Child sponsorship update from Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic

Update for child sponsors from the SOS Children's Village Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic from Winter 2008.

Dear Friend,

Once again in this year we send the warmest greeting to you, friend and sponsor. We are very glad by the work made in favour of these extraordinary beings that although once their future seemed uncertain, thanks to your generous aid and human heat has been possible to found a new project of life, plenty of improvement and integral impulse to them.

Some news respect to our country is that this year we obtained visits from the nature, several tropical storms and hurricanes passed near our island, leaving with their step, forts rains, wake of fallen trees as well as families who lost their houses, thanks to God our facilities remained intact and our children and adolescents safe.

The SOS Children’s Village Santiago carries from 2003, five years of created and founded with 15 familiar units, a visit house, a house of SOS Aunts and one for the Director. The offices of the SOS Children’s Village are in the frontal part, the Village had installed a Recreational Area near the School building, which includes a field of Baseball and Volleyball. In addition it counts with a plenty agricultural area, where it is cultivated a variety of fruits.

During this scholastic period, 152 children who in their majority are between 1 to 15 years of age are studying from maternal to 8th grade in the SOS School. From which 20 children are benefited with attention and special education. When it is required we counted on with the clinical interventions through the General Hospital and the collaboration of professionals who offer a psychological support.

Between the efforts that had been making inside the SOS Children’s Village Santiago, are the creation of workshops for the growth and formation of the children. Similarly the establishment of team groups of children in the surroundings of the Village has formed with the purpose of maintaining the good operation and order. Some events and recreational activities have been organized with the objective to foment the physical health. Some of the challenges that were faced during the end of this year have been borne by the excellent work and handling of the community of the SOS Children’s Village by means of the committee of SOS mothers starting up the coordination and direction in team groups.

Supporting children and communities at Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic

The program of Family Strengthening in Santiago, is working very close with the communitarian groups in order to obtain necessary conquests for the quality of life of these citizens. In the Communitarian Centre we had 120 children, 43 families and 4 communities of Santiago. In “San Antonio” they are canalizing with the city council the construction of the second level of the premises where the communitarian centres works and was approved for year 2009. This will allow a greater capacity to welcome more children in the centre, as well as it will allow developing to more activities of qualification and direction to the community. The communitarian centre “Jose Manuel”, does not have the own premises, but this managing the construction of the premises, for which we have formed commissions and we have visited the city council, we have contributed to the canalization of the approval and the accomplishment of the design of the premises, that are in agenda of the construction for this year. In the centres “La Gloria” and “La Piña”, have made some remodelling, especially in the area of the kitchen, which will allow a better performance.

During this year several recreational and commemorative activities have been celebrated warmly that have unified the bows of all the families, collaborator, children. Some of the activities that gave rise in the Village were diverse birthdays, the mother’s day, the Global Peace Games 2008, sport interchanges, formation and presentation of a folkloric group among other events outside the Village like the expedition to the Diego de Ocampo Peak where 15 children participated and 40 more attend to a Summer Camp, near the community “Los Cocos”.

We thank to you to you: Sponsor, Friend, and Donor by all your excellent and beneficial aid in this year and always; our better greetings from all the members of SOS Dominican Children’s Villages. That in these Christmas the love and the generosity reign once again in our hearts we make an exercise of hope in our life

Sincerely,
Josefina Delgado Abreu

National Director