/free time you may have in the DR and get to know this beautiful country!
Two integral parts of the Dominican culture are food and dance. A plato típico (“typical dish”) usually includes rice, beans, salad, and a meat of your choice (usually chicken, beef, or pork). This dish is available in any and all parts of the DR, often for as little as $2.00! Other local cuisine includes tres golpes, which is eggs, salami, and fried cheese (usually accompanied by mangú [“mashed plantain”]); sancocho, which is a stew; and tostones, which are twice-fried plantains. To accompany the food, you’ll see people all over enjoying a Presidente, the national beer (and my personal favorite!); morir soñando, a milk- and orange-based drink that Dominicans absolutely love; and anything with chinola (“passion fruit”). Not only is the food phenomenal, but the meals are an integral and incredibly important part of the day. If you have the opportunity to dine in a Dominican home, you will quickly learn just how true this is. Meals are a time when families put work aside, share what is going on in their lives, and tell stories and make jokes (likely at each other’s expense). Meals last hours, and they are never rushed. A piece of advice I give to new volunteers here is to be prepared for many of the meals – at home or at a restaurant – to last a minimum of two hours.
Any time, day or night, you’ll see Dominicans up and dancing. They may be doing so in their homes, outside colmados (“corner stores”), at restaurants and clubs, or really anywhere that has space to stand up! Typical dances you’ll see are merengue, bachata, and salsa. Before you know it, you’ll be practicing in your bedroom eagerly awaiting the next chance you get to dance until the sun comes up (and that’s considered early!).
5. Dominican pride!
Going to a new country and potentially speaking a new language (if you don't already speak Spanish) can be overwhelming. There is a new culture to learn and new norms to which you have to adjust. Even trivial tasks like getting to and from work, the supermarket, and other activities become more complicated as you have to learn to navigate a new transportation system. There is no doubt that the transition can be intimidating, and, furthermore, many coming to volunteer in the DR do not have friends or family in the country. However, you will find Dominicans all around you who will become your family, who will instantly welcome you into their lives without judgment and without fear, who want more than anything to share their country and culture with you.
Communities in the DR want to help themselves succeed. Dominicans are very proud, hard-working people. They make for incredible leaders and partners in the nonprofit work being done in the country. They live in the moment, are immensely grateful, and will become your forever friends!
About the Author: Melanie Goldring, MSW, MSP
Melanie started volunteering in the DR in 2013 with an organization called American Youth Understanding Diabetes Abroad (AYUDA). In the DR, AYUDA partners with a local organization called Aprendiendo a Vivir (AAV) to empower youth to serve as agents of change in diabetes communities around the world. Based on the local partners’ needs and objectives, the organizations co-develop diabetes education programming. In the DR, a diagnosis of diabetes (types 1 and 2) is not automatically coupled with continuing diabetes education or certified diabetes educators on call to provide support as is more common in more developed countries. AYUDA and AAV step in the bridge the gap: AAV is the only dedicated community diabetes education organization in the entire country, providing weekly education sessions and psychological counseling to families with diabetes. After a semester of online training, AYUDA volunteers go to the DR for multiple weeks over the summer to run larger diabetes workshops and camps alongside AAV’s local Dominican volunteers.
Through her time with AYUDA, Melanie fell in love with working with her Dominican peers and began to seek out opportunities to transition her work in the DR to be more aligned with what she was studying back in the United States for her Master’s Degrees in social work and social policy. She turned her focus to early childhood education and wanted to work with an organization doing community-based, locally defined work in a sustainable and culturally appropriate manner with a focus on high-quality education. Melanie applied for a yearlong fellowship with The DREAM (Dominican Republic Education and Mentoring) Project based in Cabarete, Puerto Plata, DR. DREAM operates under the guiding principle that learning changes lives. Through partnerships with local families, school districts, and other nonprofit organizations, DREAM has established itself as an integral part of the community. DREAM also works in other cities and provinces around the DR with the aim to improve educational supports throughout the country. During her time with DREAM, she has had the opportunity to work alongside Dominican and international staff and volunteers to create meaningful, positive change in communities. Specifically, Melanie has been leading DREAM’s parent education program for parents of DREAM’s Montessori preschool students. DREAM puts its families at the center of its work, shifting its operations to provide food, educational materials, and online resources to thousands of children, youth, and community members while they remain safely at home during COVID-19.
*GII varies between 0 (women and men fare equally) and 1 (men or women fare poorly compared to the other)
**World average is 4.2%
***World average is 62.5%
Citations
Meyer, C. A. (2020). Tourism and economic growth in the Dominican Republic: 1985-2018. GMU Working Paper in Economics, No. 2020-09. http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3538902
OECD. (2018). PISA 2015 results in focus. https://www.oecd.org/pisa/pisa-2015-results-in-focus.pdf
OECD. (2019). PISA country note Dominican Republic. https://www.oecd.org/pisa/publications/PISA2018_CN_DOM.pdf
The World Bank. (2019). Dominican Republic [Data set]. http://api.worldbank. org/v2/en/country/DOM?downloadformat=excel
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). (2019). Human development report 2019: Beyond income, beyond averages, beyond today: Inequalities in human development in the 21st century. http://hdr.undp.org/sites/default/files/hdr2019.pdf
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). (2020). Frequently asked questions - Gender Inequality Index (GII). http://hdr.undp.org/en/faq-page/gender-inequality-index-gii#t294n2918