Centro Bonilla began a new program within the organization that focuses on the physical needs of the individuals and communities that we work with (food, clothes, and toys for kids) through donations. We came to realize that it is hard for individuals and families to focus on their mental, emotional, and spiritual wellbeing when they are working full time jobs to meet their families basic needs.
While the Dominican Republic has made significant economic gains and is now a middle income country, more than 30 percent of Dominicans still live in poverty. Unemployment rates in the Dominican Republic have averaged 5.5 percent for the last decade, however, disaggregation by sex and age reveals significant disparities (USAID, Dominican Republic, 2024).
Centro Bonilla will raise money to buy and donate grocery bags to individuals and families who live in poverty or are unemployed in Jayaco, Bonao. This can support with groceries for a percentage of the 30 percent of those individuals and families who live in poverty or are unemployed in the Dominican Republic.
This will provide support to those individuals and families living in poverty in Jayaco, Bonao and it will motivate them to focus on their overall health (mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual), and an opportunity to apply for the financial aid program, which will allow them to receive other services that Centro Bonilla offers that supports their overall health. Centro Bonilla will be able to work with many families long-term with this support.
