Raising Change-makers, Our Common Vision
Yspaniola is a Dominican-American education nonprofit building a model of high-quality education programs in Batey Libertad from pre-kindergarten through university. After creating successful programs in Batey Libertad, our goal is to replicate our model in other bateys and marginalized communities in the Dominican Republic. Yspaniola’s vision is for the graduates of our programs to possess the knowledge and tools they need to successfully advocate for themselves and their communities.
Currently, Yspaniola’s academic programming includes the operation of a community Learning Center with a small library, a University Scholarship Program, and a Preschool. Our preschool offers one kinder class four days per week, plus a dedicated weekly reading hour and tutoring sessions to students in pre-primary and first grade. Up until June 2018, we also provided daily classes and tutoring sessions in our Learning Center for students in grades 2-9. With the onset of the tanda extendida in our region of the country in August 2018, we began a pilot program of working in collaboration with the local public school to provide literacy-focused, supplementary education to students from grades 2-5 within a public school setting, and this pilot is currently ongoing. Yspaniola’s Batey Libertad Learning Center continues to offer after daily after-school classes and initiatives to promote literacy to students from students upwards of fifth grade. Our university scholarship program provides full scholarships and academic support for 3 college students from Batey Libertad.
Vision
We believe in an inclusive Dominican Republic that provides access to high-quality education and promotes the human rights of all people, including the rights to full-citizenship and access to leadership opportunities.
Challenge
Currently, there are hundreds of bateys spread throughout the Dominican Republic. These isolated communities are home to residents of Haitian descent who lack access to basic civil and human rights, like the right to an education, travel, vote, and citizenship. Thousands of Dominicans of Haitian descent who live
in cities and towns across the Dominican Republic face similar difficulties accessing rights and services.
Pathway to Change
Since 2009, Yspaniola is creating, in Batey Libertad, high quality Education Programs from pre-K through university. Our mission is to, one day, scale our education initiatives and tailor to each community where we work, to overcome barriers to quality education and fair chance. Want to know more ? Discover our programs below, and subscribe to our newsletter for exclusive updates.
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