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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At Eva Russell School, we support strengthening students’ families via the school’s Psychology and Guidance Department. Made up of a …
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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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Spanish is the national language, with Haitian Creole being the largest minority language
Dominican Republic shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti, taking in many Haitian immigrants following the 2010 earthquake
Dominican Republic is the most visited tourist destination in the Caribbean
God is working
at Eva Russell School!
Please pray for...
A strong end to a difficult school year that has been extended through July due to a late start.
A relaxing August break for our dedicated teaching staff.
Continued protection and relief from COVID along with permission to return to fully in presence learning for the next school year.
Funds to hire a well-equipped Dominican to help with child sponsorship work, English and enrollments.
Prayer requests updated 06/2021
Eva M. Russell School is located in one of the poorest provinces of the Dominican Republic, teaching impoverished youth of the richness of God’s redeeming love. From its humble beginnings in a chicken coop, it has been transformed into a beautiful school that serves more than 210 youth from pre-school to 9th grade. And the school now includes a high school discipleship program and access to university scholarships for high school graduates.
We are thrilled to have just added our first full-time social worker and nurse as they will help us to more effectively care for children and reach out to their families. With the help of a visiting work team, we held another book fair where each child went home with two books of their own. We updated our computer lab and now have 20 functioning laptops with excellent teaching software. And completing our office expansion will allow us to improve the workspace and make room for additional staff.
In the coming months, we hope to continue developing and implementing our nutrition, health care, and counseling initiatives. We also hope to add some multi-use space above our preschool classrooms and convert a parking lot to greenspace or recreation space.
“The Eva Russell School continues to transform lives,” says Country Director Vic Trautwein. “It’s encouraging to watch so many new high-capacity staff come from the ranks of former at-risk children at the school!”
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