History

In 1972 the American Foundation Save the Children began its work in the Dominican Republic in the community of Loma de Cabrera, in Dajabón province and located on the Dominican- Haitian border.

Originally the work was led by an American director under the supervision of the Santo Domingo Citizens’ Committee. The community development activities were implemented in accordance with the dominant style of that time.

In 1976 an agreement with Save the Children was negotiated to nationalize the Agency and Save the Children República Dominicana-FUDECO emerged as an institution incorporated under Act 520, and expanded coverage to include the areas of San Juan de Maguana and Elías Piña. From then and acting as Save the Children República Dominicana-FUDECO has successfully captured new funds from other international agencies.

In subsequent years FUDECO consolidated its administrative structure and expanded its work by building two training centers, one in Las Matas Farfán and the other in Loma de Cabrera, for the purpose of actively involving rural institutions and to impart the training needed prior to the implementation of any project. Since the opening of the Organic Agricultural and Appropriate Technology Centers for the Community (CAOTACO) approximately 50,000 men, women and adolescents have been trained in different areas ranging from agricultural techniques, basic accounting principles, health programs, and children’s rights, promoting education and good treatment and production in general.

Save the Children República Dominicana-FUDECO has evolved over the years, today new technologies are incorporated to promote development and children rights, some of the advances that are observed in our work are: solar energy for homes and water, alternative and participatory methods of education, empowerment, not only for men, but also, women and children. We have worked in 69 communities located along the northern and central border even reaching some Haitian communities; more than 70 thousand men, women and children have benefited from these programs, 11 thousand from our neighboring country Haiti.

Going forward, we have recently initiated trainings in the city of Santo Domingo to share acquired knowledge and Save the Children’s methodologies with other institutions and individuals associated with promoting the rights of children. We recently expanded the areas we service by opening new offices and a training center in San Pedro de Macorís to benefit children and their families living in the sugar cane communities.

And finally, it is gratifying for us to visit any community along the Dominican border and receive warm greetings from someone who as a child participated in our projects, and welcomes us into his/her home to reminisce about the attention they received from the staff of Save the Children República Dominicana-FUDECO and how their lives changed after their participation in different programs. 30 years of smiles and 70 thousand enthusiastic faces with hopes for a better future.

Developed Programs

Nutrition

In 30 years our fruit and vegetable gardens have brought to the children living on the border a variety of new foods rich in nutrients which are needed for the psychomotor development.

The solar food drying project implemented back in 92 and 93 to teach women the innovative technique of dehydrating foods rich in vitamin A is considered an excellent nutritional strategy for communities.

This program was implemented with support from USAID and VITAL. The innovation and creativity reached with women from the communities was centered mainly on the activities of harvesting fruit and vegetable gardens, solar drying of fruits rich in vitamin A and the planting of fast growing trees. The Milk Bank Program has been very successful registering improvement for both the environment and in nutrition, milk rations are delivered to families in exchange for their participation in our reforestation efforts in their communities. This program is sponsored by the ADEMI Bank and the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture IICA.

Traditionally a different component is included in the program of animal breeding to teach handling of modules on livestock, with the ultimate aim of improving the family’s nutrition.

Water

Through the provision of potable water we promote health and hygiene, provide means of livelihood by encouraging crop planting, cultivation, and animal breeding and development activities for the communities, water is a basic component of development and its impact and benefits to children is significant and long term. Lack of access to water in rural areas mainly affects children from the community and secondly the women. The work of fetching water traditionally falls on the children, who have the obligation of helping their families by bringing water to their homes; this task is usually done after classes.

In recent years we have installed 92 aqueduct systems, 33 irrigation canals and a dam in the community of Manuel Bueno.

The major sponsors of this effort have been USAID, German Agro Action, BID, Micro achievements Program from the European Union and MPDL.

Education

Throughout thirty years we have worked to improve the learning environment for children in rural communities, in total we have worked with 169 schools and 51 pre-schools, 17,272 children have seen their schools’ infrastructure improve as well as witness improvement in the learning conditions.

We continued to train the teachers from these schools on issues related to quality education, children's rights and non-violence.

5 Community computer and communications centers have been installed powered by solar energy in the communities of Santiago de la Cruz, El Aguacate and Aminilla in the province of Dajabón, and 2 others in Matayaya and Bánica.

By December 2006 773 students have graduated from these centers. The company E. Leon Jimenez has supported the improvement of many schools in the tobacco area. Save the Children Norway, Save the Children U.S., Movimiento por la Paz, el Desarme y la Libertad (MPDL) contributed to this effort by supporting reparation and upgrading of schools and preschools located on the border.

Trainings

Parting from a change in our programmatic work and intervention; in the late 70s Save the Children República Dominicana/FUDECO identified the importance of empowering the families of their own development process. This process began with the installation of the Organic Agricultural and Appropriate Technology Centers for the Community (CAOTACO). These centers provide training and serve as a venue for meetings with community members to assist in all aspects of implemented development program. Today there are 4 training centers: Impact Area I, in the community of Los Indios, municipality of Partido, Dajabón province, Impact Area II, in the community of Matayaya, Municipality of Las Matas de Farfán, in the Province of San Juan. A third center is being installed in the community of Bánica, Elías Piña province, donated by one of the largest importers of food products in the Dominican Republic, Mercasid, and a fourth center in the community of South Brujuela in the province of San Pedro de Macorís.