Country Overview

The Dominican Republic shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti. Hispaniola is the second largest island in the Caribbean. The tropical climate, with the beautiful beaches and mountains, makes this a popular tourist destination. 

But the reality is that the majority of the people on this island live in extreme poverty, barely surviving on a diet of rice and beans. Country statistics report that 1.1 million people live in rural areas where the poverty rate is three times higher than urban areas.

Within the Dominican Republic, there is a group of people who have immigrated from Haiti seeking work. The only work available to the uneducated is work in the sugarcane fields. Due to decades of political infighting, abuse of power and lack of infrastructure, the majority of the people working in the sugarcane fields work long days and barely earn enough money to survive. 

Due to lack of infrastructure in the rural areas, intermittent electrical power is only available a few hours a day.  With the lack of available clean water, people walk long distances carrying buckets of contaminated water to drink, cook and bathe.