During spring break I had the opportunity to go abroad for a service trip Monte Cristi, Dominican Republic where I participated in Outreach360. Many children in Monte Cristi live in disadvantaged neighborhoods where they lack educational resources and often reach adulthood without the necessary educational skills to be accepted into a good university and thus, obtain a skilled job. The purpose of Outreach360 is to educate underserved children and give them the opportunity to live a life of choice where they can envision more success for their future.
I was originally nervous about what type of impact I would be able to make in only one week, fearing that I would do more harm than good. I did not want to help–the children of the DR are not poor and unfortunate, but serve the community with a developed program that has an established relationship and good understanding of the needs of the people in the area. Outreach360 ensures that volunteers are meeting real needs and that the two-way partnership with the community is a beneficial one. To further delve into my experience with O360, I decided to make a series of list in order to organize my thoughts.
Of course, let’s start with food…in SPANISH!
My Favorite Meals
Comida de Doña Adela
(Meal from Mrs. Adela, who was voted Best Restaurant in Monte Cristi):
Empanadas con queso (cheese empanadas), pollo frito (fried chicken), vegetales (vegetables), el puré de patatas (mashed potatoes), quipes (deep fried wheat), piña fresca (fresh pineapple), arroz frito (fried rice), maduros (sweet plantains), y empanadas con guayaba (guava-filled empanadas).
Tostones (plantains), ensalada de pepino y tomate (cucumber/tomato salad), y arroz con cerdo (rice with pork).
Mongoo (mashed plantains) con cebollas (onions) y un huevo frito (fried egg), piña fresca (fresh pineapple), y arroz con leche (rice with milk; rice pudding).
Las carne de res (beef), arroz con frijoles (rice with beans), ensalada (salad), y plátanos fritos (fried plantains).
Ensalada (salad), papaya, maduros (sweet plantains), y arroz con pollo (rice with chicken).
How Outreach360 enhanced my service leadership philosophy:
- I can say that without a doubt I understand the difference between helping and serving a community and the impact that this has. For example, Outreach utilizes local resources (paid workers, vendors, etc.) and hopes that one day their program will be administered and managed completely by locals. Also, Outreach does not do for a community what it can do for itself. Instead, Outreach empowers people of the community to create sustainable methods for themselves. In addition, volunteers are not given “busy work”, but meaningful tasks that have been proven to benefit the community.
- Not everything will be accomplished in a day or even a week. “Poco a poco”, or little by little, was one of my favorite philosophies from the program. It was important to recognize the greater picture and see how everyone’s contributions work together to provide educational opportunities for the young children.
- The de-emphasis that Outreach places on materialism allowed me to see that the best way to fill the poverty gap is through education and not simply donating to the community. It was really easy to walk into one of the public schools and think of all of the various items that can be donated (pencils with erasers, more toys for the students at recess, fans, computers, clothes, etc.). However, I concluded that in many ways the average school in America seemingly needs more of these materialistic things whereas some schools in the DR are actually better off without them.
- Although generous, it is very self-centering to solely focus on the impact that you will have as a volunteer and think about how your skills may or may not be useful in given activities. It’s really easy to begin thinking about yourself when you are placed in situations that are out of your comfort zone. Now when I get frustrated or uneasy, I have an easier time concentrating on the greater picture–SERVICE!
- Ultimately, I learned the importance of serving with an organization that not only has a great mission, vision, and values, but has a real, lasting impact on the community. In 2018, I went abroad to Guatemala for a health service trip in which I volunteered at a Diabetes clinic. While there I felt like I was honestly doing more harm than good at times. I struggled to see the value over time of participating in some activities because it seemed to be more of a relief organization (temporary) than development (long-term). With Outreach, I could go anywhere in the community and have young children smile and say “Hello TEACHER!” I was able to meet students that grew up in the Learning Center and hear how they are now about to be doctors and dentists and biologists. By becoming proficient in English, these students are now able to apply to universities in America and broaden their career opportunities.
Reasons to serve with Outreach360
- Inspire young children to believe in themselves and achieve their dreams.
- Be a part of someone’s educational journey and watch them improve and master concepts that you helped teach.
- Challenge yourself to be more adaptive and creative.
- Learn to be more patient and selfless.
- Communicate love and let students know that they matter.
Ways to Donate and Get Involved with Outreach360
- Donate monthly ($10-$100) as a “Touch the Future” sponsor where you help fund the education of students within the Learning Center.
- Donate a one-time (hopefully more) amount of money to the program.
- Donate your birthday by raising money around your date of birth and donating the funds to Outreach. Facebook is a really great way to do this!
- Volunteer to serve in either the Dominican Republic or Nicaragua for a week or more!
- Participate in the 8-week internship where you can lead others through this amazing service experience.
For more information, please visit: https://outreach360.org/
