Networking with the local Rotary Club

The Rotary Club of Punta Cana-Bavaro sponsored our service project today. They provided a bus to transport us to the school site in Bavaro and they also provided the supplies we needed to paint. About ten members of the club were there to welcome us and to provide refreshments, including the incoming president, Enriquillo Abreau. We had a chance to speak with the Rotary members and renew our friendship from the service project we did with them two years ago. They are going to work on a service project for us to do in 2011.

While we were working at this small elementary school, we were able to learn a little bit about the school and the students from several Rotary members. The Punta Cana-Bavaro Rotary club has been in existence for about three years now. They have taken on this school as a special project. The school used to have two classrooms and include students through the fourth grade. Just this year, the Rotary club built an addition to the school which added two more classrooms. The school now serves about 150 students through the seventh grade. About half of the students attend classes in the morning, and the other half attend classes in the afternoon. There are two teachers, who are paid by the government. Teachers salaries are low - around $100 per month. Living expenses are high in this area, so one of the teachers lives at the school during the week and goes to her home, about 30 miles away, only on weekends. During the summers, the teachers are not paid by the government, so the Rotary club pays them so that they will return to teach again the fall. Since this is a public school, the students do not have to pay to attend school. The Rotary club helps with expenses for books, desks, teaching materials, and uniforms for students who cannot afford them.

A larger project which is being conducted by this Rotary club is to build a fire station for the community. There are no fire stations between Punta Cana and Bavaro. If there is a fire, they try to get the Airport Fire Department to respond, but the response time can be long. So far, the Rotary members told us they have two fire engines and one ambulance donated to their cause. They have land, and they have Rotary members who are volunteering their time to design the fire station. In the United States, we take our infrastructure for granted. Here, someone has to pay for and provide the infrastructure that is needed to serve the businesses and families who are living here. In many cases, local businesses here take the initiative to build and maintain roads, build water treatment plants, and provide electricity.

Being able to connect with local people, like the Rotarians, really enhances our program and our understanding of the life and culture of the Dominican people. I hope we are able to build on this partnership in the future.

Contributed by Carol Nansel, 4-H Agent in Shenandoah County