U.S. Dominicans & Sympathizers....just a thought

Can the we dominicans (& others) living abroad use our education and realtive financial strength to effect any change in the Homeland? How and what can be done?

Contact Muchachos y Muchachas con Don Bosco. This is a worthy program that has been going on for years. They provide vocational training for teenagers. It is run by very dedicated priests.

For more information, contact Padre Juan Linares at Tel. 809 536-2880 or visit http://www.mdb.org.do

Also, the library of the school needs all sorts of help. The contact there is Padre Jesus Hernandez. Tel. 809 685-7667
His email is biblantisal@codetel.net.do

I find this post most interesting. I'm an American who has been living in Puerto Plata for 5 years. I've done a lot of traveling within the DR. I've encountered many Dominican Yorks. Virtually none have any interest whatsoever in helping the hundreds of thousands of poor Dominicans; despite the fact that most Yorks have spent 10 - 20 - 30 years in the United States & have in many cases accumulated substantial wealth. Why? Am I missing something? Any contrary evidence or observations?

I agree I have seen Dominicans have had to do every conceivable thing to survive in the DR. While their relatives never send them one red cent.

What always really annoyed me is that when these Dominican Yorks return to visit their families, they expect a place to stay for free, try to impress them with usless things that they buy at Wal-Mart. Once they return, they go back to doing the same thing, yet the families greet them with open arms. Sick.

Statistics show the contrary is true. Dominicans living abroad send back billions to the Dominican economy. Indeed, remittances of Dominicans living abroad surpass the tourism receipts according to the Central Bank. Remittances in 2001 were the main source of foreign exchange for the Dominican Republic.

have to agree with that. My Dominican wife and friend spend sometimes huge sums of money on gifts and many are supporting relatives down there.

Dominicans living abroad send back billions to the Dominican economy. Billions? The exports to the DR are only 2.8 Billion! You are funny. I agree that some send money, but from "Only my experience very few do".

Remittance,agriculture,freezone mfg. and tourism are the four major foreign exchange components. Last yr. remittance was approx. a billion two hundred thousand. Freezones and tourism were more.

What I find most interesting each and everytime are your assessments of the Dominican people, LOL. From reading several reports on the matter, very few Dominicans abroad have accumulated any "substantial wealth". Heck, for the most part, to "make it" abroad is to have a decent job (or two) and save up enough money to go back to the DR and build a home. Dominicans in NYC are not doing as good, income wise, as they once did in the 70's and 80's. Even so, Dominicans abroad are very generous. They are one of the most generous immigrant groups in the US when it comes to sending money back to their homeland. This is so much the case that the IDB conducted an entire conference in May of this year on the remittances phenomenon. I can put you in touch with a Dominican colleague of mine who works for IDB if you need statistics on how much money Dominicans send back home.

Regards,
Natasha

I would love to see some facts please. If Dominicans build a home in the DR, then what?, my wife(Dominican) says " Tu no puedes comer la casa".

Most of the Dominicans that I have met in New York, Philedelpia are exactly the opposite of what you claim. They get to the US, Canada, and they only think of themselves.