Environmental Education

Year: 2010
Country: Dominican Republic
Project Status: Funded
Impact Sector: Education
Project Investment: $206.68

Project Launch:

When adults who had agreed to help build an athletic court in the community of El Firme, Dominican Republic backed out, kids took full control of the project. The kids did all the work from securing a patch of land to breaking the old cement to setting up a basketball hoop and volleyball net made by local youth and women with recycled materials  found on site to cleaning the court every day. The court now provides a place for healthy recreational activity and a $207 grant from World Connect’s Kids to Kids Program provided supplies needed for the project. The most impressive part of the project was the kids’ determination -- they even used cooking classes to make baked goods to sell at church to raise money for the basic sports materials they needed. The improved site gives local youth a safe place to hang out after school instead of hanging out at the local billiards clubs, where they are surrounded by bad influences. The court offers young people in the community a positive and constructive environment, lessening opportunities for teen delinquency and increasing opportunities for young people to be active and social with their peers while building team and leadership skills and self-esteem. The community has begun to realize the beneficial effects of this “cancha” and now send their kids there to play every day. The group has even developed a sports league for competitions.

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