Crossroads
Sosua, Dominican Republic

Timmy contact: Stephanie Lefebvre

Website: http://www.dominicancrossroads.com/

Latest News

During the Spring 2006 trip Indiana and Tufts University students saw a many wonderful people and made a lasting impact.

The monetary support raised by students helped fund, for example, medication necessary to treat a man with severe burns, the hospitalization of two twins with broncho pneumonia, and the medication and treatment of a man with an auto-immune skin infection.

Indiana University Timmy Chapter Pictures

Dominican Republic

Picture courtesy of CIA World Factbook

Background:  The Dominican Republic is located in the Caribbean and is part of the island Hispaniola, which is shared with Haiti.  The capital is Santo Domingo and Spanish is the native language.  The island was explored by Christopher Columbus on his first voyage in 1492.  In 1821, the Dominican Republic was ruled by Haitians, before gaining its independence 22 years later.  It then voluntarily returned to the Spanish Empire and finally regained independence 2 years later. 

Until recently, the Dominican Republic’s economy was growing fast by trade and tourism.  Unfortunately, due to a decrease in global tourism, a bank crisis in 2003, and devastating floods in 2004 the economy’s growth has halted.  The currency is the Dominican peso and the Dominican Republic is an exporter of sugar, coffee, and tobacco.

Socio-economic Statistics (USA comparison in parenthesis):
Population:  9,183,984 (USA 298,444,215)
GDP per capita (Intl $, 2004):  4,986 (USA 39,901)
Unemployment rate:  17% (USA 5.1%)
Population below poverty line:  25% (USA 12%)
Average economic aid per year (recipient):  571.6 million received (USA 6.9 billion donated worldwide)
  
Health Statistics:
Infant mortality rate:  28.25 deaths/1,000 live births (USA 6.43/1,000)
Life expectancy at birth (m/f):  64/70 years (USA 75/80)
Total fertility rate:  2.83 children born/woman (USA 2.09/woman)
HIV/AIDS – adult prevalence rate:  1.7% (USA 0.6%)
HIV/AIDS – people living with:  88,000 (USA 950,000)
Total health expenditure per capita (Intl $, 2003):  335 (USA 5,711)
Physicians:  1 physician/590 people (USA 1/380)

Government:
Type:  Representative democracy
Head of Government and Chief of State:  President Leonel Fernandez Reyna (since 16 August 2004)
Elections:  President and vice president elected on the same ticket by popular vote for four-year terms (eligible for a second term);
Military:  Army, Navy and Air Force

Climate:  The climate in the Dominican Republic is tropical.  The rainy season is from May to November and the average annual temperature is 77 degrees F.

Recommended Vaccinations:
Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, Malaria, Rabies, Typhoid, and Yellow Fever.  For more information regarding travel to the Dominican Republic visit the Center for Disease Control (CDC) website.

Recommended Reading: 
The Feast of the Goat, by Mario Vargas Llosa.

The Dominican Republic: A Natural History, by Frank Moya Pons.

Why the Cocks Fight: Dominicans, Haitians, and the Struggle for Hispaniola, by Michele Wucker.

The Devil behind the Mirror: Globalization and Politics in the Dominican Republic, by Alison Acker.

Lonely Planet Dominican Republic, by Gary Chandler and Liza Prado.

References and Links to More Information on the Dominican Republic:
USAID Website
CIA World Factbook
World Health Organization
US Embassy in Santo Domingo

Dominican Republic News:
In English:
Topix
Dominican Today
Puerto Platan News
Dominican Republic Online
In Spanish:
El Caribe CDN
Hoy

Background and History of the Dominican Republic:
Wikipedia Encyclopedia
Hispaniola.com
The World Bank
British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)
Dominican Republic and the Free Trade Agreement:
Wikipedia Encyclopedia
U.S. Chamber of Commerce