Fundación San Martín de Porres
A group of friends from the Community Jesús Mediador in Bayamón, Puerto Rico, established the San Martín de Porres Foundation.
The Foundation is a totally independent
not-for-profit organization.
Among it's members are citizens of different nationalities, belonging to a variety of religious, political, economical and social movements.
The Foundation’s Mission is:
to create projects of economical development characterized by co-operative efforts in communities of poverty zones in the Caribbean region.
The Foundation’s Mission is:
to create projects of economical development characterized by co-operative efforts in communities of poverty zones in the Caribbean region.
In the year 1995, an opportunity arose to acquire 200 acres of agropecuarian land located in the communities of
Paralimón and Dajao, in the Dominican Republic.
These communities belong to the Municipality of San José de las Matas, in the Province of Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic.
This group of parishioners from the Comunidad Jesús Mediador,
offered the land to San Martin de Porres, by donating it to the
Foundation, establishing the "Community San Martín" in Paralimón,
San José de las Matas.
offered the land to San Martin de Porres, by donating it to the
Foundation, establishing the "Community San Martín" in Paralimón,
San José de las Matas.
The Community San Martín is a project of economical development
through combined management:
•Cattle, goats and sheep
•Agriculture
•Conservation model for forest areas and the environment.
through combined management:
•Cattle, goats and sheep
•Agriculture
•Conservation model for forest areas and the environment.
San José de las Matas:
•Has a high level of unemployment
•Most people lack any form of income
•Living conditions are at survival level
•The Public Hospital is in need of everything essential
•There is a Home for the Elderly attended by a few nuns
Up to now the Foundation does much to provide in the
most urgent individual needs of the people living in the communities of
Paralimón, Dajao, Maquén and Álbana, and does also the necessary in the town, e.g. medical equipment and medicines for the hospital and
for the Home for the Elderly
.
Through this project,
we want to create a regional model,
so that the people can discover
how to provide
in their most essential needs
For this purpose the development of the "Community San Martín" property
is indispensable.
In this region, the lands, fit for agropecuarian use, are in the hands of the big landowners, who do not allow the people to cultivate them.
Our Communities
Paralimón
is a dry region with very little water.
Water is available only when it rains.
The property has a stream, located at a depth of 300 feet.
The founders constructed a small dam.
A recently installed mechanical pump raises the water, over a distance of 2,500 feet, to a 14,000 gallon storage tank constructed at the highest part of the Hacienda. This water is available to all our communities at no cost for agriculture purposes. We still need a simple way to purify the water of this storage tank to make it potable.
The Community owns already a few cows
providing milk at no cost to the most needed.
A family of five lives at the land
in a recently rehabilitated structure.
With the help of the surrounding community and the municipality we succeeded to install electrical power in a large part of Paralimón.
With the help of volunteers
the house at the property was also connected to the system.
Dajao
The community is located in the mountains,
at about 4,220 feet above sea level.
The land is excellent for the cultivation of
organic coffee.
El Dajao
•Is almost inaccessible.
•If it’s not raining, only a 4x4 drive can go up.
•The people cultivate coffee in small parcels of land.
•The harvest is only once a year.
•People borrow money from the coffee buyers to survive the rest of the year.
•The small production of the coffee is not sufficient to pay in full the money borrowed…..
The founders constructed a small dam.
A recently installed mechanical pump raises the water, over a distance of 2,500 feet, to a 14,000 gallon storage tank constructed at the highest part of the Hacienda. This water is available to all our communities at no cost for agriculture purposes. We still need a simple way to purify the water of this storage tank to make it potable.
The Community owns already a few cows
providing milk at no cost to the most needed.
A family of five lives at the land
in a recently rehabilitated structure.
With the help of the surrounding community and the municipality we succeeded to install electrical power in a large part of Paralimón.
With the help of volunteers
the house at the property was also connected to the system.
Dajao
The community is located in the mountains,
at about 4,220 feet above sea level.
The land is excellent for the cultivation of
organic coffee.
El Dajao
•Is almost inaccessible.
•If it’s not raining, only a 4x4 drive can go up.
•The people cultivate coffee in small parcels of land.
•The harvest is only once a year.
•People borrow money from the coffee buyers to survive the rest of the year.
•The small production of the coffee is not sufficient to pay in full the money borrowed…..
The ‘Fundación’ is taking steps to formalize an organic
Coffee Co-op
to minimize the intermediary impact.
Medical services in Dajao
•Are non-existent
•All 60 children and youth examined were found undernourished
•Sick women with different conditions require urgent hospitalization
•There are no medicines or too expensive
•Lack of nutrition, clothes, blankets, etc. is the cause of many illnesses
Education in Dajao
Teaching goes as far as to the third grade because of:
•Lack of schools and teachers
•No housing for the educators
•Students have to walk more than a hour down or up hill
•The road is frequently inaccessible
•Child labor:Parents need the help of their children at home
•Are non-existent
•All 60 children and youth examined were found undernourished
•Sick women with different conditions require urgent hospitalization
•There are no medicines or too expensive
•Lack of nutrition, clothes, blankets, etc. is the cause of many illnesses
Education in Dajao
Teaching goes as far as to the third grade because of:
•Lack of schools and teachers
•No housing for the educators
•Students have to walk more than a hour down or up hill
•The road is frequently inaccessible
•Child labor:Parents need the help of their children at home
Immediate Charitable Help for our Communities
Members and volunteers travel frequently from Puerto Rico to distribute:
•food, medicines, medical equipment,
•school materials and personal care
to impoverished and isolated areas of San José de las Matas
Food Cultivation:
A group of 30 housewives in Paralimón, receive seeds and fertilizers to plant and cultivate them in their little home gardens to feed their families
Farmers from our community use asigned parts of the Hacienda to cultivate the crops they need to feed their families
The Community San Martin provides free access to:
• Water from the storage tank
• Cow milk for pregnant mothers and their babies
•"Guano"-palm leaves to elaborate products to sustain their families with
•Opportunity to cultivate food on the land
Education:
•Grants has been provided to five (5) students in different disciplines.
• Water from the storage tank
• Cow milk for pregnant mothers and their babies
•"Guano"-palm leaves to elaborate products to sustain their families with
•Opportunity to cultivate food on the land
Education:
•Grants has been provided to five (5) students in different disciplines.
The last one graduated in June 2006.
•There is a waiting list, for evaluation and direct follow-up.
•Talks are being held with the regional education authorities to obtain the assignation of a teacher for Dajao.
We give lectures about the environment
and donate materials to the school in Paralimón
Health Care
When ever possible, we provide medical services to isolated areas in coordination with the local Hospital, accomplishing much appreciated attention of the Director for the referred patients.
The absence of transportation and the condition of the country roads do not permit access to medical services.
The Environment
We promote the protection of the forests and soil conservation, using adequate resources and planning for the economical development of the rural families.
Spiritual Attention
•There is a great absence of services provided by priests
•The communities are organized in Assemblies
•Weekly celebrations are held by the people themselves
•During our stay we try to provide some spiritual relieve wherever possible
Once initiated its development,
this ‘Community’ will produce the economical and academical resources necessary to create the basis for community work, in projects for nutritional and administrative development, that will permit our communities to elevate the quality of life.
•There is a waiting list, for evaluation and direct follow-up.
•Talks are being held with the regional education authorities to obtain the assignation of a teacher for Dajao.
We give lectures about the environment
and donate materials to the school in Paralimón
Health Care
When ever possible, we provide medical services to isolated areas in coordination with the local Hospital, accomplishing much appreciated attention of the Director for the referred patients.
The absence of transportation and the condition of the country roads do not permit access to medical services.
The Environment
We promote the protection of the forests and soil conservation, using adequate resources and planning for the economical development of the rural families.
Spiritual Attention
•There is a great absence of services provided by priests
•The communities are organized in Assemblies
•Weekly celebrations are held by the people themselves
•During our stay we try to provide some spiritual relieve wherever possible
Once initiated its development,
this ‘Community’ will produce the economical and academical resources necessary to create the basis for community work, in projects for nutritional and administrative development, that will permit our communities to elevate the quality of life.
In this stage we need your generous help.
How can you help?
Above all:
•a monthly contribution,
to create and facilitate an environment and the basic structure
for the continuation of the project
and/or
•donations in cash
•donations of medicines
•donations of school materials
and/or
•donations in cash
•donations of medicines
•donations of school materials
Donations are tax deductable in Puerto Rico
Contribute to our Mission so that these families,
through their own efforts, will have their "daily bread".
Fundación San Martín de Porres
BancoPopular de Puerto Rico
Account number: 051-074680
Routing number: 021502011
PO Box 125
Bayamón PR 00960-0125
Tel.: (787) 748-7248
Contribute to our Mission so that these families,
through their own efforts, will have their "daily bread".
Fundación San Martín de Porres
BancoPopular de Puerto Rico
Account number: 051-074680
Routing number: 021502011
PO Box 125
Bayamón PR 00960-0125
Tel.: (787) 748-7248
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Thank you very much!
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