Microfinance pays off in the Dominican Republic
Reflections from a donor’s visit to the field
The General Federation of Women’s Clubs (GFWC) has been supporting Plan USA projects for more than 50 years. In 2007, clubs started supporting Plan’s Global Women’s Fund, which helps women learn skills and earn an income.
Years later, Sherry Dahlstedt from the GFWC of Florida traveled with Plan to the Dominican Republic where she visited women who benefited from the Global Women’s Fund.
Below is a firsthand account of her trip:
January 12, Azua
Our first stop is to visit a ladies sewing group in Azua that has been helped through Plan’s Global Women’s Fund. With the support of Plan, they came up with an idea of using their sewing skills to make and sell school uniforms. Then they acquired a building, sewing machines and material. They were so successful that they expanded their inventory to include curtains, bedspreads, aprons, and other useful home items.
You could tell by the perfection of their products that the women had tremendous pride in their work. The quality was at least as good as anything you’d buy in a department store. The most amazing thing to me was that were working on old, foot-powered treadle machines. They can’t count on electricity, so they had to adapt.
This is when we really began to understand more about Plan. So many people assume that an agency like Plan just hands over money to the women and wishes them luck. But as I learned, that’s just not a good way to help. These women were proud because they weren’t just given money. They decided for themselves what would work, and then they implemented it.
January 13, Barahona
We visited a secondary school in Bahoruco. Students assembled to meet with us, sharing information about themselves and about their future plans. One girl in particular stood out. From the moment she stepped up to the front of the room, she captured our attention. She was only 14, but she plans to have a pharmacy built in her community, and had worked out every detail, including her time frame.
We moved on to La Cienaga, where we were introduced to a group of a 15-to 20- year-old kids who had started their own newspaper. Like the women of the sewing group, they were proud to share how they came up with the idea, acquired a computer, found a place to work and, with the help of Plan, got the media training they needed from a local TV station. Now they report on events in their own and surrounding communities.
Our day drew to a close and it was time to go back to the hotel. We were all pretty wiped out; not just physically, but emotionally. It was a good feeling though. We were so encouraged to see such positive projects achieved with the help of Plan.
What I ultimately learned is this: people may be poor according to our standards, but they are rich in so many ways. You could see the pride in their accomplishments not only in their stance, but in the look in their eyes. They are not wishful, yet they are desirous to realize their dreams. And, more importantly, they achieved all of this with the help of one organization…Plan.
Learn more about how Plan is helping empower women in the Dominican Republic.
Based on the success of the sewing group in Azua, the microfinance project in the Dominican Republic is expanding to other communities. You can contribute to this project by donating to Plan's Global Women's Fund, or by contacting our Philanthropy Team at 800-556-7918 or corporaterelations@planusa.org.
