Unleash the Leader in a Girl

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.

Links:

• Mariposa Volando Program

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!