Along the northern coast of the Dominican Republic, the community of Caraballo faces deep and generational challenges. Teen pregnancy, fatherlessness, and unstable households are part of everyday life—especially in this predominantly Haitian neighborhood where families also navigate racial discrimination and limited access to basic services.
Students arrive at Kids Alive's Park School carrying the weight of these realities. School psychologist Alfonsina Cruz provides a consistent presence, offering students a place to share what they’re carrying—whether it’s frustration, joy, or stress—and equipping them with tools to thrive emotionally, socially, and spiritually.
For the past four years, her office has been a steady place of care in the middle of students’ unpredictable lives. “Every day I have a parade of children coming in,” Alfonsina shares, “sometimes because of problems they need help with, and other times just to greet me. On a typical day, I see more than 20 students.”
Helping Students Heal and Grow
Her work focuses on helping students recognize and manage their emotions and behavior. By teaching when and how to regulate their responses, she equips them with skills that extend far beyond academics—shaping how they relate to others and navigate daily life.
Alfonsina also equips teachers to better serve students in the classroom. She provides individualized tools and strategies tailored to each child’s needs, helping create an environment where every student has the opportunity to learn in the most effective way.
Advocacy in Action
Alfonsina also serves as a bridge, strengthening communication between students, teachers, families, and the school. Each has a role in supporting the child, and her work ensures they are working together toward transformation.
When she joined the team, her first case showed just how critical her role would be. “When I started working at Park School, the first case I had was very delicate. It was a family with about 8 or 9 children—6 of whom were attending the school at the time.”
The children were often left alone at home—without food or protection. “We mobilized so those kids wouldn’t be left exposed,” Alfonsina recalls. With the school’s intervention, Alfonsina and the multidisciplinary team were able to advocate for the family’s needs, providing food, medical support, and ongoing care. In the years that followed, the family faced further medical complexities, and KAI staff stepped in whenever possible. Today, three of the siblings remain enrolled at the school—and Alfonsina continues to walk alongside them.
A Heart for Transformation
Alfonsina’s deepest desire is to see transformation in the lives of the children she works with—emotionally and spiritually. To strengthen her ability to meet those challenges, she recently attended a training in Guatemala on Trust-Based Relational Intervention (TBRI). "It was an excellent training." she recalls. "We gained practical tools for the realities we face every day and connected with professionals from other countries who, like us, work with vulnerable children."
What keeps her motivated is the hope she witnesses in her students. “My favorite part of my job is that here at Park, it’s not only about what students learn in class, but the transformation and impact we can have in each student’s life—the hope we can give them in the middle of their situations. For many, this school is a refuge, a place of protection, a family. Many times, it feels even more like family than [what they experience] at home.”
In a community like Caraballo, that sense of refuge can change the course of a child’s life.
Living Out “Justice that Heals. Bonds that Mend.”
Alfonsina’s faith anchors her work. “I work in a Christian context where we seek to sow—working with hearts through the Word,” she explains. Every conversation, classroom visit, and counseling session reflects Kids Alive's mission: helping children encounter the love of Christ that heals and restores. For students facing instability in nearly every other area of their lives, the trust built with caring Christian staff is essential to building bonds that mend.
Park School has been blessed by Alfonsina's leadership, advocacy, and the trust she works to build with students and their families. Her role is vital: offering students a safe adult who listens and walks with them toward healing and a vibrant relationship with God.
Thank You!
We are profoundly grateful for donors whose faithful giving makes it possible for staff like Alfonsina to serve in Kids Alive schools around the world. Your partnership helps provide emotional, spiritual, and educational care that brings justice that heals and bonds that mend for children who need it most.
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