Welcome to El Peñon, Dominican Republic!

The Virtual Visit is an online experience that provides a direct, engaging and real opportunity for sponsors, donors, educators and youth to see what life is like in communities where Plan works. For the youth increasingly responsible for the creation of the Virtual Visits, the experience also provides the opportunity to learn, use and share new skills.

Bienvenidos! Our community, El Peñon, is located in southwestern Dominican Republic.

The community’s name is usually attributed to the large rock formation in the vicinity, but some link it to the town’s founder Jeronimo Peña — nicknamed “Peñon” because he was such a large man. Peña, along with the other first settlers, arrived to farm the land in 1751 (to learn more, watch “A Brief History of El Peñon”, under Culture and Tradition, on the above map of our community).

Our reality and our concerns
Historically, the Dominican economy has been driven by the production of sugar, coffee and tobacco. Families in our region, however, primarily rely on small business, farming, or fishing for household economic security (see “Earning a Livelihood” and “Josefa” under Meet the Adults).

Earning an income has never been easy for those in El Peñon — more than half of the population lives in poverty. What’s more, people are finding it increasingly difficult to meet even their most basic needs. Those who rely on fishing, for instance, have found their livelihood affected by overfishing and environmental degradation (see "Luis the Fisherman" under Meet the Adults).

The environment is something we are all aware of, and increasingly conscientious about — especially as the proximity of our town’s trash dump to our water sources creates health concerns. Right now, over 80 percent of the population lacks access to safe drinking water. And only 17 percent of houses have an indoor toilet. Children, especially, are vulnerable to water and hygiene-related diseases like cholera, diarrhea and malaria.

We currently have one primary health care unit we rely on for day-to-day medical needs (see “Healthcare” image gallery under Concerns of the Community). If someone has to be hospitalized, give birth, or have an operation they need to go Barahona, Azua, or the capital, Santo Domingo (about 125 miles away) for professional treatment and services. People who cannot afford to travel such distances often put their trust (and health) in the hands of traditional midwives and healers (see "Healthcare" video).

Many of our community’s concerns circle back to caring for the children and youth who live here. The health of our families is a major concern, as is education. We have one primary and one secondary school (see “The School” under Meet the Children). However, many boys and girls cannot go to school because they do not have birth certificates — and many drop out before reaching high school. Even when we do go to school, it’s very difficult to find a job in the community so that we can put our education to use.

Participation
Looking to address the challenges we face as a community, we often form and join community development groups, like farmers' associations, neighborhood groups, youth groups and church groups to identify our needs and come up with solutions. Plan has been especially helpful in supporting us to do this so we can be better organized and resolve the difficulties we face together.

One group that is well known in the community is the Child Media group that Plan supports. (see "The Child Media Youth Group" under What Plan is Doing) By recruiting other youth to join the Child Media group, we are able to find others who want to learn more about children’s rights and how to promote them in our community so that respect and appreciation for children and youth grows among the adults who live here. The group also allows us to support each other and stay healthy, motivated and productive as we work to improve our community. In the process, we learn new skills and gain confidence and belief in ourselves as an important part of the changes we want to see in our community. Our group, like other Child Media groups in the Dominican Republic, is one of the most influential youth groups in the community.