Local Communities and Disaster Preparedness

April 1st, 2011

After the earthquake in Haiti, people throughout the Dominican Republic began talking more seriously about what causes disasters and how to reduce the risk of a disaster being caused by the natural hazards the island faces each year. In order to address this concern Social Services of the Dominican Churches held workshops for community leaders throughout the Dominican Republic. The workshops discussed ideas like what causes natural disasters, how to reduce risk, and how to respond if a disaster does happen.

The Dominican Republic faces a number of different hazards including earthquakes, flooding, landslides, droughts, and hurricanes. The communities that SSID works with also are vulnerable to these hazards because of environmental, economic, and social factors. Those living in poverty are more at risk to suffer from a disaster than the wealthy, but that doesn’t mean that they are helpless. In response to the workshops the more than 100 community leaders discussed ways in which there community could reduce the risk they face, and what they will do in their communities.

The workshop ended with a discussion about human rights in emergencies, most importantly the right to live with dignity. The right to dignity in a disaster is more than just surviving and this concept needs to be highlighted and upheld during all parts of responding to a disaster and rebuilding afterwards.

This series of workshops also discussed the Sphere Project, which are the humanitarian standards that are to be upheld during a disaster.

Responding to Emergency: SSIDs Work During the First Year after the Haitian Earthquake

January 12th, 2011

The Earthquake in Haiti

On the 12th of January, 2010 Haiti suffered the most devastating disaster in the country’s history. An earthquake of magnitude 7.1 on the Richter scale shook and damaged the cities of Port-au-Prince, Leogane, and Jacmel, as well as the other smaller cities within the surrounding areas.

The destruction was unfathomable and never before seen for this type of disaster. The weakness of the buildings together with an almost non-existent culture of earthquake preparedness led to a humanitarian tragedy.

Around 250,000 people perished and more than one million people were left without homes. Thousands of people were injured, transportation was cut off, and a lack of access to basic services left the majority of people in the capitol without food or water.

Read More Here

Displaced Haitian Families Return Home

3:23pm, November 5th, 2010

A family looks back towards the camp as they return home after having spent almost 10 months living under small tarps.

Mobilizing the People in Camp ADHFEA

On Saturday, October 9th, Social Services of the Dominican Churches held a meeting in order to better plan the form and manner in which they should move to mobilize the families living in the displaced peoples camps in Gantye. The 298 families had been living in the camp since their homes were damaged or destroyed in the earthquake of January 12th. SSID and a team of 15 people, selected by the camp, organized the final distribution of supplies, and the families left the camp, returning to their home and lands for the first time in almost 10 months. The planning for this day though had begun though weeks in advance with the camp’s leaders and the families themselves.

Cash was given to each family instead of food or other supplies in order to allow each of the families more flexibility and to respond to the urgent nature of the situation. The local government wanted to see the people leave their camp, and the Haitian government was also promoting the distribution of $150 to each family that leaves the camps in order to speed the rebuilding process.

Continue reading the article here

SSID Launches Cholera Prevention Program

11:34am, November 5th, 2010

Maria de Leon presents information on how to prevent cholera to a group of children in El Hatico, Dominican Republic.

Stopping the Spread of Cholera

On the 27th of October, Servicio Social de Iglesias Dominicanas launched a series of workshops focused on cholera, a disease that is new to the island, and currently present in Haiti. The disease poses a large threat to the Dominican Republic because of the shared border and the constant exchange of people between the two countries.

The first chats were held in the communities of El Hatico and Las Charcas de Garabito. The workshops were held in the community schools with students, teachers, parents, and other community members. Participants learned about what cholera is, what the symptoms of cholera are, and how to present the disease.

Continue reading the article here.

Poverty is Wrong: We Must Make Our Voices Heard

October 26th, 2010

A small sign seen in Haiti, welcoming the workers of ACT Alliance as the country continues to rebuild.

ACT Alliance Pledges to Speak Out on Global Injustice

The head of one of the world’s largest faith-based humanitarian and development alliances has vowed to take a bolder and more vocal stance on the worst inequalities of our age.

"We have a duty to be brave in standing up against oppression,” ACT Alliance General Secretary John Nduna said on the final day of ACT Alliance’s four-yearly assembly in Arusha, Tanzania.

ACT Alliance’s 105 church and church-related members employ 33,000 staff and volunteers in 140 countries and have an income of US $1.6 billion a year. With decades of experience, most ACT Alliance members are from globally poor countries, working at grass roots level and immersed in the culture of the places they are based.

Nduna promised that the alliance would be outspoken on injustice and poverty as never before, hinting at the kinds of campaigns the world could expect to see from ACT Alliance. "In today’s world, a billion people are going to bed hungry, only 30% of children in rural areas of sub-Saharan Africa have access to anti-malarial drugs and climate change is devastating the world poorest people. We know this is wrong. We know we must make our voices heard against all these gross injustices.

Read the Rest of the Article Here

SSID Provides Microcredit Loans to La Viajama

1:29pm, October 12th, 2010

Maria Rodriguez of SSID with one of the small loan recipients in la Viajama.

Five Receive New Loans

On October 11th, Social Services of the Dominican Churches held a workshop over “Microcredit and Community Building” in the community of Viajama with participants of their food security program. The workshop included 11 people, five of whom have now received microcredit loans and the other six who have formed a committee on community work and activities.

The workshop was held with the Church of the Brethren, and was led by María Rodriguez and Pastor Félix Arias, as well as, Maríe de León and the community pastor Rev. Flora Fulcar. The food security program is sponsored by the Church of the Brethren, Church World Service, and the Food Resources Bank.

Meet Maura de los Santos

8:23pm, October 11th, 2010

Maura de los Santos, outside of her home in Babor.

23 Years of Service

Maura de los Santos is the second most experienced volunteer with Social Services of the Dominican Churches (SSID), and has been recognized for her hard work and dedication by the communities that she serves. Her 23 years with SSID has been divided between health and education, and 245 of her students have completed or are currently enrolled in high school, an amazing testimony in a country where only 1 in 10 students finish high school.

Maura de los Santos, is lives and works with SSID in the small community of Babor. Babor is located in the mountainous region of San Juan de la Maguana. SSID first began working there in 1987 when the national program of public health requested that SSID begin working in the community to combat the extreme poverty that affected everyone in Babor.

At the time Gladis de los Santos (no relation) was the regional director for the region, and she went to Babor to meet with the community and elect a health promoter. The community leaders recommended Maura, and when she went to find her she is washing her family’s clothing in the nearby river. “I was there washing, pregnant with my second daughter, when we first met,” Maura remembered “she’s almost 24 now.”

Read the rest of Maura's story here

New Learning Center in El Memismo

3:37pm August 18th, 2010

Children with SSID's staff together en El Memismo, in the region of Barahona.

Through SSID’s program for first time parents, which is done in cooperation with Plan International, the regional office of Barahona held an afternoon of learning in the community of El Memiso.

The activity brought together children, community leaders, and families, in the space where the new Center for Direct Attention will be located. The center will provide preschool education and educational activities for children and infants ages 0-5, in a location where there are no other educational centers available.

The activity helped us to bring together the neighbors of the center, and the families of the communities, and gave them an opportunity to learn more about the center. The parents and leaders in El Memiso that are interested will also be helping SSID’s staff to form the curriculum of the center and develop its programming. Activities available in the center will include painting, children’s stories, playing with clay, and learning to play the recorder.

Summer Week of Learning

8:25pm, August 10, 2010

Boys and girls learning together by playing.

New Ways to Learn

The region of Monte Plata held a week long summer camp for children in the region. The summer camp focused on protecting the environment, and also taught the importance of morals, education, health, and hygiene. Age groups included 1-3, 4-6, 7-8, 9-11, and 12-15. Children were taught through arts and crafts, as well as incorporating games to make the lessons more fun. The camps volunteers included mothers, fathers, tutors, youth, and local teachers.

To read the rest of the article Click Here.

SSID Holds 48th Annual Assembly

1:59pm July 28th, 2010

Aaron Tate, of Church World Service, thanking Social Services of the Dominican Churches for their continued work in Haiti.

Last Friday, SSID held their 48th Annual Assembly. Representatives came from the various churches and organizations that make up Social Services of the Dominican Churches, as well as, a small delegation from ACT Alliance made up of people from Haiti, the United States, the Republic of Central Africa, and Burkina Faso. Aaron Tate, who is directing Church World Services’ emergency relief work in Haiti, was also present.

Aaron spoke on behalf of Church World Service, and partners of ACT Alliance in Haiti thanking Social Services of the Dominican Churches for their quick response to the need in Haiti and for their continued efforts on behalf of the brothers and sisters in Haiti.

To read the rest of the article Click Here.

Opening Doors to a New Future

July 14th, 2010 2:48pm

Group of students with their materials in the community El Batey

Social Services of the Dominican Churches in coordination with the Ministry of Education have begun working together to help more than 400 adults learn to read and write. These men and women come from communities in Monte Plata, Barahona, San Juan de la Maguana, and Dajabon.

One of these communities where SSID is providing adult education is in El Batey, where a recent study showed that 79% of the adults are illiterate. There they have started a small class for twenty adults.

It is important that community leaders can read and write, so that they have better chances of finding employment. People like Santa Suero said “I want to learn because I want to work as a maid, but families won’t hire me because I don’t know my letters. How can I follow a recipe if I can’t read?”

Rosmerio Ramírez said “I’m ashamed that I don’t know how to read because when I am with my friends they all know how to read, but I can’t. That’s why I’m here.” SSID is working to break the shame of adult illiteracy, and to help people live with dignity.

Meet Félix Morel

June 10th, 2010 6:52pm

Felix Morel showing his crop of oregano to SSID's agricultural technicians

Félix Morel is a farmer in the community of La Maya in Monte Plata. Through workshops and trainings provided by Social Services of the Dominican Churches he learned about the importance of crop diversification and planting methods.

Crop diversification and planting methods taught by SSID help farmers get more out of their small parcels of land. By promoting non-traditional crops that are in high demand locally farmers are able to sell what they don’t consume, and planting methods, such as, limiting the number of varieties planted and spacing plants appropriately lead to greater production.

Félix had been earning little money in the past with his other crops and only had enough to feed his family, but never had crops to sell or if he did they weren’t of good enough quality. He lived in a small row of housing built for sugar cane cutters that was cramped and hot during the summer, and because of the little money his family had he felt he would never have a home large enough for his family, or ever be able to send his kids to school.

Learn more about Felix and his Crops

Fighting Malnutrtion

May 31st, 2010 12:53am

Maria of the San Juan office shows a mother how to prepare this healthy nutritional supplement.

Fighting Malnutrition in San Juan de la Maguana

Our regional office in San Juan de la Maguana has been working with mothers in the local communities to reduce the frequency of malnutrition, and has been teaching them how to make a nutritional supplement that is rich in protein, essential vitamins, and minerals to help them combat malnutrition. It is made with locally available ingredients and is easy to prepare at home.

By consuming two tablespoons per day, mixed in with their juice or milk, or served hot like oatmeal, children suffering from mild malnutrition often recover within two months, while those suffering from more severe malnutrition can be expected to recuperate within three months.

This nutritional supplement is not meant to replace the healthy foods that the mothers are giving to their children every day, but simply to insure that the child is receiving what they need for a healthy development of the body and mind. We remind the mothers that children under the age of five need to be eating five times a day.

This supplement is also used to promote good health in pregnant women and the elderly.

Read More

SSID Joins New Coalition of Civil Society Institutions

May 20th, 2010 10:44am

Members of various local NGOs and members of civil society meeting at SSID's main office in Santo Domingo to coordinate solutions to local problems.

SSID hosted the first meeting with members of civil society here in Santo Domingo. The goal is to create a coalition that can address social justice, and community problems in new ways. This first meeting was an opportunity for the different organizations to present various problems that they are encountering in their work, and a brainstorming of solutions. In the following week they will meet again in order to decide which of the problems the coalition will address first.

Some of the ideas presented include: greening Santo Domingo through tree planting and river clean up projects, disaster prevention education, improving nutrition through vegetable gardens, and training community leaders how to pressure local governments for transparency.

Institutions involved in the coalition so far include: Pastoral Social (of the Catholic Church), Social Services of the Dominican Church, The Evangelical University of Santo Domingo, The Autonomous University of Santo Domingo (the public university), CORO, Ciudad Alternativa, and Centro Juan XXIII.

SSID Provides Vaccines to children in El Rosario

May 10th, 2010 4:12pm

One of the students at SSID's preschool program in El Rosario receives a vaccine.

Over the last few weeks the Dominican Department of Public health has been providing free vaccines to children enrolled in school. In the community of El Rosario, Social Services of the Dominican Churches has worked alongside local community leaders to insure that all children in their community over the age of three have access to these life-saving vaccines.

While the children may not have been excited to receive their vaccines, their parents were thankful. Normally, in the community of El Rosario, children have to wait until they are seven to be in public schools and have access to the vaccines.

The vaccines protect children from measles, mumps, and rubella. More than thirty children came to receive their vaccines free of charge in the preschool building that SSID helped to construct in the small town.

Access to vaccines is just one of the many ways that Social Services of the Dominican Churches promotes preventive medicine and public health throughout the Dominican Republic.

Bringing Water to Carmona

May 3rd, 2010 4:02pm

A young woman and her son in Carmona leave to search for water. Before the well they had to travel almost two miles each way.

Welcome to Carmona

If you leave Santo Domingo driving north, winding through San Felipe, past the small farms of Yamasa, turn to the right, and continue through Sabana Grande de Boya, at the foothills of Los Haitises National Park, you will arrive at a community called Carmona.

Carmona was first developed by the Consejo Estatal de Azucar (CEA or State Sugar Council) as a temporary home for the Haitian "braceros" who would cut and harvest the sugar cane each year. After each harvest the CEA would send the braceros back to Haiti when they no longer needed them. As the sugar industry fell, as well as the dictatorships in the Dominican Republic and Haiti, Carmona like many Dominican Bateyes began to change.

What were originally meant to be temporary apartments became homes for the Braceros,and their families. These are small buildings with cramped cement block rooms that are hot and humid with their low tin roofs. Many of the workers did not have the means to leave Carmona after working years for the sugar industry, and were simply abandoned by the CEA to raise their families where there are no schools, no hospitals, and no running water.

It is in the communities like Carmona where SSID has been focusing their work for nearly 50 years.

Click Here to read the full article.

New Photo Gallery Online

April 19, 2010 2:47pm

A woman with her grandson preparing lunch in the ADHFEA Camp supported by SSID, Church World Service, and Christian Aid.

SSID continues to support more than 2,000 displaced peoples living in camps in Haiti. The camps are located in Bwen and Ganthier. SSID with support from Church World Service and Christian Aid have been supporting the people living in the Camps of ADHFEA and L'alliance with food, water, and shelter.

"The difference in the camps is amazing," said Executive Director of SSID, Lorenzo Mota King. "You can tell that the people in the camps feel more secure. They are more animated."

So far SSID has been able to provide the people living in the camps with more than 35,700 pounds of rice, 5,400 pounds of beans, and 405 cases of sardines.

One woman in the camp said "I'm happy now, I feel good because I don't have to worry. I have rice and beans to cook, and a house (tent) that keeps me dry."

Church World Service, Christian Aid, and Social Services of the Dominican Churches will continue to provide support for the people living in the camps through the month of May.

Click here to see pictures of the camps now. Click Here to see the pictures of the camps before receiving support.

SSID provides water to Batey Carmona

March 25, 2010 3:37pm

SSID's staff working in Carmona to dig a well that will provide water for the school and community.

On Thursday SSID sent their well digging equipment to the small community of Carmona. The batey is one of the many towns being severely affected by the drought that is impacting the majority of the country. "It hasn't rained a single drop here since December," said Carmen Santana, SSID's regional director for Sabana Grande de Boya. She also said that because of the lack of rain crops have died, and harvests have been much smaller than before.

"Right now, the ground is ready for the crops to be planted. The only thing we are missing is the water," said Luis Garcia, who is in charge of SSID's food security project. Once the well is finished though the people of Carmona will have access to clean water, and will be able to plant their gardens.

This well is one of more than twenty wells that SSID will construct this year as part of their efforts to provide water to rural communities. SSID has dug 100's of wells since their formation, and has finished more than 50 wells in the last three years alone.

Click Here to learn more about all the areas in which SSID works.

Emergency Relief Assistance in the Southern Border

March 1st, 2010 11:07am

ERASB

Temporary shelters made of branches and bed sheets in the emergency camp in Ganthier, Haiti.

Servicio Social de Iglesias Dominicanas (SSID) has begun working in collaboration with Church World Service and Christian Aid in Haiti to provide assistance for more than 2,000 people living in emergency camps, and is the first time SSID and Christian Aid have worked together. The camps are located in Ganthier and Bwen, cities about 25 and 20 miles, respectively, from Port-au-Prince. The camps are made up of more than 600 families who have had their homes destroyed or severely damaged by the earthquake that happened on January 12th, 2010. The aim of the project, Emergency Relief Assistance in the Southern Border, or ERASB, is to provide the people living in these camps with adequate food, water, and shelter for the following months until the families are able to return to their homes or find opportunities elsewhere.

The camp in Ganthier is led and organized by a Haitian pastor from the community. He has organized the more than 1,300 people living there into groups of 30 people, with a woman leading each group. It is through this woman leader that each group receives their food and supplies, and it allows for the peaceful distribution of desperately needed supplies. In Bwen the camp is directly alongside the highway, and is made up of more than 700 people, and like in Ganthier are sleeping beneath makeshift shelters, made out of branches and bed sheets to provide relief from the sun, but offer little protection from the rain.

Click Here for the full article.

Click Here to see pictures from SSID's last visit to Ganthier.

One Month After the Earthquake

February 19th, 2010 11:27am

Jose Alberto Diaz, Clemente Joseph, and Virgilio Marquez Mejia, working with our new Haitian partners in Ganthier, Haiti. The camp is temporarily home for more than 1,300 people.

Responding in the First Hours

In response to the earthquake that struck Haiti on January 12, 2010, Servicio Social de Iglesias Dominicanas put into action their plans for helping their neighbors in Haiti. Starting the day after the earthquake the emergency phase of their work began by sending a plane with food, medical supplies, blankets, and other materials needed by those affected. These shipments were some of the first supplies to arrive in Haiti from the international community.

Click Here for the full article.

SSID Featured on PBS's show Religion and Ethics

Kim Lawton of PBS as she interviews Lorenzo Mota King for the show "Religion and Ethics".

Executive Director of SSID, Lorenzo Mota King, was interviewed on Jan 28th, for the PBS show "Religion and Ethics". Journalists from the show came to do a story on the work being done by the Dominican Churches in response to the earthquake in Haiti.

They also visited Jimani and Fond Parisien to see the work that is being done through Social Services of the Dominican Churches and the Dominican-Haitian Dialogue. Pastor Fidian Martinez, the Jimani Coordinator for the Dominican-Haitian Dialogue, was also interviewed in the short segment.

"...at this point I really don’t know who’s Dominican and who’s Haitian, we’ve been working so closely here, and I think it might be one of the ways that God was working here to bring both sides of the island together." -Pastor Martinez

The show first aired on February 5th 2010, and can be viewed online. Click Here to go to the PBS.org page to see the full episode.

Visiting Our Partners in Haiti

Emergency camp in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, where more than 10,000 people are currently living after an earthquake devastated the city and killed more than 200,000 people, and left more than a million people displaced.

Responding to Disaster

On January 28th, Jose Alberto Diaz, the director of the Hatian-Dominican Dialogue made the two hour trip to Port-au-Prince to assess how well their distribution network was functioning. Within just two weeks of the earth Social Services of the Dominican Church has been able to establish a distribution network that reaches more than 23,000 people, all with only volunteers and donations. The key to success so far has been trusting our Haitian partners, and allowing them to determine what is needed in their communities.

Click Here for the full article.

Click Here to see the pictures from Port-au-Prince and the border.

SSID Responding to the Earthquake in Haiti

Jose Alberto from SSID listening to the views of Pastor Clement Joseph, who came to their distribution center in Jimaní. There the pastors are able to come and receive the supplies that are needed in their communities.

In response to the earthquake that struck Haiti on January 12, 2010 Social Services of the Dominican Churches launched a plan of rapid response to provide relief during the emergency phase of the disaster. For the first weeks of the disaster SSID has identified seven key areas in which they are now working. These seven key areas are: securing operational space, securing storage space, establishing field hospitals, organizing logistical support for groups working in Haiti and Port-au-Prince, coordinating emergency rescues, creating channels of distribution for food and supplies, and facilitating transportation for those wanting to leave Port-au-Prince for other Haitian cities and towns.

Click Here for the full article.

SSID to be the Center of Operations for ACT Alliance DR

Alberto from SSID explaining the work that SSID has been able to accomplish within the first week, in response to the earthquake in Haiti.

Working Together

Today the first meeting of the ACT Alliance Dominican Republic took place at SSID's headquarters in Santo Domingo. The group of partners will be coordinating transportation, communications, supplies, strategies, and relief efforts in the Dominican Republic. The ACT Alliance had members present today representing Servicio Social de las Iglesias Dominicanas (SSID), Norwegian Church Aid (AIN), ACT International, Church World Service, Christian Aid, Caminante, and the Lutheran World Federation.

Click Here for the full article.

Get to Know SSID

1. Learn about SSID and what we do by watching our quick presentation here.
2. Sign up for our mailing list to receive our monthly newsletter.
3. Read our latest news.