About Good Neighbors International (GNI)
Good Neighbors is an international humanitarian & development NGO with General Consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (UN ECOSOC). Our greatest mission is to improve the lives of others - especially those of children - through education, community development, health, sanitation and disaster relief processes. Since being founded in 1991, Good Neighbors has expanded its scope to include four fundraising countries and field offices in 29 countries.
About the Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is located in the Caribbean, a region of islands in the center of the North, South and Central American sub-regions. It shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti. In spite of robust economic growth during the last 3 decades, the Dominican Republic is still a highly unequal society where about 44% of its population lives in poverty and about 20% under extreme poverty conditions, according to UNDP statistics.
Good Neighbors opened its field office for Dominican Republic in July 2010, in response to the earthquake that devastated the neighboring country of Haiti, in January of that year. The office served as a channel for the organization to contribute to and assist with the international community's efforts to help rebuild the country a recover from the effects of the quake. Good Neighbors decided to establish community development projects in the Dominican Republic that would provide opportunities for Dominican communities to empower themselves and build social capital and in turn start a process of sustainable development.
About Good Neighbors Dominican Republic (GNDOM)
The Dominican Republic branch of Good Neighbors was founded in late 2011. Our office is located in the capital Santo Domingo, and currently employs five staff members. GNDOM's goals are set to impact local communities with development programs that target their specific needs. These projects include child sponsorship programs, income generation, rural development and agriculture, children's rights protection and advocacy and human promotion in general. We believe in the strength of partnership and we strive to collaborate with local organizations so each community in which GNDOM intervenes can build its own path towards a better quality of life.
Since being established, Good Neighbors Dominican Republic (GNDOM) has initiated a number of projects, and its focus areas currently include but are not limited to:
- Child sponsorship
- Provision of medical check ups and nutritional support for children
- Educational support for children
- Community empowerment and development
- Provision of clean potable water for communities
- Family planning education
- Parental skills workshops
- Micro-saving education and community support
- Ecotourism development
- Biofuel projects
- Support in obtaining civil registration and identity documents
- Raising awareness of human development
- Field research with stakeholders
