ALFALIT Dominicano

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Project

For more than 40 years, ALFALIT Dominicano has pursued its mission and primary objectives related to promoting social development through education. ALFALIT is an ecumenical network of chapters in many countries of Latin America and the Caribbean that is dedicated to literacy and education among the poorest of the poor for these 40 years. ALFALIT in general and ALFALIT Dominicano in particular has emphasized goals and activities that have focused on adult literacy and basic education, mostly in economically disadvantaged rural areas. However, changes in different aspects of Dominican society, among them the labor market, require a realignment in educational offerings, development vision, and the rendering of services. This institutional and operational adaptation marks the advance toward the achievement of the following objectives:

1. Establishment of an educational program in urban areas. The socio-demographic dynamic in the Dominican Republic is in the midst of some important changes. One example is the increased population concentration in urban areas, especially in the capital city of Santo Domingo. This has forced social organizations to reconsider the criteria for choosing areas to carry out development projects. A large proportion of the poor population that makes up the priority group for these organizations has moved to the urban areas. Therefore, the organizations are reallocating their activities from rural to urban communities. ALFALIT Dominicano is no exception and has discontinued some programs in communities where they have worked for many years. This decision was also influenced by the increasing cost of operating in communities located far from the city. In the rural areas, ALFALIT will continue its work primarily with the sugar cane plantation workers and families, while shifting many activities from the rural to the urban areas.

2. Creation of the ALFALIT Dominicano Education Center. The primary purpose of ALFALIT Dominicano’s education program is based on "education oriented toward the development of competencies for an active life." The final aim is to provide individuals with human and social competencies (communication, cooperation, responsibility), specific competencies (knowledge, skills), and methodological competencies (mental abilities, cognitive strategies) necessary for successful engagement in social situations. The ALFALIT Dominicano Education Center started operations in Santo Domingo during the 2003-2004 school year. The building needs to be adapted to better suit the needs and characteristics of an education center, and space must be expanded. To satisfy demand, ALFALIT Dominicano plans to complete construction of the third floor of the building.

3. Increasing the scope of adult education programs. Currently, in addition to literacy and basic education, ALFALIT Dominicano offers middle school education for youth and adults. The addition of middle school education responds to the needs of the population that access ALFALIT’s services. In order to enter the labor market, people must have the required education level. For example, a secondary school certificate is needed to access more diverse employment sources. However, a large segment of the poorest population, which is in its most productive years, does not have this level of education. The inclusion of middle school education is an intermediate step toward achieving the goal of establishing a technical training program that effectively responds to new social demands.

4. Updating staff training. Staff training has been key for the implementation of activities recently incorporated into ALFALIT Dominicano’s work. Staff members have received training in areas such as Education for Peace (peaceful conflict resolution), Citizen Education, Teaching Methods, and School Administration. In addition, supervisory personnel have participated in training workshops to improve operational performance and organizational development.

ALFALIT Dominicano has faced two major challenges in recent years. First is the loss of trained personnel. Some staff members who have received training have left ALFALIT Dominicano for employment with other organizations that can offer larger salaries. Second, it has become increasingly difficult to identify volunteers in the communities. This is related to the large-scale migration to the cities.

Financial support from Global Ministries has been utilized primarily for training personnel. Looking ahead, ALFALIT Dominicano plans to establish a community center for informatics training. This center will offer opportunities to young people and adults who wish to acquire skills necessary for securing employment or improving their performance. In addition, ALFALIT Dominicano hopes to implement a training program in community development for churches.

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