Hola hola mis amores!
We can’t believe it has already been so long since our Dominican Republic trip ended! We can still
hear all your vivacious laughter from over the palm trees and among the skwarks from the chickens
and bleats from the goats… Do you miss chicken and rice yet? We knew you would! We miss you
all here at the lodge. We still reminisce about our lollipop moment closing ceremony and those fond
moments we shared….you were such a memorable group. We want to say thank you for your effort,
participation and energy that you put into the project this summer. We could not of done it without
you.
We have fond memories of waking up peacefully and heading down to the beach to yoga, meditate
and watch the sunrise. Of heading to work sites at Caño Dulce and Polanco, and the adventure
days, anticipating the beautiful waters, white sandy beaches and delicious virgin piña coladas. We
know that you guys are probably starting back with school (or college YAY) but we wanted you to
know that we will forever remember the laughs and good times that we shared. I hope that you know
your time spent in the Dominican Republic did truly make a lasting impact on the communities here,
you have left your stamp in the cement and in our hearts.
You will forever be a part of the work done in el Bronx, providing water filters for 14 families in need.
Clean water management is fundamental to global health. Almost one tenth of the global disease
burden could be prevented by access to clean water, and you guys have played a part in this
important puzzle by helping to install a water tank and provide bathrooms to numerous families. We
are paving the way to better health for these communities by putting in concrete floors, which not
only aids the living and cleanly conditions of a family, but helps keep them safe from infectious
preventable diseases and respiratory infections. Our brigade days and vitamin distribution were very
successful, you guys treated 80 patients and handed out vitamins to 34 and 65 children and
pregnant women, which is integral to their physical and cognitive development.
We hope that you take the skills and knowledge from this trip into all aspects of your life, and that
you remain to be globally engaged, hardworking and motivated to make a different to the wellbeing
of people all over the world. We were so impressed with the effort put into participating in our
lectures, and capstones, thank you! The quality of your capstones were great and have given Us as
a team a lot of inspiration.
Not to mention the hard work you guys did, we also had so much fun! And we will NEVER forget the
talent show on the last night, with the alien music, belly dancing and hair tossing.You guys made the
group as great as it was as you all brought your individuality to the table. We were all blown away
from how well you all worked together and provided each other strong emotional, mental and
physical support. This is what true leaders are made of, we give each other a step up so we can
grow together.
GHI – you were amazing! The level of care and concern that you showed to each other, the staff and
the members of the community will never be forgotten.
Here are Some special moments from our trip:
-Jumping into the blue water from the zipline at Dudu Lagoon
-The dance class with Ideliza and Guillermo
-The beach sunrises.
-Richard the spider and his vacations.
-The lollipop leadership moment ceremony, and all the happy tears….
-Painting the houses at Caño Dulce, and learning about the families stories
-The Clinic Brigades, and the playful and cheeky children
-The candle lit Talent Show
-The star gazing night.
Please stay connected! We hope to see you again.
Abrazos,
Hilary, Averi, Guillermo, Michaela and Javier
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