Dominican Republic

Sponsors have helped Dominican children since 1970, when Compassion teamed up with churches in the Dominican Republic to fight poverty.

east side of the Caribbean island of Hispaniola

sports: baseball, boxing

foods: mangú (mashed plantains), fruits, The Dominican Flag (dish of rice, beans and meat)

celebrations: Carnival, Independence Day, Merengue Festival, Semana Santa (Holy Week), Christmas

home to the highest point (Pico Duarte) and lowest point (Lake Enriquillo) in the Caribbean

rhinoceros iguanas, marine turtles, humpback whales, dolphins

Poverty Pitfalls


City water is full of germs, and many people can't afford to buy bottled water.	Compassion builds water-cleaning centers and helps families pay for clean water.
Mosquitoes infect people with the Zika virus.	Compassion gives bed nets to kids at risk of getting bit by mosquitoes.
Many jobs don't pay enough to meet workers' basic needs.	Kids whose parents can't afford enough food eat meals at their Compassion centers.

Kinkajou!

a little bigger than two New Hampshires put together

money: Dominican peso

Major League Baseball player Albert Pujols is from the Dominican Republic and has helped Compassion-sponsored kids there.

main crops: sugarcane, coffee, tobacco

home to one of the largest gold mines in the world

distance from Washington, D.C., to capital city of Santo Domingo: 1,473 miles

Many locals travel in minivans called gua-guas (not to be confused with iguanas).

home to 5,600 plant species and 303 bird species

has coral reefs, mountains, fertile valleys and tropical rain forests

Stats	Dominican Republic ??	United States
Population	10,734,247	339,665,118
People Living in Poverty	30.5%	15.1%
Languages	Spanish	English, Spanish, Chinese, other
Religions	Roman Catholic 95%, other 5%	Protestant 46.5%, none/other 26.1%, Roman Catholic 20.8%, Jewish 1.9%, Mormon 1.6%, Muslim 0.9%, Jehovah’s Witness 0.8%, Buddhist 0.7%, Hindu 0.7%
Typical Family Income	$17,000 per year	$63,700 per year