CRWRC has been working in the Dominican Republic since 1983. Home to some of the richest culture of both "Old" and "New" worlds, the Dominican Republic is filled with signs of its heritage. Sharing the island of Hispaniola with Haiti, the Dominican Republic has seen major developments over the last years. Originally claimed for Spain by Columbus in 1492, it was ruled by Haiti for 22 years before achieving independence in 1844. Years of non-representative rule came to an end in 1966 with the election of Joaquin Balaguer who maintained a tightly controlled government. Since 1978, democratically held elections have proved successful, placing opposition candidates in government.
CRWRC's major area of focus is working with the Haitian immigrants that live permanently in the Dominican Republic. Through programs like DesCo and Diaconía Reformada (a program of the Dominican CRC), CRWRC is working to improve the well being of these people. In addition, Asociación para la Visión Integral (AVI) trains local churches to reach out to their communities with transformational ministries.
Fast Facts
Population: 9,365,818 (July 2007 est.)
Area Comparative: slightly more than twice the size of New Hampshire
Literacy rate: 87%
Life expectancy: 73.07 years
Population below poverty line: 25%
Gross Domestic Product per capita: $8,400
Religions: Roman Catholic 95%
Languages: Spanish
(From the World Factbook. Click here for more information on Dominican Republic)
Partners
Aguas Vivientes (AAVI)
AAVI, or “Living Waters,” redesigned itself to be a training and support agency for local churches starting out in transformational diaconal work as a springboard to reach their community. The AAVI director refers to this growing movement across Latin America as a “new Reformation”. CRWRC funding this year will help 2 churches grow a microcredit program. 150 participants will receive loans during the year to increase their production as well as creating 150 new jobs.
Desarrollo Comunitario Inc. (DesCo)
DesCo works with Haitian immigrants in the Dominican Republic. This population tends to live in extreme poverty and is often the victim of injustice. Through CRWRC, DesCo promotes economic independence within this community through programs such as:
- Income Generation - DesCo trains groups of Haitian women in basic business skills and provides micro-credit loans to run tiny businesses. The income earned by participants plays a significant role in the family economy.
- Literacy - Through this program, local volunteers are trained to lead literacy classes each week. Community members attend classes two or three times each week and improve their reading, writing, and math skills. DesCo participants start out totally illiterate and when they finish level 2 they are reading at a 4th grade level. There are currently 552 participants and 252 graduates of the program.
- Diaconal – DesCo staff are working with 9 local church committees to promote transformational development in their communities. Churches investigate what local needs are and begin to plan small programs to help meet those needs. Up to 120 participants will be involved in a variety of programs.
- Justice – DesCo is helping communities learn about their rights as immigrants and join together in multi-community networks for support and defense.
Diaconía Reformada
Diaconía Reformada is a program of the Christian Reformed Church of the Dominican Republic. This program trains local churches to reach out to communities with a variety of ministries. Two churches (and their communities) begain programming in FY 06-07 and two more are planned for FY 07-08.
Joel Zwier and Family (US expatriate)
Joel Zwier has been working for CRWRC since 1976. He started his career in Nicaragua; worked in Honduras for 3 ½ years and then moved to the Dominican Republic in 1983. Joel has a B.S. in agronomy from Michigan State and an M.S. in adult education from the University of Wisconsin – Madison. He is married to Patricia Ebersole Zwier, a family therapist. Together they parent their four children, one of whom still lives at home. Joel raises orchids as a hobby.
EMAIL: crwrc.dr@gmail.com
Staff Newsletters
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Zwier_March09
Zwier_June08
Zwier_December07
Zwier_July07
Zwier_April07
Zwier_November06
Zwier_November05