Dominican Diaries - Day Three

Today I am going to answer some of the questions people have asked me in the comments for my other posts.

Do the people there carry things on their heads?
Yes, quite a few of the people carry things on their heads. When we stop at a stop light you often see people selling things, walking from car-to-car trying to get you to buy something from them--water, soft drinks, chips, cell phones, cables, phone cards--all kinds of silly things. Sometimes one of them will wash your windows without you asking and he hopes you will give him a tip. Some of these guys have big boxes or buckets on their heads full of the things they sell. My dad has seen ladies working around their homes with things on their heads as well.

Does your family sponsor a child?
No, we don't. We came here to see if Compassion was a good organization and if we could support a child with them. Now that we've been here, we know we can and we will sponsor a child as soon as we get home.

What does a classroom look like?
The classrooms in the projects are one big room with just dividers (big pieces of wood) between them. So the classrooms are really, really noisy because all the kids in the whole school are in the same room. Only some of the classes have blackboards. Most have lots of pictures and posters on the wall. All of the kids eat at school and most are only there for half the day. We've eaten lunch at the schools every day and they've always served us rice, beans, boiled vegetables and beef. Sometimes they've also had chicken.

How far are the metal and wood shack like homes from the more affluent areas?
It's kind of hard to tell because we've been on a bus and haven't always been paying attention. But it seems to gradually change and gets worse and worse as you go on. So usually, I think, the really nice houses are quite a ways away from the real shacks. The batey we were at yesterday is way out in the countryside, far away from the city.

Do the richer people in the Dominican Republic help the poor people?
I don't know, but I haven't seen any giving money or giving them something. I don't really think so. They each mind their own lives.

What do you think the children need the most?
I think they really need hope--hope that everything can turn out well in the end. Hope that they can lead good lives and have healthy children and see that in the end they've lived good lives because they haven't given up. Compassion gives them hope through education, through learning skills so they can get good jobs, through teaching them about God, and through taking care of their health. All of this together gives them hope that they can support a family and live a great life. It helps them break the cycle of poverty.

I really think that you should think about sponsoring a child. It is very important. I have seen so many children who are being helped by Compassion and I really believe that it is a great organization. Even a kid can sponsor a child--it's only $32 per month.  If you are like me and you are eight years old and you sponsor a child who is three, by the time that child graduates you will be around twenty-five. Maybe you can sponsor a child together with your brothers and sisters. You could get a job like a paper route to help pay for it (I have a paper route). I think you should ask your mom and dad if you can sponsor a child.

You can see some of the children who need sponsors by clicking here.