The summary below was provided by the Peace Corps Volunteer and the community administering this project.

What would you do if you woke up one morning to a knock on your door, an authority warning you to leave your home immediately because in just hours it would be bulldozed to the ground? On November 11th, 2011 this great injustice occurred in one of the most rural and poorest villages within the Dominican Republic. Conflicts over land titles and ownership left 42 families, just over 300 people with their homes destroyed by a money hungry, well-off Dominican who claimed the rights to the land that these poor people had been living on and maintaining for over 20 years. With no help from the Government or National Authorities, these families were forced to leave their homes after receiving no notice that there was someone claiming ownership of the land that their unified, yet underprivileged community lived on. Within hours, about 300 people-men, women, and children were left on the side of the one long dirt road to the entrance of their community with remnants of their home-some zinc, wood, their front door and the little belonging they had.

In the spirit of the time of giving, a small donation can go a long way to help purchase any type of necessities these helpless families have, whether it be a few pieces of zinc or wood, some cement or a bag of nails. The objective of this project is to help these families try to rebuild their homes and their lives as quickly as possible by providing them some needed materials. Beneficiaries, local community members and the local Development Association have volunteered all manual labor including the capacitating of health sanitation workshops for those that lost their homes. As we approach the holiday season, it is the hope of the community and surrounding areas that these families are able to find the resources that will help them rebuild a place to call home once again.

If you have questions about this or other projects, email our office.

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