Welcome, Site Partner

An insider view of Park School and Care Center

Caraballo | Dominican Republic

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CARABALLO TODAY'S WEATHER

Highlights

Beautiful and Efficient Child Sponsorship

In a former life as a management consultant, we inevitably presented to business clients how to best use limited resources …

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Transforming children’s lives via exceptional schooling

Rescue and transformation of children and youth that come from hard situations is complicated work that requires patience, love, and …

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Strengthened families, thriving children

Strengthened families, thriving children Kids Alive ministry focuses on children and strengthens their families so they can thrive in school …

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“Back to school” – in April?

The phrase “Back to School” predictably rings across North America every fall as kids return to start their new academic …

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Did You Know?

Dominican Republic is the most visited tourist destination in the Caribbean

Spanish is the national language, with Haitian Creole being the largest minority language

Dominican Republic is the 2nd largest Caribbean nation by area, and the 3rd largest by population

Dominican Republic shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti, taking in many Haitian immigrants following the 2010 earthquake

Dominican Republic culture contains a vibrant mix of European, African, and indigenous influences


God is working at
Park School and Care Center!

Please pray for...

Protection for KA students and staff from COVID-19 and continued provision for the many unemployed families in the area around the school.

A relaxing summer break in July for our teaching staff after a challenging school year.  

The restart of our independence, life skill and vocational training programs over the next few months.

Funding and successful construction of four new classrooms this summer as we position ourselves to be a two section basic education school for the entire community.

Prayer requests updated 06/2021

About Park School and Care Center

students enrolled in PreK - 6th grade
families helped by Families Together program

Park School and Care Center is located in the town of Caraballo and is a refuge for more than 200 children and youth. Our basic education program, which has served preschoolers through 5th grade, received approval from the government this year to expand to 6th grade, allowing us more time with our students. We are expanding our reading initiatives in a vigorous effort to foster a life-long love of reading among our kids. Our kids receive a nourishing breakfast and lunch at school, and because so many of them live in extreme poverty, these may be the only meals they will eat that day. And we are now offering regular dental care for all students.

Our high school discipleship program helps us stay connected with our former students, and recently we expanded to include life skills and vocational training. We’ve added work internships as well, giving older youth a glimpse of what they can work toward and experience in the future.

Some of our goals for the next year are to develop a soccer ministry and continue training in trauma-competent care to better help children from hard places. We also hope to incorporate a nearby building, which will allow us to open a program for four-year-olds. In serving kids who come from difficult backgrounds, we want to give them the best care possible and show them the deep love of Jesus.

As our Country Director Vic Trautwein says, “Our school in Caraballo is truly an oasis in the desert for children. God’s love overflows through our dedicated staff and many, many lives are changing in this spiritually and materially impoverished place.”

  • Our school is in the town of Caraballo, located on the northern coast of DR
  • We serve Dominican and Haitian kids from the local impoverished community
  • Our staff includes a psychologist and a health care specialist
  • We recently opened a dental clinic, providing basic preventive care and teaching good oral hygiene

Kids Alive in Dominican Republic

Kids Alive staff members
Kids Alive staff in DR are nationals
+
children between ages of 3 and 22 in Kids Alive care

Dominican Republic Country Director's Update

Planting a Living Hope in Dominican Republic!

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-Trautwen-Ramon-Prenza
Vic-signature

Vic Trautwein
Co-Country Director
Dominican Republic

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Ramon Prenza
Co-Country Director
Dominican Republic

Learn About DR
  • Population of 10 million, with many living in extreme poverty
  • Government is a representative democracy with elections every four years
  • Poor quality education system with high dropout rates, nearly 90% in some areas
  • There is a serious problem of child labor in agricultural industries
  • Shares island of Hispaniola with Haiti, taking many Haitian immigrants following 2010 earthquake

Rejoice with us, and praise God for...

  • 12 young people graduated to independence and/or restored to their biological families
  • Graduations of 160 kids from 1st grade, 120 from 6th grade, 70 from high school, and 7 from university
  • Significant expansion of our youth clubs and sports discipleship programs
  • Unprecedented favor with local governments, including awards for excellence and approval to expand to additional grade levels
  • Welcoming of children who have been referred to us by Dominican officials after removal from their homes because of severe neglect or abuse