Chirino is one of the poorest municipal districts of the province of Monte Plata in the Dominican Republic. It has a population of 11,000 people. The daycare-preschool is a facility for 93 children of single mothers. The objective of this initiative is to allow the single parent to either work or continue her education, which will eventually provide wages to support their family. As we know, education breaks the cycle of poverty, opens doors to opportunity, and empowers individuals to transform their communities.
The benefits are -
1. The children start learning the discipline needed for learning,
2. The single mothers of those children can continue their university studies or work,
3. The single mothers who assist in running the day-to-day operations of the daycare, and
4. The entire rural community benefits from the economic ripple effect the site generates.
In their quest for sustainability for their Preschool-Daycare, they approached the Ministry of Education about three months ago, soliciting funding for a private institution. The Ministry of Education required the preschool to have an on-site kitchen for meals and snacks. The shell of the kitchen building is complete. However, the appliances and finishing touches (electricity, doors, windows, and painting) are still missing. Those finishing touches are estimated at the equivalent of US$10,225. the Ministry of Education is planning a site visit within the next two weeks. The rush now is to finish the kitchen prior to the site visit. This is a cash request for an urgent situation, it is not a part of global grant. The request is too small for a global grant, and has not been deliberately presented to TRF.
The Rotary Foundation is not involved in this request. This is for an act of kindness to a trusted NGO who has worked closely with Santo Domingo Mirador Rotary Club in the Dominican Republic, and has received funding from Rotary Clubs from districts 6250, 6270, 6360, 6420, and 6440. In addition to Evanston Lighthouse, Rotary Clubs of Lake of the Hills and Glenview Sunrise have also contributed.
We recommend that our Northbrook Rotary Club donate $1,000. The check will have to be made payable to Evanston Lighthouse Rotary Club Foundation, P.O. Box 445, Evanston, IL 60204, and write on the memo line: DR daycare/preschool.
