God’s love,transformingdeepest needintothrivingjoy
Care for Children in Dominican Bateyes
life in the bateyes
In 2024, an estimated 500,000 people, or 7% of the population of the Dominican Republic, live in more than 400 bateyes*. A batey (bah-tay) is a settlement around a sugar mill – crude, company-owned barracks home to sugarcane cutters and their families, who are primarily Haitian immigrants. Bateyes can be found in just three countries – Cuba, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. Impoverished and vulnerable, bateyes are hidden communities on the outskirts of society, cut off from urban areas by miles of sugarcane fields as far as the eye can see.
* Children of the Nations, cotni.org
Dead-End Communities
If you have ever visited the Dominican Republic’s beautiful beaches, and driven down their paved highways, you most likely missed the unmarked, dirt road turnoffs leading toward a labyrinth of bateyes. Miles outside the city of La Romana, there are no road signs to direct you to these communities scattered among the sugarcane fields. As you bump along the potholed paths, electricity and potable water become increasingly scarce – and latrines and waste management are just another service left behind in city society.
Bateyes are worker housing – barebone cabins surrounded by fencing. Families do not own these homes and can be evicted at any time. In decades past, sugarcane worker families were not allowed personal belongings and were restricted from building community structures, such as schools, churches or medical facilities. Bateyes were communities condemned to poverty.
For Children – A Crisis of Instability
Children in the bateyes are often food insecure. If their families are forced to move from field to field looking for work, their schooling can be disrupted. It is also common for two to three families to share one small house. For children, there is a lack of infrastructure to thrive – which is why the ministry of Cross International is so important. In the bateyes, schools and medical facilities are operated almost entirely by ministries and humanitarian organizations like Cross International. “
Life is Very Hard”
Sugarcane has a year-long growing season and planting and harvesting is labor intensive. Men cut and cultivate sugarcane under the hot Dominican sun from dawn until dusk. The country’s largest sugar corporation is around La Romana – and the history of this work is fraught with egregious abuses. When paid, sugarcane workers receive meager salaries, which for 90% of batey households is their only source of income.
…and when he saw him, he took pity on him.”
the good
Cross International believes for children to fully and sustainably thrive they need stable families, strong communities and active faith lives. To this end, we help equip children in 12 countries, like those living in Dominican bateyes, with improved systems and services so they may reach their God-given potential. Our Thriving Kids Initiative is how we move vulnerable children, families and communities around the world from deepest need to thriving joy – which we define by opportunity, abundance and hope. When children are valued and provided for, and when families are empowered, then communities can begin to transform.
In the bateyes, we have pursued this vital work for nearly a decade – and we are making an impact! Join us as we continue to bring life-changing, comprehensive care to children through The Good Samaritan campaign, as part of our Thriving Kids Initiative. Inspired by the parable, our efforts start with healing wounds, providing essential medicines, medical care and healthcare support to thousands of children, their families, and their communities in the Dominican Republic. We continue to offer hundreds of children in two bateyes wraparound care through nutrition assistance and education from Christian teachers, laying the foundation for a flourishing future.
And together, we can provide critical care to even more vulnerable children and their families, like these, in our 178 communities around the world!
Here’s how we’re making a difference in the Dominican Republic.
north america
Trouble is everywhere”
sang Denise, a 39-year-old mother of five from Batey Comoquiera.
Surrounded by endless fields of sugarcane and open trash piles, Batey Comoquiera is home to 350 people, all who reside in just 52 houses –and all who benefit from critically-needed Cross medical, education or nutrition assistance.
“The load is very heavy,” Denise explained. “We pray for help with the weight.”
Despite detailing her troubles, she continued singing the familiar hymn “What a Friend We Have in Jesus”: “Are we weak and heavy laden, cumbered with a load of care? Precious Savior, still our refuge – take it to the Lord in prayer.”
north america
In the early morning sunlight, a group of seven children sat around the roots of the one shady, neem tree outside of Denise’s front door, listening before school as she pointed to Jesus, the source of our provision. Like Denise, families in the community of Batey Comoquiera depend on the medical care, food and education support Cross provides through campaigns like The Good Samaritan campaign. And like Denise, the children and families we reach know this support is from the body of Christ and goodness of God.
“This program is an answer to our prayers –you help this community so much,” she continued. “We give thanks to the Lord because each day we rise up, our kids are healthy, they can go to school, and we are able to find food. Through you, the Lord provides.”
What a privilege it is to join the Lord in this “weight-lifting” work! Please join us on The Good Samaritan campaign and, together, let’s continue to make a significant impact in the lives of vulnerable children and their families in communities like these around the world.
Denise waits for the Cross food distribution every month.
“
He went to him and bandaged his wounds…” LUKE 10:34A
our medical mission
If you love a child, you know how difficult it is when they are ill. The midnight, bedside vigils, the stress rising and falling with their fevers, and the frustration of trying to figure out what is wrong and how to fix it. This was the case for mother, Jarissa, when her six-year-old son Johansson woke up one day with a swollen eye and escalating fever. Each passing day, he did not improve, and she anxiously wondered how to help.
“I do not have the resources right now to take him to the doctor,” Jarissa said.
Like other families in the bateyes, access to medical care is a challenge that requires money for care and public transportation into the city. That is why our program brings free-of-charge, essential medicines and healthcare teams to these communities through mobile medical clinics. In cases where a hospital or specialist is necessary, we cover transportation costs and care at our partner hospital.
“I was so thankful to learn the medical clinic was coming to our church,” Jarissa said. “We discovered Johansson has a virus and an infection. This clinic has been so good. I now have medicines to help him heal.”
4,600 children and 13,000 adults benefitted from Cross medicines
1,600 children, 10,000 adults benefitted from Crossprovided medical supplies
“We pray you keep more of these medicines flowing into these communities – especially for the families who cannot pay – so this program can continue to help even more children in need of care,” said pediatrician Dr. Andrea Del Rio. Dr. Del Rio serves at our partner hospital El Hospital Buen Samaritano in La Romana, where Cross also helps provide staffing and medical equipment. “Whether it is me serving here at the hospital, or you are serving elsewhere in a different way, we are all called to serve these children of God.”
Extending Our Reach
Cross not only reaches children in the bateyes, but offers medicines, medical supplies and prevention programs to primary care clinics serving impoverished populations throughout the Dominican Republic. Campaigns like The Good Samaritan help us extend our impact. This is evident through our ongoing support of a full-service hospital in the city of La Romana, which offers pediatric, nutrition and dental care to the children in our batey program.
2,600 children and 15,000 adults received medicines at hospitals and clinics
800 children and 11,000 adults benefitted from medical equipment offered
400 children and 6,000 adults benefitted from Crosssupplied hygiene products
Then
he…brought him to an inn and took care of him.” LUKE 10:34B
need for nutrition
While our medical reach is wide, Cross support also goes deep. In two bateyes, Milagrosa and Comoquiera, this looks like a targeted nutrition assistance and education program that sets the foundation for a flourishing future.
“When I first came to Milagrosa, it was hard to see how these children live,” said Melinda, our program coordinator at the Batey Milagrosa School. “Sugarcane cutting is seasonal, and money is not assured, so these kids live in such small spaces and often go without food.”
Melinda and our team discovered children would return from long weekends sick because they did not eat at home. As a result, they would miss school, or for those who did attend, would suffer from a lack of energy and an inability to comprehend and process information in the classroom.
In response, Cross provides students with a locally sourced, nutritious breakfast and lunch at school, while addressing the food support of their households through a monthly distribution of dry rations. Melinda is also engaged with the students’ families, ensuring each student attends an annual pediatric check-up at our mobile medical clinics and receives their nutrition assessments, which she conducts three times per school year.
“It is amazing to compare the first measurements with the second ones,” she said. “The nutrition programs are having a wonderful impact – and I see it as these children grow taller, stronger and succeed in school.”
In Batey Milagrosa, 600 children and 1,300 adults benefitted from the school and community food programs
In Batey Comoquiera, 129 children and 1,216 adults benefitted from the school and community food programs
In total, over 1,000,000 servings of food were delivered to vulnerable children and families
Life-Changing Education
“It is difficult to work in this impoverished situation and wonder if you are making a difference,” said Melinda. “But I find my hope in God. I know Jesus covered their sins and he loves these children.”
Melinda and the Christian teachers at Batey Milagrosa School show up every day to guide the students academically and share the love and values of Christ. She said:
“God knows what is happening here – and he is using me, and other Christians like you, to make life better in this batey. That gives me hope – and I share this hope with the students.”
Cross International provides our two schools with complete support, including school supplies and uniforms. Our full-day school in Batey Milagrosa is also a high school, which is significant for older students, as the next closest option is 10 miles away. This has encouraged students to stay in school and continue their education, preparing them for university and a brighter future.
Melinda, program coordinator at the Batey Milagrosa School
OUR APPROACH | the good
To transform deepest need into thriving joy, Cross International focuses on comprehensive care. The Good Samaritan campaign empowers our Thriving Kids Initiative, which meets critical needs of children and their families in 12 countries around the world through strategic programming, specific to their community context. Guided by more than 20 years of experience, Cross serves the most vulnerable, like children in Dominican bateyes, in 178 impoverished communities across the globe.
The ministry-work of The Good Samaritan campaign, like all our Thriving Kids programs, is designed with local leadership, to identify the greatest needs in the community. In the bateyes, we determined critical intervention was needed in the medical, nutrition and education sectors.
Cross oversees the delivery and implementation of technical services, such as mobile medical clinics serving children in the Dominican Republic. We also strengthen local ministry resources, such as the provision of essential medicines.
“Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers? The expert in the law replied: “The one who had mercy.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.” LUKE 10:36-37
Our impact is seen by improvement in the quality of life through achieved outcomes in health, education and standard of living. As we continue to build on our progress, our aim is to break the cycle of poverty and establish flourishing communities where families are empowered, children are thriving, and the gospel is lived and shared.
“It is the hand of God,” said Maribel, when asked about the school in her community. “The effort of these teachers is amazing. I love that the school engages the parents – we must work together to help our children have a better future.” Maribel’s 10-year-old son Johnathon chimed in: “My favorite thing about school is football. I like football the most. After football…baseball. After baseball? Math. I would like to be an engineer.”
Our mission to help create stable families is evident in the help we brought Antonina, who recently moved to Batey Las Cejas with her three daughters. “I do not have much money for medicine, so I am so thankful to receive help for my children,” she said. Through our mobile medical clinic, Antonina was given medicines to treat her daughters’ ongoing respiratory issues.
“We are getting better at helping those in need and these children are improving because of Cross support,” said Moises, our local program leader, who grew up in Batey Las Cejas. “Your support is moving us forward. We are making great progress – and we need you to keep us going so we can help even more children.”
medical
Cross will continue providing our networks with vital medicines, with a focus on prenatal health so children can thrive from their very first days. Our partner hospital and clinics provide 30% of the Dominican Republic’s prenatal vitamins and our aim is to increase their coverage by 5% in 2025, to combat child mortality.
“Before, when women would get pregnant, they would wait months –sometimes into their third trimester –before seeing a doctor,” said Anita, our community health coordinator for Batey Las Cejas. “The impact of distributing prenatal vitamins has been so important. These mothers are visibly healthier –and there is a big difference once their children are born. The babies whose mothers took vitamins grew better and experienced less illness in their first months of life.”
8-year-old Ivan receives a dental check-up at a Cross-supported primary care clinic in La Romana. For Ivan, this is only the second time he has ever seen a dentist.
Below, Anita explains how to take prenatal vitamins to a pregnant mother.
nutrition
Another area we are making a difference in is malnutrition identification and prevention – both in the clinics and the schools. Clinics we work with report a decrease in malnutrition to 20%, or 1 in every 5, children – and we want to see that number continue to drop.
“We are working to prevent malnutrition before it starts,” said local program leader, Moises. “We are not letting kids walk around malnourished in our communities – we are making changes, and they are working."
education
“There
are 2.6 million children in the Dominican Republic –and 50% are still attending half-shift schools,” said Moises.
Half-shift schools only meet four hours per day, either in the morning or in the afternoon, due to a shortage of school buildings. Both Cross-supported schools are proudly long-shift, meeting from 8:00am to 4:00pm, where students receive two complete meals, not just one.
“Our goal is to give more children in the bateyes this type of excellent education,” said Moises.
“I was so excited for the first day of school, I slept with my uniform on.”
“I love coming to school. I just enjoy being here,” said Madeline, a 14-year-old high school student in Milagrosa.
Inspired in part by her positive experience with our medical programming, Madeline wants to become a doctor. She is also very active in the church that meets in her school building. She sings in the choir and attends every Sunday, Wednesday and Thursday nights.
faith
“The majority of our students attend church at their school – and this is important for the community,” said Melinda, program coordinator in Milagrosa. “The church helps our community grow in peace, order and harmony. Growing in their faith helps these families grow in harmony all together – so it’s not just the children growing at school – it is also with their families, in community.”
we can make an incredible impact!
When you give to The Good Samaritan campaign, you will be helping children and families like these living in Dominican bateyes, as well as other similar community development projects helping children thrive in the 178 communities we work in around the world. Join us on The Good Samaritan journey, empowered by our Thriving Kids Initiative, as we build a world where vulnerable children and their communities can thrive!
