DOVE Missions' 2009

Primary Outreach Programs

“I have found the paradox, that if you love until it hurts, there can be no more hurt, only more love.”
– Mother Teresa

1. Vocational & Recreation Center

We have founded a vocational and recreation center for the boys and girls living in the barrios around Puerto Plata that will provide them with marketable skills, and business experience that will translate into opportunities that will keep them off the streets and provide them with legitimate income. These children are the heart of our mission. We envision a program that provides them with hope for a better future. Without our help, many of these boys and girls will end up in prostitution, drug dealing or other illegal activity. Getting them off the streets is, for many of them, quite literally about saving their lives.

2. Boys & Girls Club

The Boys & Girls Club program is designed to foster self-esteem, cooperation, respect, responsibility, goal setting and leadership skills in the youth we work with. Our program seeks to empower these young boys and girls to be agents of change not only in their own lives but in their communities. We currently have 30 boys and 33 girls enrolled in the program, and have seen great improvement in each of these children's ability to focus, to collaborate, to complete projects and to empower each other to succeed. Our goal is to refine this pilot program over the next few months, and then to implement it in other barrios in the Puerto Plata area.

3. Family Sponsorship Program

This program is designed to help the families of the street kids we work with to meet their basic needs, so that the boys and girls can go to school instead of work the streets. It is meant as both a source of financial and material support for acute needs, as well as a means to cultivate accountability to the families to keep their children in school or enrolled in our vocational programs.

4. Volunteer Vacations

This has been and continues to be the mainstay of our outreach program. We believe that by providing opportunities for you, your family, your church community and your friends to come to the Dominican Republic and serve the youth and families here, you will not only bring them joy and hope, you will also experience your own life transforming experience. Working along side the Dominican people is profoundly rewarding. They are an open hearted, loving people who can teach you more about yourself, your spirituality, your life purpose and about what is really important than you can learn in your typical day to day life in the United States. We believe in the “servant-learner” philosophy that encourages you to share your talents and skills with the local community members while also learning about their culture and about yourself. We also know that service is a powerful path to personal and spiritual growth. It brings people a deep sense of fulfillment and for many it opens the doors to a profound awareness of their own and others’ divinity and a renewed connection to God.

5. Missionary Vehicle Fund

One of our most pressing needs and goals right now is to purchase a mini-van for our field director Liz Mckie to transport missionaries, donations and the children we work with to and from the barrios of Puerto Plata. Currently we spend a great deal of time and money renting transportation. Liz lives in Puerto Plata and this vehicle is essential to her ability to safely, effectively and efficiently serve the community. Please consider making a special donation toward our vehicle fund. Thanks to Todd and Cindy Evans for getting us off to a great start!