Overview and Rationale
The female population in Las Terrenas equals about 50% and even when 75% of the
people say that they can read and write 50% left school after fourth grade. Two thirds of the
population is under 40 years of age and 47% has 19 years of age or less. Two thirds of the
population has not completed school beyond the primary level (1-6 grades). 10-19% of the
female population reports some type of physical abuse and at least one of every ten women
women reports some type of physical threat to themselves (source: http://www.one.gov.do/).
As a tourist destination there are many other realities in Las Terrenas that are not known
due to the absence of data, but Samana as a province has, reportedly, high incidences of
HIV/SIDA while anecdotal evidence seems to suggest high levels of commercial or
individual prostitution (sanki-pankies), high incidence of violence against women and girls
and a high level of sexual abuse among children. With an HIV incidence of 1.1/100,000 at
the national level it may appear that Las Terrenas with its 13% of the provincial population of
100,000 may have at least 130 cases of HIV.
According to COPRESIDA, 75% of the epidemic is represented by heterosexual people and
63% of those are men. Most of the population infected are between the ages of 20-34 with
the highest number in the group 30-34 years. AIDS is the principal cause of death for
women in fertile ages, from 15-49. The national incidence of AIDS among sexual workers is
anywhere from 2.4 to 12% depending on the location. Heterosexuals are 75% of all AIDS
cases. In the case of Las Terrenas, with an estimated population of more than 20,000 in
2009 and taking into consideration its predominant sexual commerce and activity, the risk
factors are higher than in the general population. If it's double the rate of the general
population (or 2.2%) with a population of 20,000 there could be 440 cases, known or
unknown.
Selected national health indicators are:
Prevalence of HIV in adults (%) 1.17
Persons living with HIV/AIDS 71,720
New cases of AIDS 6,190
Annual births with AIDS 507
Children at risk of being orphaned due to AIDS, 58,000
Percentage of those at rish of becoming orphaned who have AIDS, 10%
Persons who died from AIDS 5,340
Estimated number of people needing therapy ARV 22,000
Estimated number of people who received therapy ARV 8,200
Orphans from AIDS N/A
Source: Analysis of Situation PDF document from COPRESIDA here.
Additional information:
http://www.theglobalfund.org/programs/countrystats/?lang=es&countryid=DMR
Indicators of Need
Most noticeable is the absence of adequate medical, psychological and educational
services in areas of need particular those relevant to women, as can be seen from the
following indicators, all applicable to homes, schools, medical facilities and the community
in general:
What it means is that at the present time there are no sustained and effective programs in
education, orientation and support in any of those areas. Since 60% of the women
abandoned school after fourth grade and are, therefore, functional illiterate, while 50% of
them is under 20 years of age, what we have as a result are social conditions that are
potentially explosive and destructive when thinking about women’s welfare.
Goals and Objectives
Goal: At the end of the five year project all girls and women in Las Terrenas, starting at age
10, would have had access to adequate medical, psychological and educational orientation,
and/or training, and/or support in the ten areas identified as key indicators of the holistic well-
being and development of girls and women, by means of the creation of a Women’s Center
for Holistic Health.
The areas identified are:
Objective 1: to reach 20% of the target population through the Center’s medical,
psychological, legal and educational services and programs, during the first
year of operation, and in increments of 20% each subsequent year for a total of
five years.
Objective 2: to create El Puente (The Bridge), an effective referral system so that clients can
access available resources in the community, by means of
establishing coordinate mechanisms with the local hospital and other public
and private services, during its first year of operation.
Objective 3: to create Tu Casa Abierta (Your Open House), an in-house
program of medical, educational and psychological support services for the
targeted population, by means of direct services by physicians, psychologists,
legal and educational professionals, hired by the Center, during its first year of
operation.
Objective 4: to create the Mano Amiga (Friendly Hand) program, an outreach
program for the barrios in and around Las Terrenas, consisting of medical,
psychological and educational programs and services, using the hired
personnel and volunteers of the Center, during its first year of operation.
Objective 5: to create Club Las Mariposas (Club The Butterflies), a specialized
outreach program for girls 10-15, consisting of medical, educational,
recreational, sports and psychological programs and services, using the hired
personnel and volunteers of the Center, during its first year of operation.
Project Design and Implementation Plan
The project design contemplates the creation of a Women’s Center for Holistic
Development, operated by relevant and capable individuals, responsive to observed,
evidenced and created needs in the medical, psychological, educational and legal areas.
To implement the project design it will be necessary
The Center
Reception: Desk, chairs, file cabinet, sofa and 4 chairs, table, frames, calendar, posters,
hospitality (coffee maker, water, refrigerator).
Kitchen: stove, refrigerator, blender, toaster, kitchen ware.
Medical/psychological office: desk with chair, exam table, shelving, file cabinet,
lock cabinet, sink and toilet, decoration,
Dining: table, 4 chairs, shelves, dishes and silverware, tableclothes, decoration.
Examining Room / Emergency room (1): crib and toys, examining table, single-full or
bunkbed, mattresses, sheets, blankets, closet and Dresser .
Backyard and gardening: playground, games, hose and gardening tools, plants.
Interview/ Care / Emergency bedroom (2): crib and toys, single, twin, full or bunkbed,
mattresses, sheets, blankets, closet and dresser .
Workshop / classroom / library: chalkboard and related materials, table and chairs,
instructional supplies.
Two bathrooms: toilets, showers and cabinets.
Security: iron work in doors and windows, security lights, flashlight, alarm systems, etc.
Laundry: washer, sink and supplies.
Misc.: lamps, mosquito nets, first aid kit.
Values of ítems not estimated
Samples of Program Outcomes
Regular services
Educational
Psychological
Neighborhood Programs
Potencial areas:
Monitoring and Evaluation
Participatory methods:
Rapid Appraisal Methods
Impact Evaluation
If you are in a position to help support, operate and finance this project please contact José
Bourget at 809.371.0986, or write to correo@fundacionmahatmagandhi.com.
Project Partners
ACES North America
Esperanza International
Do you want to be a partner? Go here.
The female population in Las Terrenas equals about 50% and even when 75% of the
people say that they can read and write 50% left school after fourth grade. Two thirds of the
population is under 40 years of age and 47% has 19 years of age or less. Two thirds of the
population has not completed school beyond the primary level (1-6 grades). 10-19% of the
female population reports some type of physical abuse and at least one of every ten women
women reports some type of physical threat to themselves (source: http://www.one.gov.do/).
As a tourist destination there are many other realities in Las Terrenas that are not known
due to the absence of data, but Samana as a province has, reportedly, high incidences of
HIV/SIDA while anecdotal evidence seems to suggest high levels of commercial or
individual prostitution (sanki-pankies), high incidence of violence against women and girls
and a high level of sexual abuse among children. With an HIV incidence of 1.1/100,000 at
the national level it may appear that Las Terrenas with its 13% of the provincial population of
100,000 may have at least 130 cases of HIV.
According to COPRESIDA, 75% of the epidemic is represented by heterosexual people and
63% of those are men. Most of the population infected are between the ages of 20-34 with
the highest number in the group 30-34 years. AIDS is the principal cause of death for
women in fertile ages, from 15-49. The national incidence of AIDS among sexual workers is
anywhere from 2.4 to 12% depending on the location. Heterosexuals are 75% of all AIDS
cases. In the case of Las Terrenas, with an estimated population of more than 20,000 in
2009 and taking into consideration its predominant sexual commerce and activity, the risk
factors are higher than in the general population. If it's double the rate of the general
population (or 2.2%) with a population of 20,000 there could be 440 cases, known or
unknown.
Selected national health indicators are:
Prevalence of HIV in adults (%) 1.17
Persons living with HIV/AIDS 71,720
New cases of AIDS 6,190
Annual births with AIDS 507
Children at risk of being orphaned due to AIDS, 58,000
Percentage of those at rish of becoming orphaned who have AIDS, 10%
Persons who died from AIDS 5,340
Estimated number of people needing therapy ARV 22,000
Estimated number of people who received therapy ARV 8,200
Orphans from AIDS N/A
Source: Analysis of Situation PDF document from COPRESIDA here.
Additional information:
http://www.theglobalfund.org/programs/countrystats/?lang=es&countryid=DMR
Indicators of Need
Most noticeable is the absence of adequate medical, psychological and educational
services in areas of need particular those relevant to women, as can be seen from the
following indicators, all applicable to homes, schools, medical facilities and the community
in general:
- Adequate orientation about puberty;
- Adequate orientation in preventing sexually-transmitted diseases;
- Adequate orientation and support about gender-related violence;
- Adequate orientation and support in the area of child abuse, physical and sexual;
- Adequate orientation and support for HIV positive persons;
- Adequate orientation about menopause;
- Adequate orientation and education about maternity and child rearing;
- Adequate orientation about basic principles of personal and family hygiene, nutrition and
health; - Adequate promotion of self-esteem and human rights values;
- Adequate orientation about civil rights and about current protection under the law.
What it means is that at the present time there are no sustained and effective programs in
education, orientation and support in any of those areas. Since 60% of the women
abandoned school after fourth grade and are, therefore, functional illiterate, while 50% of
them is under 20 years of age, what we have as a result are social conditions that are
potentially explosive and destructive when thinking about women’s welfare.
Goals and Objectives
Goal: At the end of the five year project all girls and women in Las Terrenas, starting at age
10, would have had access to adequate medical, psychological and educational orientation,
and/or training, and/or support in the ten areas identified as key indicators of the holistic well-
being and development of girls and women, by means of the creation of a Women’s Center
for Holistic Health.
The areas identified are:
- orientation about puberty;
- orientation in preventing sexually-transmitted diseases;
- orientation and support about gender-related violence;
- orientation and support in the area of child abuse, physical and sexual;
- orientation and support for HIV positive persons;
- orientation about menopause;
- orientation and education about maternity and child rearing;
- orientation about basic principles of personal and family hygiene, nutrition and health;
- promotion of self-esteem and human rights values;
- orientation about civil rights and about current protection under the law.
Objective 1: to reach 20% of the target population through the Center’s medical,
psychological, legal and educational services and programs, during the first
year of operation, and in increments of 20% each subsequent year for a total of
five years.
Objective 2: to create El Puente (The Bridge), an effective referral system so that clients can
access available resources in the community, by means of
establishing coordinate mechanisms with the local hospital and other public
and private services, during its first year of operation.
Objective 3: to create Tu Casa Abierta (Your Open House), an in-house
program of medical, educational and psychological support services for the
targeted population, by means of direct services by physicians, psychologists,
legal and educational professionals, hired by the Center, during its first year of
operation.
Objective 4: to create the Mano Amiga (Friendly Hand) program, an outreach
program for the barrios in and around Las Terrenas, consisting of medical,
psychological and educational programs and services, using the hired
personnel and volunteers of the Center, during its first year of operation.
Objective 5: to create Club Las Mariposas (Club The Butterflies), a specialized
outreach program for girls 10-15, consisting of medical, educational,
recreational, sports and psychological programs and services, using the hired
personnel and volunteers of the Center, during its first year of operation.
Project Design and Implementation Plan
The project design contemplates the creation of a Women’s Center for Holistic
Development, operated by relevant and capable individuals, responsive to observed,
evidenced and created needs in the medical, psychological, educational and legal areas.
To implement the project design it will be necessary
- To build or purchase physical space (lot and building)
- To hire relevant personnel: a physician, psychologists and/or counselors, educators and
support personnel. - To establish adequate programs and services: El Puente, Tu Casa Abierta y Mano
Amiga, in addition to relevant practices from elsewhere that fit the Center’s goal and
objectives. - To equip the Center with adequate and relevant resources: furniture, expendable
materials, publicity materials, medical and educational materials, and equipment needed
for its outreach programs. - To establish meaningful, relevant and productive collaborative efforts with community
resources: the municipal hospital, the local public and private schools, the Women’s
Services Department, the Tourism Department, the Attorney General’s office, the local
churches and civil society organizations, the neighborhood groups.
The Center
Reception: Desk, chairs, file cabinet, sofa and 4 chairs, table, frames, calendar, posters,
hospitality (coffee maker, water, refrigerator).
Kitchen: stove, refrigerator, blender, toaster, kitchen ware.
Medical/psychological office: desk with chair, exam table, shelving, file cabinet,
lock cabinet, sink and toilet, decoration,
Dining: table, 4 chairs, shelves, dishes and silverware, tableclothes, decoration.
Examining Room / Emergency room (1): crib and toys, examining table, single-full or
bunkbed, mattresses, sheets, blankets, closet and Dresser .
Backyard and gardening: playground, games, hose and gardening tools, plants.
Interview/ Care / Emergency bedroom (2): crib and toys, single, twin, full or bunkbed,
mattresses, sheets, blankets, closet and dresser .
Workshop / classroom / library: chalkboard and related materials, table and chairs,
instructional supplies.
Two bathrooms: toilets, showers and cabinets.
Security: iron work in doors and windows, security lights, flashlight, alarm systems, etc.
Laundry: washer, sink and supplies.
Misc.: lamps, mosquito nets, first aid kit.
Values of ítems not estimated
Samples of Program Outcomes
Regular services
- Medical and psychological services that do not substitute what might be offered in
government agencies, but that particularly address the special needs of the target
audience.
Educational
- 3 educational talks a week on site.
- 5 educational talks a week in private and public schools.
- During the first year, to distribute printed materials among 50% of the general female
population and 100% within two years. - To place posters and educational materials within each classroom in the municipality,
including nearby neighborhoods. - Establish partnership with area clinics to offer regular talks and educational interventions.
Psychological
- Participate, inform, support, all interventions listed above.
- To offer regular services of orientation and psychological support during emergencies, to
those referred by hospital or other medical facilities, or the Women’s Secretariat. - To offer, independently or in association with the medical program, whenever relevant,
workshops and seminars on key aspects of womanhood: puberty, pregnancy,
breastfeeding, child care, child rearing, sexually transmitted diseases, HIV prevention,
cervical and breast cancer prevention, menopause.
Neighborhood Programs
- Monthly workshops on economic solvency and development, to help reduce poverty.
- Literacy classes, helping 100 people a year to learn how to read and write.
- To promote the creation of 100 home vegetable gardens, to help improve health and
nutrition while teaching resourcefulness. - To foster personal, family and home hygiene through individualized interventions at
homes at the tune of 1000 per year.
Potencial areas:
- Services for the elderly
- Coordinated efforts with government and non-government agencies in similar, related or
new areas.
Monitoring and Evaluation
Participatory methods:
- Beneficiaries complete a brief report form. The form is used in all formal interventions
(training and education), as well as in individual client interviews. - Stakeholders such as service personnel (physicians, counselors, psychologists,
teachers, administrators) meet weekly for program evaluation using the key indicators as
their guide. - Stakeholders also include neighborhood leaders and administrators of local programs
and agencies with whom the Center collaborates.
Rapid Appraisal Methods
- Periodically using a mini-survey to be completed by a) clients and b) stakeholders.
- Key informant interview. The program manager interviews at length all program
personnel once every 6 months. - Focus group discussions. The program manager conducts a focus group twice a year
with community leaders, collaborators and stakeholders.
Impact Evaluation
- Random surveys of clients at least once a year.
- Field observations. Psychologists, family educators and outreach coordinators observe
the target population and clients to evaluate the impact on life styles, health practice,
home environment, among other factors.
If you are in a position to help support, operate and finance this project please contact José
Bourget at 809.371.0986, or write to correo@fundacionmahatmagandhi.com.
Project Partners
ACES North America
Esperanza International
Do you want to be a partner? Go here.
Photos depicting aspects of the project:
meetings, trainings, medical & dental
operatives and the cardiovascular research.
meetings, trainings, medical & dental
operatives and the cardiovascular research.
Las Terrenas Holistic Health Women's Center
Fostering the holistic health of women through preventive, training and
educational means, from puberty to menopause.
Fostering the holistic health of women through preventive, training and
educational means, from puberty to menopause.
Fundación Mahatma Gandhi
Global Vision, Local Development
Global Vision, Local Development
| "Be the change you wish to see in the world." Mahatma Gandhi |
Opening page, here.
Diagnostics & Community Research, here.
FULL PROJECT PROPOSAL, here.
PROJECT COMPONENTS, here.
Start of micro-credits, here.
TO HELP, please go here.
Cardiovascular Research Project, here.
First medical-dental operative, here.
First Women's Medical Operative, here.
Women's Medical Operative report, here,
FMG home page in English, here.
VOLUNTEER PROGRAM, here.
Women's Project in spanish, here.
Diagnostics & Community Research, here.
FULL PROJECT PROPOSAL, here.
PROJECT COMPONENTS, here.
Start of micro-credits, here.
TO HELP, please go here.
Cardiovascular Research Project, here.
First medical-dental operative, here.
First Women's Medical Operative, here.
Women's Medical Operative report, here,
FMG home page in English, here.
VOLUNTEER PROGRAM, here.
Women's Project in spanish, here.
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