When you decide to embark on a mission trip it is expected that you will be working hands-on with the poor. You may go to build a home for a widow or apply a new coat of paint on a school house. A vision trip is an opportunity to see how the money you send for the poor is put to use to assist the people. My church and I support children through World Vision's child-sponsorship program. In March of 2011, I traveled to the Dominican Republic to meet the children, families and communities that benefit from those donations.
The fourth day of our vision trip took us back to the Enriquillo Area Development Program near the border of Haiti. Our group had the privilege of meeting Rafael and his family on their farm. Rafael is a lead-farmer, the first in his community to volunteer his land, who struggled to provide for his family before partnering with World Vision.
Implementing Agricultural Technologies in the Dominican Republic
Grants from governmental agencies and through private donations enable farmers like Rafael to learn new agricultural technologies that lead to future sustainability. The programs are developed with the purpose of providing families and communities the best possible methods to begin a transition from immediate survival to lasting subsistence.
Plantains are a popular item in the Dominican Republic. One does not need to go far to find plantains, but the lack of demand brings the profit down for those trying to sell plantains only. In the case of Rafael’s farm, he took a chance and switched from a single crop of plantains to a variety of crops to gain better food security for his family.
The Dominican Republic is a tropical environment and crops like plantains, beans, peas, lime trees and bananas thrive there. Unfortunately many of the farmers make the mistake of concentrating on just one crop. Others could not afford the additional seeds and materials needed to begin.
Although they were able to produce some food for their families, they were unable to purchase other needed items like rice, meat and dairy. School supplies and uniforms also put a strain on families because of the added expense. Children in the Dominican Republic are required to wear school uniforms and each set (blue shirt and beige pants) cost US $15.
Rafael’s Farm
Through his partnership with World Vision, Rafael transformed his five acres into a successful farm that supports his family of five. He did this by adding black beans and lime trees. World Vision provided the training and support as well as the seeds and trees. Now he uses his land more efficiently and his hard work yields more food and generates additional income to buy other necessities at market. The majority of the additional income comes from the lime trees.
Lime trees are one of the most valuable crops in the market and extremely resilient to the frequent hurricanes experienced by the country annually. Farmers typically do not invest in the crop because it can take up to four years for the tree to produce fruit. It is a huge risk to take when you are on the edge of poverty. However, Rafael took that risk and now his trees produce fruit every three months which allows him to get ahead instead of falling even further into poverty’s grasp.
Rafael also collaborates with his neighbors to organize environment-friendly ways to share the water needed to irrigate the fields. The source is approximately 7 miles away and they each have a particular day in which to water their fields. We were there on Rafael’s day and had to jump over a few mini-rivers during our visit while trying to avoid crushing his bean plants.
Rafael’s success with the program inspired him to recruit more members of the community to join him. He teaches them the same techniques and explains how his surplus crops have produced enough money for him to buy other needed items at market. There are 75-100 families benefitting from following Rafael, implementing the new technologies available and taking that same risk. These seemingly simple techniques became the difference between surviving and thriving for this family and many others.
World Vision continues their work in the Dominican Republic, partnering with the people and the government to ensure lasting growth and prosperity. It was an honor to witness their progress first-hand. It was humbling to be so close to a family that risked everything for a chance to live a better life.
April Wright - Hello! I am a full-time mom of four. I am very happily married and a native of Florida. I do A LOT of volunteer work and absolutely LOVE ...
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