Scholarships for Dominican and Haitian Youth

It has been a busy and exciting summer for Yspaniola: in July, we opened a Literacy Center in Batey Libertad!

At the beginning of the year, Yspaniola interns based in Esperanza began informally tutoring children in Batey Libertad.

Given the amount of interest in these sessions and the dedication of local staff to the project, in June Yspaniola began a series of community meetings and focus groups to determine if and how to move forward with creating a space in Batey Libertad devoted to learning. The community rallied behind the idea of a Literacy Center, a safe space for children to read and participate in extracurricular tutoring sessions led by Yspaniola staff and interns. 

June and July were devoted to furbishing the center, which became truly an international effort: children in Batey Libertad painted the center; community members built a table and a bookshelf; a local school donated desks; Dominican volunteers offered books; Yumiko, an intern, reached out to friends and family who bought school supplies, books, and provided funding; and a service-learning trip from Sudbury, MA brought supplies as well.

As August progresses, we are preparing a registration process to begin a semester of learning that corresponds to the local school calendar and includes parents and the schoolteachers in their children's education. By working with parents and closely monitoring student engagement and improvement, the Literacy Center will be a resource for Batey Libertad and give its children more possibilities and hope.

Links:

• More information about the Literacy Center

Yspaniola is thrilled to announce two new scholars from Batey Libertad to the University Scholarship Program. This April, after a selection process of applications, essays, and interviews, an impartial committee selected Ramón Sánchez and Julio Louis to receive Yspaniola scholarships to further their education. The new scholars will study alongside current scholars Mayra and Fede at UTESA (Technological University of Santiago) beginning late May.

A special welcome to the program’s new Scholarship Coordinator, Mirta Aguirre. Mirta, originally from Argentina, is a passionate educator and is looking forward to working with Mayra, Fede, the new scholars and the rest of the Yspaniola Local Program team. Yspaniola and the new scholars will work closely in the next few weeks in preparation for enrollment. We are very excited to welcome Ramón and Julio to the program and wish them luck in their studies!