Our History

Years 1999- 2006: Project Child Staff Working in a Santo Domingo Orphanage and the Community before Casa de Luz

NOTE: This page is a follow-up to the "Why PC?" section. Click here to go back to the Why PC? section "Beginning in the Fall 1999, we began to make about five mission trips per year to the Dominican Republic, taking volunteer teams of doctors, nurses and lay people to help feed and care for these forgotten children and to give them love. Individual donors and companies provided the supplies needed." "The challenges we faced in this task seemed insurmountable at times but they were actually a series of great opportunities disguised as impossible situations." NOTE: To read Newsletters and Newspaper Articles about Project Child from this era, click HERE
"Even with our infusion of supplies and periodic assistance, the poor hygienic conditions and lack of staff continued at the orphanage. More importantly, the lack of concern for the health and well being of the children exhibited by the administration at the orphanage was incomprehensible." "We decided to hire our own caregivers to help provide for the basic needs of these 90 children.  We started with three caregivers and ended a few years later with fifteen caregivers (four of them nurses), a medical doctor, two part-time cooks and a maintenance person. The salaries of our staff were paid by Project Child from the United States, and they worked at the orphanage as "volunteers". "The children were fed three nutritious meals a day, given a daily bath, and medical attention. Their health improved dramatically." "All of the caregivers, the food, the diapers, the vitamins, food supplements and medicine given to the children were funded 100% by generous Project Child donors."
"We began an immunization program (these children had never been vaccinated) and our staff physician started to do regular blood work on the children to identify health deficiencies that need to be addressed.  Physical therapy for the children on an ongoing basis was a next step." "We organized networks of volunteers both in the United States and in the Dominican Republic to assist in feeding and caring for these children. In the United States, our volunteers solicited dietary supplements, diapers, vitamins and medicines from hospitals, pediatricians, and health care providers, in addition to assisting with ongoing fundraising activities."
Burn Victim Program "As our time in the Dominican Republic increased, we became aware that there were child burn victims that were not receiving the follow-up skin grafts, etc that could be done. We contacted the Shriner's Burn Hospital in Boston and set up a program whereby we would help a child and one parent obtain passports and visas.  Project Child  would also provide the round trip airfare from Santo Domingo to Boston.  The Shriners would provide the surgery and care of child and parent in the US."
"We were able to send 12 children over the years to Boston. An example is Nallely. Thanks to a donation of American Airlines frequent flyer miles, we were able to fly Nallely Villar de la Cruz (right) and her mother on July 7, 2006 to Shriners Burn Hospital in Boston to have surgeries and receive treatment for her burns. This little girl suffered severe burns to her neck and chest December 28, 2005 as a result of an accident with a candle."
In-Home Sponsorship Program "Through the early years, parents living in dire poverty with special needs children  heard about Project Child and sought help with basic nutrition, vitamins, diapers, etc.  We offered our donors the opportunity to "Sponsor" these children by providing regular donations which enabled parents to care for their children at home. This outreach of Project Child continues today."
NEXT WEBPAGE: "Given the continued poor conditions at the orphanage and the ill treatment of our caregivers over time, God placed in our hearts the need to build a new home for the special needs children. It would be a home where they could live in comfort and dignity and be loved and cared for the way God intended. This new home would be called Casa de Luz (House of Light)."Click Here to go to our Casa de Luz page	NOTE: To read Newsletters and Newspaper Articles about Project Child from this early era, click HERE