4 youth and 3 adults from FBCIA returned from LaRomana, DR on Saturday, January 5 after a week of building relationships and helping with construction. The most exciting job this trip was building water filters.

Hundreds of people are treated by the medical teams and the hospital because they do not have access to clean water. The goal is to place a simple water filter in each home in the bateys. These water filters are built with materials that are readily available and they cost about $50.00 each. The hospital is installing the water filters and providing training so they will be used properly.

We also spent time painting, wiring lights and sanding window frames. When the work was done, we enjoyed the beach, some Dominican pizza and the Marantha band.

Why we go...

The assistance provided by short term teams visiting LaRomana is a multi-faceted program reaching all aspects of life. The relationship between mission teams and the community has grown closer over the years and today we view each other as members of an extended family. Each year people with varied skills travel to LaRomana to help our brothers and sisters who are among the poorest in our hemisphere. Volunteer groups build and maintain churches to act as community centers, health clinics, and a shelter during hurricanes.

Ongoing medical and nutritional programs provide support for those living in the bateys. Local health providers treat children for parasites and make sure they receive vitamins. They educate families about the importance of hygiene and dental care. Medical clinics are held by doctors visiting from the United States.

Uniforms and school supplies are provided for students. Scholarship programs are provided for qualified students. Many people born to a life of poverty and abject slavery have been able to help themselves out of a destitute life with the help of the scholarship programs offered. Many scholarships are offered to those seeking a career in the medical field and they are employed by the hospital.

The Good Samaritan Hospital...

The hospital began in 1987 with prayers and a garbage dump. Slowly a building emerged. In 1997 the hospital saw its first patients. Progress has been slow because over 90% of the labor has been volunteered by groups traveling from the United States. During the early years, 2 and 3 groups came per year, now 25 to 30 groups come every year. Funding has come from the laborers and those who stay home and pray for them.

The hospital is about 19,000 square feet. This area is providing space for 25 doctors and nurses, two surgeries, a maternity ward, lab, dialysis, x-ray, ultra-sound, emergency room, and twelve overnight wards, as well as all the administrative space. Among the twelve hospitals serving La Romana, Good Sam is ranked in the top three when it comes to patient care.

In 1998, the first full year of operation, 10,000 people were served. In 2002, 48,000 people received medical service at the hospital.

The Batays...

The communities outside LaRomana belong to a sugar cane plantation owned by the Central Romana Sugar Cane Company. The communities are little more than migrant farmer shacks with the barest minimum living conditions imaginable. The buildings are provided to those men strong enough to plant and harvest sugar cane.

There are public wells and toilet facilities in terrible condition. There is no electricity. The homes are one or two room buildings. There are some bateys built with cement block buildings but most are wood and several are made from scraps of wood and banana tree leaves.

The average daily wage is between $6 and $10 US dollars depending on how much sugar cane a man can harvest. Most of this goes to buy food and other essentials for life. Many children are under nourished and suffer from infections and parasites. Because many children have sugar cane for breakfast and lunch, their teeth are rotted long before they reach adulthood.

School is available but there are not enough classrooms for the number of children that are school age and many parents can’t afford uniforms and supplies. Without access to education the children are destined to the same plight as their parents.