The Mariposa DR Foundation works to serve impoverished girls and their families by providing them with healthcare, academic support, job training, and enrichment activities. While the main center is based in Cabarete, we are supporting the startup of a satellite program in nearby Rio San Juan. This group of girls is currently receiving training in sustainable living and recycled artisan crafts, but our goal is to expand their programming to include structured job training.
The Rio San Juan community is on the brink of becoming a popular tourist destination in the Dominican Republic. However, the community living there is rural and mostly farmers who are unprepared to deal with the incoming influx of tourists. As a result, they run the risk of missing out on work opportunities and many may turn to sex tourism in order to provide for their families.
Providing these girls with structured job training will allow them to compete for and hold down jobs in the tourism industry. These programs will also expose the girls to other job opportunities outside of farming and living off the land.
In training these girls to become constructive members of the tourism industry, more locals will be employed and lessen the need for workers from outside the area to move to the community. Giving these girls job training will also significantly reduce their chances of working in the sex tourism industry and improve their quality of life by allowing them to look for jobs outside of their community as well.
