Hiram College, in Hiram, Ohio
In April 2011, students in the Center for Integrated Entrepreneurship and the Center for the Study of Ethics and Values, as well as the Community Service Program at Hiram College, in Hiram, Ohio, held a fundraising campaign to benefit Global Ministries partner, Caminante, in Boca Chica, Dominican Republic. Hiram College students are currently working with Caminante to help establish a microcredit program to provide microloans to women affected by human trafficking so they can start small businesses as an economic alternative. An initial amount of $1,200.00 was raised in the first few months of the campaign.
On Thursday, April 29, Sister Denisse Prichardo, Director of Caminante, and Erin McKinney, former Global Mission Intern working with Caminante, spoke at Hiram about their work with Caminante, including their work with the street children, their work with Haitian refugees in the Dominican Republic, and their efforts to prevent human trafficking in Haiti and the Dominican Republic. At the lunch hour on Friday, the Centers and the Community Service Program hosted a traditional Dominican-style meal of rice and beans. Even those who could not afford the $5 ticket price were invited to give a $1 donation. A service learning trip to Caminante was also scheduled for Hiram’s summer session.