Yspaniola Incorporated

I had the pleasure of interning with Yspaniola this past summer. There are so many great things to be said about this organization. Yspaniola has an incredible team made up of local and international members who all share a passion for the work they are doing.

Yspaniola works hard to make sure they are addressing the most prevalent needs in the community of Batey Libertad. This past year, they did not let the pandemic stop their literacy programming, which allowed for the students of the Batey to continue their education even when the public schools weren't operating.

I am so thankful for the time I spent in Batey Libertad and I am so excited to see what the future holds for Yspaniola and its students!

My daughter and I were fortunate enough to volunteer with Yspaniola in 2019. We were blown away by the commitment the organization has to the community. The Batey Liberdad community has incorporated Yspaniola into their lives. The experience allows you to make personal connections and is life changing. Whether you can volunteer time or contribute financially, there is no other organization more deserving.

I cannot say enough nice things about this organization. As a college student, I went on two service-learning trips with Yspaniola. For each trip, our group spent the weeks prior to getting to DR learning about the history and culture of the country would be in through curriculum provided by Yspaniola. Both times in DR, our group had amazing guides, hosts, and drivers. The organization really is por y para la gente, it is an organization for and by the people. Through both trips, I learned a lot about myself and about the beautiful community of Batey Libertad. It made me a more globally focused citizen, but most importantly, it supports the community members of the Batey.

Yspaniola does excellent educational work in an underserved community whose members have experienced discrimination within the Dominican Republic. The organization also has a strong pipeline of American students who help in the community each year. I have supported this organization for a long period of time because they focus on assisting those who need help the most and would not otherwise receive assistance, all in a sustainable fashion.

Volunteering with Yspaniola was an incredible experience that encouraged me to provide inputs but also challenged me to take a backseat and learn from the amazing people in the Batey Libertad community. Yspaniola's local staff addresses various community needs that do not receive requisite attention from the international community such as education, migrant rights, and discrimination in Dominican society. The people of Batey Libertad are so talented, generous, and welcoming, and Yspaniola does a wonderful job working in tandem with members of the community to help children realize their full personhood when structural barriers might otherwise deny them that.

I worked as a fellow at Yspaniola for 16 months, and it was an incredible experience. The organization is based in Batey Libertad, a community predominantly comprised of Haitian migrants and Dominicans with Haitian ancestry. Due to discriminatory immigration laws that target Batey residents and a general lack of funding, the local public school does not have adequate resources to provide students with a well-rounded education. Yspaniola fills some of these gaps with evidence-based literacy programming led by local teachers and educators. Kids are always excited to spend time in the organization’s Learning Center and demonstrate significant reading level improvements after attending consistently. I can not recommend Yspaniola and the work the team does enough!

I worked with Yspaniola as a fellow for one year. The work they are doing is so necessary! The local public school is overcrowded and underfunded, and students are not receiving the education they deserve. Yspaniola provides supplemental educational services like group tutoring, student mentoring, and reading hour. The teachers and assistants are all local, so they know each one of their students and the students' parents. All of the programs are free, and students voluntarily attend the sessions because they are so excited about learning how to read with Yspaniola. Additionally, Yspaniola offers scholarships to college-aged students to go to university so they can get a degree and give back to their community. I can't wait to visit Yspaniola again one day!

Yspaniola does incredible work in the community of Batey Libertad. I served as a fellow with Yspaniola and spent 7 months working with them. They are very community based, and many of the staff are amazing community members. The literacy programs are effective and provide important supplementary education that the children do not receive in public school. Additionally, the University Scholars Program provides opportunities for smart and driven young adults, helping them towards a brighter future. Yspaniola helps fight inequity through education and other initiatives. I am so grateful to have worked with Yspaniola and for the amazing work they do in Batey Libertad.

Yspaniola provides scholarships to Dominican and Dominican of Haitian descent students in the DR to attend university. They also have a very successful summer camp and learning center for children in Batey Libertad that provides them with educational opportunities to break the cycle of poverty. I worked with them as an intern for 6 months and the experience changed my perspective on development and education. Their board members and directors are extremely committed individuals with lots of experience and passion. Development in Batey Libertad through Yspaniola is a participatory process with community leaders, which you don't usually see with NGOs here. They are very invested in the future of the community and train many local youth to serve as teachers in their center. Overall, I'm very happy with their work and recommend this organization to everyone.

For years, Haitian workers haved been toiling on Dominican Republic sugar plantations, called Bateys, without basic workers' rights allowed to native Dominicans. Generations of Haitians have been born on the bateys, but no one has been allowed to register as a Dominican national. Hence these workers and their families have no rights and are kept on these bateys, forced to pay some of their wages back as room and board . This organization is attempting to provide batey families with some sort of future, even as the Domincan government ignores its own constitution and UN findings that anyone born in the DR must be recognized as a citizens and afforder all rights thereof.