A New Partner, A New Chapter

New Chapter in the Dominican Republic

Rostro de Cristo is embarking on a new chapter in the Dominican Republic, a significant step in our mission to serve those in need and inspiring a commitment to faith that works for justice.

Beginning in early 2025 three Rostro de Cristo fellows will begin working in support of Haitian migrants in partnership with ASCALA, (Asociación Scalabriniana al Servicio de la Movilidad Humana). ASCALA is a faith-based NGO founded and led by the Missionary Sisters of St. Charles Borromeo (Scalabrini) which provides essential support to promote and defend the human rights of migrant communities in the Dominican Republic through legal aid, education, social services, community development, empowerment, and entrepreneurship training.

By partnering with ASCALA, Rostro de Cristo is addressing urgent needs of Haitian migrants and their descendants. Thousands of Haitians work on sugar plantations and in other areas doing work that few others will do. They live precariously and often lack access to clean water, sanitation, and healthcare services. They work under harsh and dangerous conditions, receiving low pay and facing exploitation, susceptible to debilitating injuries.

In the beginning of November, I made my second trip to the Dominican Republic to meet with Scalabrini Sisters Eugenia Vazquez, Inés Bordignon, Niceli Donde, and the team of young professionals at ASCALA. They introduced me to residents living in some of the area bateyes. Bateyes are communities of predominately Haitian migrants who work as cañeros, sugarcane workers. They are located on sugarcane plantation in the rural areas isolated from the neighboring towns and lacking public transportation, schools, health services. Many residents live in housing built decades ago by the government or plantation owners. These homes consist of a single room that may house children, spouses, and grandparents with no immediate access to water or other basic needs.

The ASCALA team shared with me the systematic segregation and exclusion faced by Haitians and Dominicans of Haitian descent. Many are denied the right to citizenship, despite being born in the country. For those individuals born to parents without updated legal documents or a passport are denied citizenship. This lack of citizenship not only deepens the existing poverty experienced by these communities but also exacerbates their social exclusion, rendering them more susceptible to various forms of abuse and violations of their human rights. As a result, thousands of Dominicans of Haitian descent have been stripped of their only nationality, leaving them stateless. They live in fear of being deported to Haiti.

On one visit to a batey I met a woman who immigrated from Haiti 16 years ago. She is the sole caretaker for her aged, homebound mother, and her niece where they share a 12 x 12-foot room. Living on the batey severely limits access to healthcare and schooling. Marie’s challenges are worsened by her fear of leaving the Batey, she is worried about being detained and deported, which would leave her mother and niece alone. Ascala provides nutritional and health assistance and checks in on them when possible. But her situation is replicated hundreds of times in the bateyes surrounding Consuelo, where Ascala is located. The living conditions of workers on sugarcane plantations reveal a significant failure to meet their basic needs, such as adequate shelter, access to health care, and education, in addition to the broader vulnerabilities the workers and their families face due to the exclusion, racism, and anti-Haitian policies.

Starting in early 2025, our fellows from Rostro de Cristo will join the staff of ASCALA to provide essential support for Haitian migrants in the Dominican Republic. Ascala’s Executive Director, Sr. Eugenia and I identified specific areas where fellows can help build capacity:

• Social Services: fellows will build capacity in their social services by helping to develop intake, monitoring, and reporting systems, and adding staff to support the outreach on the
• Health: fellows will support ASCALA’s public health initiatives by increasing training for local health promoters and developing health education programs directed at attending to the major health concerns of the community.
• Educating the Whole Person: fellows will work with the educational programs focused on educating the whole person which include programs across all age groups including children and teenage girls and boys. They will help develop curriculum and train members of the local community who work with ASCALA to facilitate these programs in their own communities.

ASCALA is also excited to work with Rostro de Cristo in developing our immersion-retreat program for the summer of 2025. Grounded by our shared faith and focused on creating advocacy and awareness initiatives aimed at addressing the social justice issues that Haitian migrants face, the program will continue to inspire participants and

We are enthusiastic about working closely with ASCALA’s experienced team to implement programs that promote awareness, provide empowering resources, and foster community integration for migrants, ensuring their voices are heard and their rights are defended.

We look forward to keeping you updated as we begin this new journey.

God bless,
Evan