SOS Medical and Social Centres in the Dominican Republic

In Dominican Republic there are currently four Social Centres and one Medical Centre for children and the local community, including two in Los Mina.  Many SOS Social Centres operate via Family Strengthening Programmes, which aim to support the wider community.  Medical Centres provide treatments and services to the local community.  Below is some information about some of the Social Centres that SOS Children runs in Dominican Republic:

SOS Medical Centre in Dominican Republic

Description of SOS Medical Centre:

The SOS Medical Centre, Los Minos works with the Ministry of Public Health to provide primary health care to 1200 orphaned and vulnerable children and their families. This includes a vaccination programme for children, general health and hygiene.

SOS Social Centres around Dominican Republic: In-Depth

Los Mina

Description of SOS Social Centre/FSP:

There are two SOS Social Centres that offer programmes for family strengthening and a day care centre. Furthermore, the social centres organize child-minding programmes together with mothers and families of the local community.

Work and Achievements:

Katanga Community Centre, began operations on 13 July 2006, with just 10 children and five families, now it has a total of 106 children and 85 families at risk, which in one way or another have joined the program to collaborate

From this Community Centre was born the Barquita Community Home with 12 families and 21 children; the same family committee of Katanga coordinates this one

Katanga Community Centre is located in the populous area of Los Mina and has capacity to accommodate 150 children.

The coordinating committee drafted bylaws for the management of the centre and during this period we have been consolidated at 30% of the subcommittees to develop the four components of the strategic initiative. It is still awaiting the start in the contribution from organizations like the Fund for the Initiatives of Community Promotion (Procomún) and The City Santo Domingo, to complete the empowerment that Katanga needs to create the conditions necessary to accommodate the remaining children and thus operate at full capacity.

We continue with the monthly training for the consolidation of school parents, in addition, we accompanied the different families with children who dropped out of school to be integrated into this school year. Six children were enrolled in the traditional educational system of the country.

A component for the development of women has given priority to issues of self-help advice on the part of the Dominican Association for the Welfare of Families (PROFAMILIA) in legal and emotional support in situations of violence, and the committee to develop this component has organized literacy classes where the program began with eight members.

As part of the Network of Community Schools (REIC), community mothers have participated in workshops, summer schools for teachers working with people related to early childhood, which have covered topics such as evolutionary development of children, literacy systems, mathematical system through terminal blocks, creativity for the development of children`s stories. In the same vein, mothers have been invited by the SOS Training Centre on topics such as nutrition and developing stories, developed with the Secretary of Health and Welfare SESPAS and the Ministry of Education, ESS.

Our experiences in family strengthening programs at community centres SOS Los Mina are very recent and not yet allow us to present structured success stories.

Santiago de Los Caballeros

Description of SOS Social Centre/FSP:

In the city of Santiago de los Caballeros, there are two SOS Social Centres. The San Antonio community centre began operations on August 27 2007, with a reception capacity of 30 children. So far it has focused on strengthening its committees and improves the quality of services for development of each of the components.

Work and Achievements:

Santiago has been in a program of thematic development for women and families, the subjects taught were domestic violence, gender and effective communication. This program has been designed with the interagency agreement, obtained through the Open University for Adults (UAPA), where we contemplated psychological support for parents of the program, advising community mothers in early stimulation and educational psychology assessment of children.

Importantly, the process following the formation of the committee in the community of San Antonio has maintained an appropriate pace. The level of organization presented by its residents, the vast experience in the work community-by-community leaders and high level of engagement motor served to kick off the opening of this first community centre and have provided