In a former life as a management consultant, we inevitably presented to business clients how to best use limited resources …
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Rescue and transformation of children and youth that come from hard situations is complicated work that requires patience, love, and …
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While Kids Alive ministry focuses on children, we are firmly committed to and love to reunify children with their families …
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The phrase “Back to School” predictably rings across North America every fall as kids return to start their new academic …
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Dominican Republic shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti, taking in many Haitian immigrants following the 2010 earthquake
Spanish is the national language, with Haitian Creole being the largest minority language
Dominican Republic is the most visited tourist destination in the Caribbean
God is Working
in Constanza School and Care Center!
Please pray for...
A strong finish to the school year which has been extended to the end of July due to a pandemic related delayed start last fall.
A relaxing and fun summer break in August.
A good transition and start for several new workers including our first social worker and new house parents.
Funding for our August activities including a joint camp with our two other residential sites.
Prayer requests updated 06/2021
Our school in Constanza shares property with our Ark Constanza Children’s Home and serves as a second home for nearly 200 elementary students from the local community. We offer quality academics, nutritional support, sports programs, an after-school English program, and high school discipleship clubs. And in order to reach out to families, we have a dedicated social worker to assess and meet needs at home.
Advances in care-giving techniques are helping us develop trust with the at-risk children in the community. We rejoiced to add a full-time counselor to our staff, enabling us to better meet the needs of kids who have been through traumatic circumstances. Periodic dental care is now being offered, and we recently acquired our own dental equipment to allow visiting dentists to assist us more easily.
Objectives for the coming year include better streamlining the teamwork of our social worker, counselor, and sensory therapist, allowing us to more effectively help children who have experienced trauma. We would like to expand our after-school programs for 7th-12th graders with engaging and worthwhile activities. And we hope to add many new sponsors that will allow us to continue providing holistic care to each student at Constanza.
“God has assembled a world-class team of workers in this small mountainous community,” shares Country Director Vic Trautwein, “and He is using them to transform many lives for his glory.”
At Constanza, all school employees are trained in specific techniques to better connect with children who have experienced trauma in their lives. Our psychologist works individually with youth who have special emotional needs and need to learn to self-regulate when anxious or angry.
We also operate soccer and baseball programs for more than 200 participants, an after-school English program, and a high school discipleship club. We check heights and weights of each child to makes sure they are growing appropriately. Children who have low body mass are given supplemental nutrition.
Once again, we greet you from the ministries of Kids Alive in Dominican Republic, where your partnership and your gifts are helping to plant hope in the lives of at-risk children and young people. We rejoice that this is not simply a hope for escaping poverty or for a better career – you are planting the living hope (1 Pet. 1:3) in their lives which means an eternity with the One who loves them!
Within Kids Alive DR, we have the privilege of working with over 2,000 kids between the ages of 3 and 22. While this seems like a large window of opportunity to cultivate these seeds, the culture here often works against us, making the labor difficult. And nearly all the children we serve come from, and still live inside, backgrounds of abuse, exploitation, or extreme poverty. These “hard places” make the sowing of hope a real challenge.
However, one of our great joys is seeing the visible, healthy growth in these young lives and watching them blossom into beautiful new creations before our eyes. They are developing strong roots, watered by your compassion and love, and are going on to have a positive impact on their families and communities.
All our ministries are benefiting from unprecedented favor with government officials. Our schools are receiving awards for excellence; our homes are receiving commendations for our quality care, and we’re increasingly being asked to take additional children that Dominican officials have identified as abused or neglected. We see this as a tremendous privilege – and a great responsibility. read more »
Vic Trautwein
Co-Country Director
Dominican Republic
Ramon Prenza
Co-Country Director
Dominican Republic
