English classes, mentoring and discipleship in Dominican Republic

Funding required: $23,315

This project will help: 197 youth

Estimated completion date: February 2027

Country: Dominican Republic

Executive summary

A 2019 survey of 345 Compassion-assisted youth living in the Dominican Republic found that most beneficiaries scored well below average in English. Compassion Dominican Republic is committed to ensuring all registered students start well and finish well. English is a crucial skill; the National Association of Young Entrepreneurs in the Dominican Republic reported that 71 per cent of surveyed companies felt that lack of English language skills was a weakness when hiring new workers. The survey also found that 56 per cent of companies stated that knowing English was equal or more important than technical knowledge.

Many of the youth Compassion’s frontline churches serve in the Dominican Republic live in poverty and do not have access to the vocational training needed to develop their English skills. Most caregivers earn just enough income to meet their family’s most basic needs and cannot afford the high costs of vocational training or post-secondary education for their children. Young men and women growing up without access to training or educational resources have little hope of finding a good job and breaking generational cycles of poverty.

Data from the National Continuous Labor Force Survey found that 17.6 per cent of young people age 15 to 24 years old in the Dominican Republic are unemployed. Learning marketable skills, such as English, can help young men and women find good jobs and become economically self-sufficient. In the Dominican Republic, the demand for English-speaking workers is so high that often, workers simply need to speak English to find jobs in tourism or other related fields. Knowing English also opens other employment possibilities for young people, like remote positions recruiting across the world.

With your generous support, 197 young men and women will attend English courses, gaining knowledge that will provide them with highly marketable skills in the labour market. This intervention will also cover the cost of transportation, books and materials. To provide students with ongoing support and help them develop their God-given talents, students will also attend discipleship classes every two weeks with other participants and centre staff.

Summary

Background

Many of the youth Compassion’s frontline church partners serve live in highly impoverished communities and face several challenges. Caregivers struggle to find meaningful work and earn less than minimum wage. Because of this, caregivers often cannot afford even simple necessities. Most Compassion-assisted beneficiaries do not have the resources to attend post-secondary school. Without marketable skills or a formal education, these young men and women face very limited job opportunities.

Compassion’s frontline church partners know that learning English and developing technology skills can help young people as they graduate from the Compassion program and enter the job market. Youth, especially those older than 16 years, have expressed a deep desire to invest their time in formal training or pursue an education; however, their parents cannot afford these fees. Centre staff have done what they can to provide students with training and educational support but know that attending even one official technical training course in English can make all the difference for the youth they serve.

The need

Young people living in the Dominican Republic need access to quality training, mentorship and support to set them up for success as they enter the workforce. In the Dominican Republic, English skills are highly valuable and sought-after by hiring companies, but many young people have only a basic grasp of the language. With no funds to pay for vocational courses or post-secondary education, these students often end up unemployed or working low-paying jobs, stuck in the cycle of poverty.

With your generous support, 197 young men and women will attend an English language course, enhancing their English proficiency and significantly improving their job prospects. Your gift will also ensure that young people receive ongoing support, guidance and mentorship from centre staff through bi-weekly discipleship classes, prayer groups and regular virtual and in-person meetings. During discipleship classes, students will uncover more about their God-given talents and gifts, learn how to develop Christ-like characteristics and discover their self-worth. Participants will also be placed in support groups, where they can share their joys and challenges with one another and learn to develop healthy relationships with their peers.

What your gift will do

Your gift will allow 197 young men and women in the Dominican Republic to attend English classes and receive mentorship and discipleship training:

  • Orientation and meetings with students
  • English course fees
  • English books
  • Group activities
  • Mentor salary
  • Monitoring and evaluation
  • Transportation
  • Graduation ceremony

Logistics

  • Local contribution: $4,511.60
  • Handling of funds: Compassion’s National Office in Dominican Republic will work with centre directors to ensure this project stays within budget.
  • Monitoring and follow-up: Compassion centre directors and staff will provide support for students throughout the intervention. Staff will maintain a file for each student and students will submit their course grades to the centre director every three months. An English mentor will offer support through virtual and in-person meetings at regular intervals and a team of church members will pray for the students regularly. Staff look forward to seeing students using their English skills to earn good-paying jobs after graduation.
80%

No less than 80 per cent of your donation will be used for program activities and a maximum of 20 per cent for fundraising and administration. If we exceed our funding goal for the initiative shown, the remaining funds will be used to fund other programs where the need is greatest.