Annual Report 2018

Franklin is just one example of how sponsors and devoted tutors like Quisqueya are helping children around the globe to reach their full potential!

The first things you notice when you enter Compassion centre DR0140 are the sounds: the rhythm of a jump rope slapping the ground, the shouts and scuffles of a rowdy soccer game, a tutor animatedly teaching a class full of kids.

It’s where you’ll see Franklin a couple times a week—playing with his friends, listening to Bible stories or drawing a picture for his sponsor. In short, he looks like a typical happy, healthy seven-year-old.

Three years ago, he was anything but.

Franklin lives with his family in Neyba, a city in southwestern Dominican Republic. They’re not far from beautiful Lake Enriquillo, a hot spot for eco- and adventure tourism. Despite the draw of tourism, many communities in the area—both urban and rural—remain entrenched in the grind of poverty. According to the World Bank, the province of Bahuroco—of which Neyba is the capital—is one of the most impoverished regions in the country.

When Franklin was two days old, he was diagnosed with asthma and a heart murmur. His family lives in a small home beside a lottery ticket shop, where his father, Frank, works. But Frank’s income couldn’t support the medication or treatment his son needed to thrive. As Franklin grew older, his mother, Yeni, didn’t allow him to play with other children for fear the activity would cause his lungs or heart to fail.

When Franklin turned four, he was registered in his local Compassion program. He was malnourished and lacked physical strength. But what his tutor, Quisqueya, noticed most was his lack of social skills.

“When he got to the [centre]… Franklin didn’t share or talk to anybody,” she says. “He was so shy that when we called the children for lunch time, he used to crouch in a corner. I had to go and give food to him where he was because he did not eat with the others at the table.”

Quisqueya was determined to help Franklin become healthy in every aspect, so she had the centre’s psychologist evaluate Franklin.

“After the psychologist evaluated him, she told me something that changed my perspective,” says Quisqueya. “She said, ‘What that boy needs is someone to speak softly and with tenderness to him, someone who pays attention and cares and plays with him. What Franklin needs is someone who gives him love.’”

Taking the message to heart, Quisqueya found unique ways to communicate with Franklin, to create opportunities for him to interact and slowly build his trust. Gradually, Franklin began to open up. One day he felt comfortable enough to join her at the table. And then he chose to sit with the other children. Slowly, he began to talk, to interact, to join games voluntarily.

As Franklin’s emotional health began to flourish, his physical health followed suit. He gained weight. Playing helped him grow stronger. With medical visits covered by the program, Franklin received the medication he needed to treat his asthma and was sick less often. Plans are also in motion for Franklin to have surgery to address his heart issues.

Now, just three years later, Franklin is nearly unrecognizable. He is playful, loves joining his friends for snack time (especially if it’s rice pudding) and is doing well in school. He says he wants to be a teacher—and Quisqueya is determined to help him reach that dream.

By Yrahisa Mateo Solano and Aveleen Schinkel; photos and reporting by Yrahisa Mateo Solano