Education Across Borders Programs
Our programs have been designed to meet the needs of the communities we work with in the Dominican Republic. EAB programs include:
- Education: scholarships (preschool through college) & adult literacy programs;
- Community Development: housing (reconstruction, repair), basic health care & sanitation (clinic maintenance and supply, latrine-building), environment & agriculture (tree-planting, livestock supply);
- Service-Learning: cross-cultural immersion & community service programs (Pentecost Project with Seattle-based high schools and parish communities)
Recent Successes and Current Challenges
In the 2009-2010 school year, EAB celebrated its first college graduations from our scholarship program: Loisa Fransua Yuasa graduated cum laude from her nursing program and Yanlico Munesi Dusdal graduated with a degree in accounting. Both are currently employed in their fields and return to their communities to talk with current scholarship students on their educational futures.
In the 2011-2012 school year, EAB has supported 35 students through the scholarship program (our largest group ever). We enrolled 6 new high schoolers and 2 middle schoolers this summer. We also celebrated the college graduations of 4 more students: Johnny Belarme Charle (medicine), Ronaldo Gonal Fransua Charle (law), Milanda (nursing), and Robertico (law).
Through our education platform thus far, 80 students are or have been enrolled in the scholarship program; 39 students have earned their High School diplomas; 4 students graduated from Technical school; and 7 students earned their college degrees.
EAB continues to have a number of students in both our communities--Franco Bido and Batey Libertad--on our scholarship waiting list that we would like to begin supporting.