Guanin International meeting.

Foundation Centro Cultural Guanin was created in 2000 and was incorporated in 2002 in the Dominican Republic, 2014 in the USA, 2017 in Canada, 2019 in Switzerland and 2020 in Germany. The activity has been organized with all the presidents of Guanin to to introduce themselves and at the same time discuss the relevant issue of the Covid-19 pandemic and its effects on the community of La Piedra, Dominican Republic. Our mision is to provide a safe and supportive environment where youth can experience new opportunities, overcome barriers, build positive relationships, develop confidence and skills for life in the Dominican-Haitian Community. We aim to run inclusive, sustainable programs for children and youth in the Dominican Republic that can be replicated throughout impoverished global communities.

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Guanin is life changing. Want to share with you Caroline experience. The excitement built in my chest as the school bus slowly navigated the bumpy dirt road littered with potholes. It felt surreal to be back on the road to Guanin. Although I’d been in La Piedra two years earlier the scenes outside the bus window still shocked me. Children playing barefoot, dilapidated shacks with no running water and dirt floors, stray dogs with visible ribs, and the few humble colmados on the roadside that served as the communities only access to food not grown on their land. Despite my culture shock, I was incredibly excited to return to Guanin. I fell in love with Guanin on the UConn Bridge to Guanin Alternative Winter Break my senior year. When I left the Dominican Republic after that first trip I promised myself that I would return once I’d graduated and gained experience as a nurse. Now two years after my first trip my friend Emily and I were riding the yellow school bus towards Guanin ready to serve the community. Upon arriving to Guanin we were met with warmth and excitement by the staff and immediately made to feel right at home. Madelyn and Rosa helped us settle into our room and we all laughed at our half Spanish, half charades communication. The first night in Guanin I felt totally relaxed in my bunk bed enjoying the darkness and silence that I never get in my New Haven apartment. Read more.