REBUILDING: HEALTH, WATER AND SANITATION
Providing Water to Batey La Esperanza in San Pedro de Macoris
La Esperanza, a community (or batey) of former migrant sugar cane workers, is home to more than 450 Dominican families of Haitian descent.
Located on the outskirts of San Pedro de Macoris, home to slugger Sammy Sosa and many other baseball greats, the bateys are among the poorest communities in the Dominican Republic and were made even poorer by Hurricane Georges.
The hurricane, coupled with recent privatization of the sugar industry, created an unemployment rate that exceeded 40 percent. USAID's assistance included a food-for-work program, a health program to reduce common childhood illnesses, and a water and sanitation program. Additionally, USAID helped create an NGO consortium to launch future development initiatives in batey communities like La Esperanza.
| Fifteen U.S. and local NGOs worked in the hardest-hit communities of the Dominican Republic to provide potable water systems for 118,400 people; sanitation systems for 77,502 people; and primary health care services for more than 178,670 people. |
"We have never seen outside people concerned about our community. Politicians do not even come at election time. We are always the forgotten ones, but a few days after Hurricane Georges, the NGOs and USAID came in to do an assessment of the damage and they offered to help. We are very grateful!."
- Elena Ramirez, community health advisor and resident of Villa La Esperanza
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