The Mariposa DR School Staff Training Program
Jakeline
By: Jakeline Peralta
Translated by: Ingrid Roche
by Jenny Dines
Although our volunteer teachers are primarily focused on providing a summer school and camp experience for young women, we have several other initiatives during the four weeks of camp that provide sustainable education programs for the Puerto Cabarete K-8 School. One of these initiatives is a School Staff Training Program for mothers to enable them to gain job skills that allow them to serve as aides in their children's schools. We have four mothers who are volunteering in our summer program for 35 hours per week. These four special mothers participate in classroom activities, facilities maintenance, food service, school-based health initiatives, and student support. Throughout the summer, this blog will feature a brief biography as well as photos of each of mother who is participating in our School Staff Training Program.
Jakeline
By: Jakeline Peralta
Translated by: Ingrid Roche
Hi my name is Jakeline. I am 40 years old. I work as a volunteer in the Marpiosa Project. I was born in Montellano. I have lived here for 23 years. I have five children, one is 26, one is 23, one is 18, one is 10, and the youngest is six. I studied in school in Montellano until 6th grade, then i got married. I had my first daughter in Montellano, then I went to Cabarete to look for work. I worked in a restaurant washing dishes, then I worked as a chambermaid, and also as a floor cleaner. After a lot of years without work, currently thanks to God, I have a job in a restaurant as a prep cook.
I went to work with the Mariposa Project because I liked the project a lot because it is important to educate my daughter and other girls. I volunteer in the Puerto Cabarete School on the committee for parents and friends of the school as the treasurer. I was going by the school when I saw that the school was open, and I wanted to know what was going on. I asked the principal, Paulina Perez, who told me that it was the Mariposa camp. I talked with Jennifer to see if I could work there as a volunteer because it looked like a great program. I loved working with Jennifer, the blue butterfly in the project. The girls were between the ages of 13 and 18, and my daughter is only 10 so I wanted to work with the program so she could be included. Thanks to God, we were able to participate.
I went to work with the Mariposa Project because I liked the project a lot because it is important to educate my daughter and other girls. I volunteer in the Puerto Cabarete School on the committee for parents and friends of the school as the treasurer. I was going by the school when I saw that the school was open, and I wanted to know what was going on. I asked the principal, Paulina Perez, who told me that it was the Mariposa camp. I talked with Jennifer to see if I could work there as a volunteer because it looked like a great program. I loved working with Jennifer, the blue butterfly in the project. The girls were between the ages of 13 and 18, and my daughter is only 10 so I wanted to work with the program so she could be included. Thanks to God, we were able to participate.
I worked daily with attendance, worked with the census, visited families, and participated in some reading classes. I worked with the census getting information from the girls' families because the Mariposa project is interested in the daily living conditions of the participating girls. Since the attendance of the girls is very important, I also went to houses of girls who missed classes. In the camp, I met a lot of foreign volunteers and made very good friends with Ingrid Roche and I liked her reading class. When I had a free moment I went to her reading class and learned to read better. I liked the class, especially the book The Color of My Words. It's an important book for the girls of Cabarete because the protagonist is a lot like them. Ana Rosa is a very emotional character, and a role model that the girls can relate to. For example, the Gri Gri tree that she climbs to read and write and from which she saw the whales coming from Samaná, is like the trees that can be found in Cabarete.
My hope is that this project grows and can have space for more girls. I would like the camp to have a psychologist next year to help the girls because this is a difficult age. This year I will continue working as treasurer and will have a daughter in 5th grade, a son in second grade, and another son in his third year of high school. My three grandchildren will also go to the Puerto Cabarete School. For my children and grandchildren. I want the best for the Puerto Cabarete school, I hope that the school will have more grades, like high school because the children of Cabarete have to go far to study high school. We are the strongest change for Cabarete, a Cabarete without drugs, prostitution, a Cabarete with educated children, who understand right from wrong and focus on good things. With the blessing of God, I hope for a Cabarete with more schools and activities for our children.
My request is that someone help us with donations for the Puerto Cabarete School.
My hope is that this project grows and can have space for more girls. I would like the camp to have a psychologist next year to help the girls because this is a difficult age. This year I will continue working as treasurer and will have a daughter in 5th grade, a son in second grade, and another son in his third year of high school. My three grandchildren will also go to the Puerto Cabarete School. For my children and grandchildren. I want the best for the Puerto Cabarete school, I hope that the school will have more grades, like high school because the children of Cabarete have to go far to study high school. We are the strongest change for Cabarete, a Cabarete without drugs, prostitution, a Cabarete with educated children, who understand right from wrong and focus on good things. With the blessing of God, I hope for a Cabarete with more schools and activities for our children.
My request is that someone help us with donations for the Puerto Cabarete School.
Claudia's Story
by Claudia with help from Jenny Dines
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| Claudia chaperoned our field trip to Centro Leon, a museum in Santiago, as part of her assistance with the summer program. |
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| All the kids in the neighborhood love Claudia! From left to right: Claudia's niece, her best friend's daughter, her other niece, her 7 year old daughter who attends the Mariposita Day Care, Claudia, Jenny Dines, and her 14 year old daughter who attends the Mariposa Summer Program My name is Claudia, and I am 32 years old. I work as a librarian and school assistant in the Mariposa program. I have lived in Cabarete for 20 years, but I was born in Rio San Juan, and I studied in 3 different schools. When I was a girl, I lived with my aunt and my 4 brothers. My father died when I was four years old, and my mother died when I was six years old. Both of my parents knew how to read, and I love going to school. I remember all of my teachers, and my favorite teacher was a woman named Milagros who taught natural sciences. I graduated from the 8th grade at a school in Santiago, and then, when I was 14 years old, I got married. I had my first child when I was 17 years old. I have four children: a 15-year-old boy, a 14-year-old girl, a 10-year-old boy, and a 7-year-old girl. I really love the Mariposa program, and I like that it's only for girls because girls in my community have a lot of problems with men. They don't know how to study, and they marry crazy men. In Cabarete, more than 50% of the girls in my neighborhood are involved in sex work, and they don't understand the risks. They start this kind of job when they are maybe 12, 13, or 14. The Mariposas prepare girls for other opportunities like continuing their education or working in hotels. I like everything about the summer program, but I especially like the lunch. I also like listening to Torii [a literacy teacher from Boston] read the book called El Color de Mis Palabras. The book is really interesting, and Torii reads it in an interesting way. I also like math class because the teachers speak in both English and Spanish with my daughter. During the school year, my dream would be for the Mariposa program to offer piano lessons. I also want to take English and computer classes. I enjoy working with the Mariposas because otherwise I would just be staying home with nothing much to do. It's interesting to work, and I like that my best friend Orquedia also works in the school with me. She is very animated, and, together, we can motivate the children to read. My dream is to stay working in the camp and to work in the library during the school year. I want to create a beautiful library for the school. Claudia's Library Wish List I asked Claudia about the library of her dreams, and the list is below. If you would like to donate to the Puerto Cabarete Library, please contact jenniferdines@gmail.com. organizing bins bookshelves posters or posterboard for making posters that advertise the books a small bench a rocking chair plants a rug more books in Spanish and in English Sharpie markers index cards highlighters Claudia's Role in the Summer Program |
In addition to working as a librarian, Claudia also assists with cleaning and breakfast and lunch service. Another major responsibility that she has is to purchase supplies for the summer school, including toilet paper, cleaning liquids, sponges, soap for handwashing, and washcloths. Claudia also attends ESL, reading, and writing class in the afternoons. During the school year, we hope to employ Claudia as a school librarian.
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| Claudia reads Strega Nona by Tomie de Paola to a group of girls. |
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| Claudia assists students with checking out books to borrow for home reading. |
Claudia's Daily School Staff Training Schedule
8:00 - 8:30 am
Supervise children on the bus to the school.
8:30 - 8:45 am
Greet children as they enter the schoolyard.
8:45 - 9:30 am
Serve breakfast to each classroom.
Wash breakfast dishes.
9:30 am - 10 am
Check in with the other mothers to see which supplies are needed for the school day.
Purchase the supplies at the market, and bring the receipt to the directors.
Distribute supplies to each person who needed them.
10 am - 12 pm
Work in the library. This includes reading aloud to groups of students who visit with their classroom teacher, organizing and cataloging donated books, assisting children in checking out books, and familiarizing yourself with the library catalogue in order to later help children to find books that suit them.
12 pm - 12:10 pm
Line up with Group #2. Bring them to lunch, and sit with them.
12:10 pm - 12:30 pm
Eat lunch.
12:30 pm - 1 pm
Bring Group #2 to the schoolyard to fill their water bottles and then, supervise them at the restroom.
1 pm - 2:30 pm
Bring Group #3 and Group #4 to Literacy and ESL Class. Participate in the class and/or assist the teachers.
2:30 pm - 3:00 pm
Supervise children in the schoolyard until the bus arrives. Supervise the children on the school bus.
