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This page is a collection of the planning & preparatory information that was disseminated before the short-term mission trip to Dominican Republic occurred. For pictures and reports of the actual trip experience, please visit the Trip Highlights page.
Photo by Dave Bezaire
Destination: San Francisco de Macoris, Duarte Province
We will be the third Global Village team to work in the city of San Francisco de Macoris, where a relatively new Habitat for Humanity affiliate continues its development.
Although the city is located in the mountainous interior of the Dominican Republic, the immediately surrounding area is relatively flat farmland with the primary products being rice, cows and sheep. The population of 100,000 includes both some who are very rich and others who are very poor.
All team members are asked to arrive at the airport in Santiago on Saturday, June 30 no later than 3:00 p.m. local time. Jeanine, the HfH - DR staff coordinator, will meet us at the airport. Although she assures us it is a small place, we ask team members to wear the Global Village tee shirt they receive from HFHI to ease finding each other. After a stop at a Santiago bank to exchange money, we will drive about 1 1/2 hours to reach San Francisco de Macoris.
The San Francisco affiliate has been operating since January 2007 and, as of our arrival, they have 11 families approved for their program and have begun building the first 4 houses. Fortunately, the fledgling San Francisco operation is getting assistance from the thriving Naugua affiliate located to the north along the coast.
The San Francisco affiliate purchased a large plot of land on the outskirts of the city on which to build many houses over the coming years. They have one engineer as the only paid staff, so most of the organization and family selection work is done by a 6 person volunteer committee.
Families are recruited by local promotion of the Habitat program, and must meet minimum requirements including: (1) a couple or a single parent with children; (2) minimum monthly family income 8,000 pesos; (3) not own any property; (4) complete Habitat's Financial Literacy training. Most of the children in the families attend public schools.
Photo by Dave Bezaire
Construction of Habitat houses in Dominican Republic
The HfH affiliate in San Francisco has purchased a large tract of land in a rural setting at the edge of the city for the construction of many houses .
Although some of the families live and work quite a distance from the site, we are told that people are excited about the project and we can expect many community members to stop by and get to know us. Please note that they have to work at their jobs every day, so the homebuyers will generally not be with us, though they will try to join us when they can.
In addition to our construction work, we have offered to have our team help with some advocacy and PR efforts. We hope to learn more specifics soon about the feasibility, but initial thoughts include meeting community leaders and helping to recruit local donors, families & volunteers. This will primarily be a Sunday and/or evening activity, although we will welcome the chance to "be seen" and interact to people even as we walk to/from the site each day.
The affiliate has been told that we may be able to garner some extra resources through our fundraising efforts. They noted the need for tools, and would be most appreciative if we can help them out in this manner. We will wait and purchase exactly what may be needed locally rather than try to carry tools from home.
Habitat for Humanity houses in Dominican Republic range from 388 to 538 square feet (36 to 50 square meters) depending on family size and needs, and include 2 or 3 bedrooms, a living-dining room, a kitchen and a bathroom. Houses are built of steel-reinforced block with cement floors and strong roofs to withstand hurricane winds. The average cost of the houses ranges from $8,000 to $11,000 (US Dollars). The families' monthly mortgage payments range from 2,500 to 3000 Dominican Pesos, or about $75 to $100 (US Dollars).
Climate & Weather
Based on this summary from WordTravels.com, Dominican Republic enjoys "summer" year round. The likelihood of rainy weather will depend on the area of the country to which our team is assigned::
Seasons can, however, be determined by rainfall, with October to April being the rainy season on the north coast, while May to November is the wettest month in the south of the country. The driest area is the west. Cooler temperatures and less humidity is generally experienced between November and April, while the mountainous interior is always cooler than the rest of the country..
Average day-time high temperature is 91 with night-time low of 72.
Accommodations
We will be staying in a "Catholic center" that provides clean, simple, safe, inexpensive housing. We are fortunate to be located within easy walking distance, only about 1 kilometer away from the construction site.
Each room accommodates two people and has a private bathroom. There are fans but no air conditioning, which is actually quite a benefit as we acclimate to working in the heat. You'll be amazed at how "cool" a 73 degree morning feels!
To help safeguard our passports and valuables, we will bring a hard-sided suitcase with a bicycle cable and padlock so we can secure them in our room or the office.
Our meals will be from a variety of sources, all prepared with clean water and under sanitary conditions appropriate for our "gringo" stomachs. The Catholic Center will provide breakfast. Lunch will be eaten on the work site together with any family members, staff, and other volunteers present at the time. We will go to one or two local restaurants for dinners. Although we've been told that reservations have been made in our name, you should not expect anything but the simplest of fare!
Photo courtesy of Emile De Boyrie
R&R
Balancing our building and advocacy work will be some R&R time to further explore the culture.
- Sundays will be a time to experience local church service and spend an afternoon getting to know the area markets, museums, etc. Hopefully some homebuyer families and/or other volunteers will be along so we can get to know more about them, their jobs, etc.
- We hope to learn a bit about local music, dance, crafts and customs in the evenings. A perennial favorite that we hope can be arranged is a cooking "class" to learn about DR food preparation -- and maybe even a reciprocal where we provide them with a taste of our own specialities!
- We expect to play baseball with the families, staff and local volunteers.
- After the conclusion of our work, we will take two days to explore some of the more culturally significant attractions of the country.
- Optionally, Dave & Susi will consider remaining with some of the team for an additional 4 to 6 days to enjoy more of the best that the country has to offer
Pricing Information
Although the actual cost of the trip will not be finalized until we know exactly how many people join the team, we believe following guidelines to be reasonably close. The total price is likely to be about $1,300 to $1,675 per person plus round trip airfare. For people from Columbus, we expect this will be about $550 for a grand total of $1,850.
Description |
Amount |
Payable To |
| Round trip airfare. Although we will negotiate a package through http://www.twinhorizonstravel.comTwin Horizons Travel, you are free to make your own arrangements. | $550 | GV Team or travel agent |
| Mission days food, lodging, ground transportation and activities | $499 | HFHI |
| R&R days food, lodging, ground transportation and activities | $223 | HFHI |
| Travel health insurance | $45 | HFHI |
| Donation to Habitat for Humanity International to support the Global Village program | $100 | HFHI |
| Donation to HfH Dominican Republic for house materials | $350 | HFHI |
| Columbus GV Team administration & First Aid Kits | $33 | HFHI |
| Contingency | $50 | HFHI |
| Special donation for tools and host country support | Optional | HFHI |
| Immunizations and malaria tablets | $0 to $275 | Others |
| U.S. Passport (renewal required if expiration is earlier than Feb 1, 2008) | $100 | Others |
| Dominican Republic visa, exit tax, etc. | TBD | Others |
Read about Tax Deductions and the Cancellation Policy here.
Health & Safety Information
Fortunately, we are traveling to a relatively safe area. Nonetheless, it is prudent to be aware of some standard precautions that apply to all of our trips. If, after reading the standard precautions, you wish to visit the Centers of Disease Control site, click here to jump to the Dominican Republic page.