Dear Friends,
When The Mariposa DR Foundation was founded in 2009, there was no high school in our little beach town of Cabarete, Dominican Republic. Most girls were not making it past the 8th grade, very few were enrolling in high school in our neighboring town and almost none were attending university.
We’re happy to report that we’ve changed that.
Currently 100% of Mariposa girls are enrolled in high school and 100% are on track to graduate on time. These independent young women are not only enrolling at the best universities in the Dominican Republic, but many are traveling all over the world to pursue higher education. This is unprecedented.
This year, we are excited to share that we have three Mariposas that graduated from universities in the United States, one who graduated from an international high school program who will be attending university in the United States in the fall, two attending international high school programs in the fall, and nine who just graduated from programs at the Mariposa DR Foundation.
These are the first poor young women from the local community to leave the country for the sole purpose of pursuing higher education. The Mariposa girls are blazing their own trails, shattering glass ceilings and making history!
This past Spring, we had nine girls graduate from Mariposa programs and officially become "Volandos" or "Flying Butterflies". To celebrate this momentous occasion, the gradueates took a 4-day trip a 4-day trip to the capital of Santo Domingo. Together, they explored the city, visited museums and cultural sites, toured universities, stayed in hotels and enjoyed nice restaurant meals. It was a wonderful way to commemorate their journey with us and spend time with each other before they go off on their next independent adventures.
These girls have been through it all together and have created lifelong bonds. They are confident and well-equipped with the education and tools they need to pursue their dreams and write a different story than the one they were born into. The cycle of generational poverty in their families has officially ended with them.
We are beyond proud of these young women and we arrived here together because of your support.
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It’s been nearly 14 years since Mariposa was founded with the unwavering belief that to effect real change, educating and empowering girls is the best investment one can make. Through the years, we’ve witnessed hundreds of girls become the first in their families to graduate high school, college, graduate school and start businesses and careers of their own. We’re incredibly proud that several of our girls have chosen to kickstart their careers right here at home with Mariposa.
Meet Naomi. Naomi began programs at just six years old, tagging along with her older sister who was one of our original participants. From an early age, Naomi was a strong willed little girl who didn’t care that everyone else was bigger or older than she was, she wanted in on whatever was going on.
As the years went on, Naomi found her strength and talent as an athlete. From swimming to surfing, kitesurfing, circus, tennis and more, Naomi tapped into her power and excelled. She became an incredibly strong swimmer and pursued her love of water sports. While discovering her natural talent, her natural leadership skills emerged and she began to encourage and mentor younger girls as they entered Mariposa, helping them overcome their fear of the water and become capable, confident swimmers.
Now 22 years old, Naomi works full time at The Mariposa Center for Girls teaching swimming classes, water sports and safety. Last year, she became one of the first Dominican women to become a certified lifeguard and now helps to ensure the safety of others during local water sports competitions and events. For a girl born into poverty in a beach town where most locals grow up with a fear of the water, never learning to swim, this is an incredible feat. Cabarete is a tourist town where watersports is one of the main drivers of the economy and Naomi has now grown to be a leader in the industry.
It has been amazing to be part of her journey and thank you for all you have done in contributing to her success. Naomi is living proof that if you invest in a girl, she will do the rest.
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Meet Nicole- a true testament of resiliency, determination, and success. Nicole joined the Mariposa DR Foundation at age 9, ready to take full advantage of everything it had to offer. Now a freshman at Whitman College in the United States, Nicole’s journey is an inspiration and an example of what can happen when a young woman is empowered and given opportunities.
Thanks to generous donors like you, many of our girls benefit from educational scholarships to attend local private schools in Cabarete. When Nicole began Mariposa, she was enrolled at Coral where she excelled until she received a scholarship to transfer to ISLA Academy at the age of 15. ISLA Academy is a private, International school in Sosua that offers a high-quality, rigorous, and personalized curriculum taught primarily in English. After graduation from ISLA, Nicole’s post-secondary journey took her to United World College (UWC) in Costa Rica. UWC’s 18 schools and colleges are set on 4 continents and deliver a challenging and transformational education to over 10,500 students each year. UWC prepared Nicole for university-level curriculum and her continued diligence and work ethic paid off as she is now a four-year Davis Scholarship recipient, covering all expenses for her undergraduate degree from Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington, USA.
A recent conversation with Nicole gave a glimpse into her life and her admirable educational journey:
What were your most significant challenges while attending school in Cabarete?
The most difficult thing was getting the necessary tools needed to keep up with my tasks and my homework. For example, having a computer or even when I did have a computer, I did not have the internet at my house and it was very difficult to access.
Looking back on your educational journey so far, what are you most proud of?
I am very proud to be able to study what I like. I am also very proud of fulfilling my dream of being able to travel to other countries.
What are the most essential skills you learned at Mariposa that have helped you get where you are now?
I feel that Mariposa always taught me very useful things. Math classes especially helped since this was an area that did not always come easy to me. Developing my writing skills and learning how to construct an essay definitely helped me applying to United World College.
What interested you about United World College and why did you choose to apply?
I was very interested in cultural exchange and I was determined to reach a higher educational level. I knew UWC was an avenue to achieve this goal.
What colleges did you apply to and why did you ultimately choose Whitman College?
In addition to Whitman, I applied to Furman College and College of the Atlantic. I decided on Whitman because of its science program. I also got a very good academic scholarship. AND, my best friend came with me!!
What are you studying at Whitman?
I haven’t decided for sure but something related to science- most likely biology. I also like psychology.
What has been your biggest challenge attending a university in the United States?
Adapting to a new culture. The language barrier for sure because my English is still not fully fluent.
What advice would you give one of our current 10-year-old Mariposa girls?
Never give up and keep going. Dreams do come true!
Our donors and volunteers are the backbone of the Mariposa DR Foundation. Opportunities like Nicole’s are possible because of the support received. A tremendous thank you, for Unleashing the Leader in our girls, and helping make their dreams come true!
The Mariposa DR Foundation is full of pride and celebration as eleven of our special young women completed their studies and graduated from the Mariposa Center for Girls. For many of these young women, their graduation marks the end of over ten years participating in Mariposa programming. These graduates experienced a magnitude of academic enrichment, environmental education, arts, culture, health & wellness, vocational training, and recreational activities that have allowed them to discover their own strengths and interests.
Over the past year, these young women increased their English acquisition, learned necessary computer skills, volunteered at our mountain school in Jarabacoa, traveled to Santo Domingo to visit museums and local universities , had a class bonding swim/pizza party at the Center, toured local businesses in Cabarete to become aware of necessary job skills, and together planned a fantastic culminating party to celebrate their graduation.
One of our recent graduates, Arianny, summarized her experience at Mariposa beautifully:
“Today is a very special day for all of us. It is one of those long-awaited days and that is later remembered with great nostalgia. Today- Friday, June 17, 2022- ends a very important stage of our lives for all of us. We have finished our butterfly stage and we will begin to fly.
Together we were able to face the problems that arose and we learned to take care of each other. I feel a combination of feelings-joy and nostalgia. Joy because we have accomplished what we set out to do and nostalgia because the great butterfly season is leaving us where we shared joy, sadness, challenges and above all, triumphs.
We are here today because we have worked with effort and perseverance overcoming each of the challenges and obstacles we have faced. We have learned, among other things, that punctuality and determination are important, that rules should be honored, that we must show solidarity with one another, that we must be firm and make our voices heard, that we are not going anywhere without effort, and that what we achieve today is only a small part of what we can still achieve. Today begins the flight that will never end, we will always be butterflies.”
As these young women become Volandos* entering adulthood with confidence and empowerment, we honor and support them as they continue their education or enter into the workforce. They have broken barriers, exceeded expectations, and touched the lives of those around them. Congratulations Andrea, Aida Maria, Arianny, Kimberly, Maria Angelica, Mika, Niurka, Osmeiris, and Yenidel! And thank you to all who have contributed to their success!
*In 2015, in response to our girls breaking barriers and completing their high school education, we started the Mariposas Volando Program to offer internships in various fields and scholarships for continuing education. More information about our Volando program can be found here.
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At the Mariposa DR Foundation, we are committed to developing life-long, healthy habits while protecting the environment and respecting the abundant resources the Dominican Republic has to offer. We are proud to announce that as of this year, all of the food that is prepared at our Center is entirely plant-based!
Shifting to a whole-food, plant-forward diet is not only beneficial to our girls’ health, it’s a tribute to their culture and an acknowledgment of the extraordinary life-giving resources that their country has to offer. The Dominican people have lived off the land for generations and our cooking classes focus on learning new and exciting ways to prepare familiar, local produce (and some new ingredients!). The girls’ palettes are expanding while developing the necessary skills needed to improve their eating habits and influence the people closest to them.
We know that when girls take ownership of what they eat and their health, it will have a ripple effect throughout the entire community. As large contributors to household responsibilities, most young girls in the Dominican Republic are at least partially responsible for preparing meals for their families. In an effort to focus on creating healthy habits that last a lifetime and pay homage to the incredible place they call home, we continually educate the girls and their families on local, affordable, resources and generate easy-to-follow recipes. The girls are becoming involved and taking ownership of the food being served. They look forward to programs and coming to the Center every day because they love the food and are learning how to prepare it themselves.
One of their favorites is our homemade granola! Growing and roasting our own macadamia nuts has put an extra special spin on this breakfast treat. By using seasonal macadamias from our farm in Jarabacao, our girls are a part of the process from start to finish. They visited the farm, saw the macadamia nut trees, picked the harvest, and brought them down to Cabarete where we dried and roasted them before adding them to the granola. They were definitely able to reap the benefits of their labor and appreciate the different ways we incorporate the granola into our plant-based menu. Esmeralda reports that the best days are the ones we serve fresh fruit kabobs with a side of granola. Filled with quinoa, organic oats, and natural honey- it is a perfect-HEALTHY- treat!
Healthy eating leads to healthy living and Mariposa’s commitment to a localized plant-based menu has been a tremendous step in educating our girls about wellness and proper nutrition. We continue to experiment with seasonal ingredients and new recipes and look forward to expanding our menu throughout the year!
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