Mariposa Coffee Talk

Please join us for an informal Q+A session and coffee sale fundraiser at Hope Central Church in Jamaica Plain, MA. We will present photographs of our Young Women's Summer Leadership Program in the Dominican Republic. Coffee from the Vermont Coffee Company will be on sale for $12 per lb. (regular) and $13 per lb. (decaf). All proceeds will go to the Mariposa DR Foundation.

A Visit to La Loma

The day after we visited Jarabacoa was a Saturday, and a group of teachers went to visit La Loma, a mountain area behind Callejon de La Loma (meaning "the little street beside the mountain"). Many of our students live in the Callejon, and a favorite past time for many Dominicans (and visitors!) in Cabarete is to explore the natural beauty of the mountains. It is indeed a place where it is still possible to live off of the land, and this tradition has been honored since the time of the Tainos, the Pre-Colombian people of Hispaniola.

Papón (right) served as our guide. Papón has lived in the Loma for all of his life, and he has a nearly encyclopedic knowledge of the plants, animals, and land of the region. He got Joan (left) and the rest of the teachers saddled up and ready! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Marina and Tehka are ready to go! The sign clearly indicates our destination: the caves of Cabarete via the Ecological and Historical Park.

This photo shows the view that I had for much of the ride: the head of my horse (Moreno) and the faee of my confident 13-year-old guide. He was so patient with me! I don't have many photos of the actual ride, as I struggled to just keep my balance as the horse climbed up and up. We went through rocky and narrow paths up the side of the mountain.

Our guides demonstrated how this ladder, used to get down into the caves for swimming, could also double as a stretcher if someone was injured. Thank goodness everyone made it safely through our trip!

Papón handed us some Guyabanas fresh from the Loma. We tried to peel them, but they were still quite tough! It wasn't until after we took this photo that we realized we had peeled a heart shape.

This empty cave quickly transformed into...

a swimming hole!

After all the riding and swimming, we were ready for lunch. We arrived at the home of Papón's sister to find an amazing lunch of chicken, salad, chinola (passion fruit) juice, rice, habichuelas, and everyone's favorite...arepas (yucca fritters).

Jarabacoa

We have been so busy that I barely have time to blog! We have had a trip to Jarabacoa, a pizza party donated by Villa Taina, and so much reading, writing, mathematics, and health learning experiences. We have had such a special summer that I don't want it to end! But, alas, as all things beautiful and worthwhile, this too will come to pass.

"Let it not be immortal since it is a flame, but let it be eternal as long as it lasts."

On the way to Jarabacoa, we stopped at Il Molino Restaurant along the Moca road for breakfast. While the staff prepared the delicious food for us, a photo shoot ensued with a background of the beautiful mountain view.

The girls brought jackets for the trip up in the mountains. Although it was around 70 degrees Fahrenheit, the girls all said that they were freezing!

A row of happy (and hungry) faces!

While the girls waited for breakfast, they were all talking about the waiters. They couldn't believe that a man would be serving them food!

The food arrived, and everyone relaxed and ate breakfast. Wilson Zapate, a local politican and educator(pictured here in blue), came along with us for the journey to Jarabacoa.

After breakfast, we board the guagua again to look out the window or nap along the journey through the mountain road.

Finally, we arrived at the entrance to Salto Jimenoa, a park in Jarabacoa. We met some nuns there as they were exiting the park.

To reach the falls at Salto Jimenoa, you must cross a series of suspension bridges.

The March of the Mariposas: Everyone bravely crossed the bridge, and then...

...out came the cameras for another photo shoot!

Meet Claudia: Mariposa Librarian and Mother

The Mariposa DR School Staff Training Program
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.


Claudia's Story
by Claudia with help from Jenny Dines

Claudia chaperoned our field trip to Centro Leon, a museum in Santiago, as part of her assistance with the summer program.

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

por Jenny Dines
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.

Claudia reads Strega Nona by Tomie de Paola to a group of girls. 

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.

All About BPS: Boston teachers volunteer in the Dominican Republic this summer

Check us out on the Boston Public Schools blog!

All About BPS: Boston teachers volunteer in the Dominican Republic this summer