Dominican Republic
Located in the central Caribbean, the Dominican Republic occupies two-thirds of the island of Hispaniola, which it shares with Haiti, the poorest country in the Americas. Despite steady economic growth which has benefited a very small number of Dominicans, more than 25 percent of the population—or about 2 million of the country's 9.3 million people—still live in poverty. Unemployment and inflation are rampant. The richest 10 percent of Dominicans earn nearly 40 percent of the national income, while 20 percent of Dominicans have no access to health care or even basic public services, including clean drinking water and sewage disposal.
Perhaps the most marginalized people within the Dominican economy and the most vulnerable to human rights violations are Haitian migrants and Dominicans, particularly those of Haitian descent, living in rural areas, border towns and a growing number of urban shantytowns. Fleeing dire poverty and high unemployment, an estimated 1 million Haitians have relocated to the Dominican Republic. The steady migration through the years has caused tension between Haitians and Dominicans and posed challenges to the country's economy.
Strengthening civil society lies at the heart of Catholic Relief Services' work in the Dominican Republic, especially the empowerment of local communities struggling to overcome a long history of injustice and marginalization. In close collaboration with the Catholic Church and a number of Dominican nongovernmental organizations, CRS supports local development projects throughout the country in four key sectors:
CRS has been working in the Dominican Republic for 47 years. Our vision is to create a culture of peace, justice and respect for human dignity. CRS' main office is located in the capital, Santo Domingo, and the country representative is John Service. CRS Dominican Republic serves Jamaica, the Antilles and the eastern Caribbean on an outreach basis.
