…. then feed just one”

Location: Bani, Dominican Republic

Meet Frances – he is a Dominican who wears many hats. The first- husband and father. The second- business man- having started his own vocational school. The third- community mobilizer- working in collaboration with the Elizabeth Seton project in the poor barrios of Bani.

First Placement: Centro Elizabeth Seton

Nutrition Clinic, Preschool, Daycare and Medical Clinic

Our group had an opportunity to play with the children, feed them lunch and learn more about the project from the many woman who work there.

Our group was elated to have an opportunity to play with these beautiful children- camera’s were out and the laughter exploded. But I was hesitant.

5 years ago I would have done the same as the group did-  trying to capture the cuteness, the desperation, the experience.

But, the last time I stood in a room of babies I knew them all by name, I knew their personalities, I showered them with love and did not need to hesitate.

This time, I couldn’t. So I snuck to the sidelines and sat with a little girl with a glum face, unlike her peers she hadn’t gravitated to the white people. She stared at her bowl and didn’t move. I tried to talk to her, she didn’t react. I slowly picked up her spoon and moved it towards her mouth. She didn’t open it. So I just sat beside her, and slowly and surely she made eye contact, and the motioned for the spoon. 5 minutes later the soup was gone. And eventually came a smile.

A small group eventually formed around me, they were curious why my camera hadn't come out- they point and prodded at my camera bag. I handed the big SLR over to the eldest girl, in broken Spanish taught her the ropes- the following is her handy work.

“Through the eyes of a child”

The Elizabeth Seton Centre has been running for 15 years, it serves as a daycare for working families , a preschool in the afternoon- families pay equivalent to $8 a month.

They have a doctor and nurses who can be seen for $3, a dentist for $3 and a lab and pharmacy. I asked what the most common afflictions are and was told mainly- waterborne illnesses/parasites, “fever” and malnutrition.

They run a nutrition program, they feed the children 2 meals a day and care for the children from 7:45-1:45pm. 2 times a week the children are feed what they call the “Green Soup” a soup heavy in nutrients and everything the children need to meet their needs. This soup is made from the leaves of various vegetables – sweet potatoes, squash, radish, yucca- with added spices and pasta.

We saw the children thriving, but were informed that because the children were going home on the weekend- often a weekend with little to no food- the progress made throughout the week was negated. Solution- sending home packed meals for the children to ensure progress.

The centre serves a total of 1500 families.

Dominicans Helping Dominicans. Inspiring.

“If you can’t feed a hundred people, then feed just one”

- Mother Teresa