INSTITUCIONES AMIGAS de OHUBARDO

Aquí hacemos mención de una serie de instituciones que, de una u otra manera, tienen identidad de propósitos con OHUBARDO, haciendo frente común en la lucha contra la situación por la que atraviesan los habitantes de los bateyes y todo emigrante en situación análoga de desigualdad y desventaja, incluso en los derechos más elementales del ser humano.

The DREAM Project The DREAM Project focuses on improving education on the DR's north coast. DREAM recognizes the faults of public education in the DR, and it works to improve existing schools or to open new schools.

International Organization for Migration - IOM IOM focuses on both policy formation

Proskuneo Ministries Proskuneo Ministries is bringing nations together in worship. Check out their site to see how you can get involved.

Salvador Live Two of Salvador's spanish praise songs are featured on the Makarios DVD. Organizations in the Dominican Republic and Haiti Description.

US Agency for International Development - USAID As a US government agency, USAID supports democracy, governance, economic development, and health issues in both the DR and Haiti. USAID has been very active in 2004 flood relief efforts.

United Nations Children's Fund - UNICEF UNICEF works in Haiti and the DR by supporting programs to reduce poverty, improve education, and offer health services for children. UNICEF is supporting current flood relief efforts in both countries.

Movimiento de Mujeres Dominico-Haitianas - MUDHA MUDHA promotes the social and economic development of Haitian and Dominico-Haitian women and children in the bateyes by empowering leaders and by providing resources in health and education. MUDHA wrote a good article for GSC newsletter in 2002 that can be found at http://www.ssrc.org/programs/gsc/gsc_quarterly/newsletter5/content/mudha.page

Batey Relief Alliance The BRA unites member organizations who focus on health, education, and documentation status in an effort to improve conditions for all individuals, both Haitian and Dominican, who live in the bateyes. The BRA Web site is an excellent introduction into batey life, and it offers good demographic information.

Center for Justice and International Law - CEJIL CEJIL promotes human rights in Latin America. CEJIL worked with MUDHA and the International Human Rights Law Clinic to present the case of two undocumented Dominco-Haitians to the IACHR. CEJIL also works to ensure the fair treatment of potential Haitian deportees.

Support Group for Refugees and the Repatriated - GARR - (Groupe d'Appui aus Refugies et Rapatries) GARR is a Haitian NGO that partners with other organizations to protect the rights of Haitian refugees in the DR and to improve deportation procedures.

Plan International Plan works to improve the quality of life of poor children worldwide. In the DR, Plan focuses on education and healthcare. Plan partners with World Vision to provide emergency flood relief. And direct assistance in its efforts to aid migrants. In the DR, IOM is primarily concerned with healthcare and the end to human trafficking.

Inter-American Commission on Human Rights - IACHR As part of the OAS, IACHR assesses human rights violations in countries throughout the Americas. The IACHR has a 1999 report on its Web site, "Situation of Haitian Migrant Workers in the Dominican Republic." The Committee for the Defence of Haitian Rights CODIHA partners with Christian Aid to defend the rights of Haitian prisoners in the DR. Movimiento Socio-Cultural de Trabajadores Haitianos, Inc. - MOSCTHAAs a member of the BRA, MOSCTHA addresses ways to meet documentation, economic development, and health care needs in the bateyes. Amutraba - Asociacion Mutual de los Trabajadores de los Bateyes (Mutual Society of Sugar Cane Workers)Amutraba is a subgroup of MOSCTHA that provides micro-insurance for healthcare to Haitians in the bateyes. Network Jacques Viau (Red Jacques Viau) The Network Jacques Viau is a collection of nonprofits working to build solidarity and ease tensions between Dominicans and Haitians in the DR. Dominican Committee for Human Rights - CDDH The CDDH is a non-government organization that investigates and responds to human rights violations throughout the country. CDDH aids other organizations as they research human rights in the DR.

Instituto De Accion Comunitaria - IDAC As a member of the BRA, IDAC promotes civil society and community development in the bateyes.

American Baptist International Ministries American Baptist International Ministries supports Kristy Engle, a nurse who works to improve healthcare in the bateyes.

ASON (Americans Serving Other Nationals) International ASON's mission is to help develop Christian leaders who minister to groups in their own country. ASON works with healthcare in Batey Estrella.

Catholic Relief Services - CRS CRS works internationally to improve human rights and alleviate poverty. CRS has played an active role in current flood relief efforts.

Christian Aid Christian Aid is a collection of churches in England and Ireland that partner with organizations such as MUDHA and CODIHA to improve batey life.

Christian Reformed World Ministries CRWM supports long-term missionaries in the DR. CRWM also hosts missions groups who want to visit the bateyes, and they evangelize and build Christian schools in the bateyes.

Church World Service - CWS CWS organizes and supports missions trips for individual churches that want to visit Dominican bateyes. CWS is very active in 2004 flood relief efforts. Crossroads Crossroads supports education, clothing, food, and water ministries in a handful of bateyes on the north coast. Crossroads built a village for cane cutters and their families that offers better living conditions and improved access to public services than those found in the bateyes.

Dominican Republic Exposure Program (Scarboro Missions) The DR Exposure Program brings Canadian high school students to a batey in Consuelo. They offer students the chance to learn about the DR and experience the poverty of the bateyes.

Episcopal Church in Southwest Florida (Diocese) - Dominican Development Group The Episcopalian Diocese of Southwest Florida partners with the Episcopalian diocese of the Dominican Republic. The U.S. diocese sends missions teams to work in bateyes, specifically Batey Central in Barahona.

First Baptist Wellsboro First Baptist Wellsboro sends missions teams to Las Colinas, a batey outside of San Pedro. The missioners work to build schools and churches, to provide basic healthcare, and to present bible school activities for the community children.

Food for the Poor Food for the Poor recently expanded its anti-poverty mission to include work in the DR. Its programs in the DR will include medical missions, vocational training, and repair and construction on churches, schools, and clinics.

G.O. Ministries G.O. Ministries has three ministry hubs on Hispaniola, including one in Batey Nueve. At each hub, G.O.strives to build a church, school, feeding/nutrition center, medical/dental clinic, conference center for leadership training, and dormitory for visiting groups.

International Justice Mission - IJM IJM uses education and casework to respond to God's call for justice. IJM is particularly active in efforts to end human trafficking in the DR.

Jesuit Refugee Service - JRS JRS provides direct services to refugees, and it encourages the Dominican government to create fair and effective immigration policy for Haitian refugees.

Lutheran World Federation (LFW)/PROCARIBE LWF began working in Haiti before the DR, and with its partner organization PROCARIBE, LWF brings healthcare, legal aid, and vocational training to almost 40 bateyes around Santo Domingo and Monte Plata. One Respe One Respe partners with Christian Aid and other organizations to improve batey life. One Respe focuses specifically on preventing the spread of HIV/AIDS among the batey population. Social Service of Dominican Churches - SSID SSID is a group of approximately 13 Dominican evangelical/protestant churches that work together as a relief group. For example, SSID works with BRA and other groups to coordinate medical missions to the bateyes.

Society of the Holy Child Jesus (Response-Ability) The SHCJ works in a batey outside of Santo Domingo. The SHCJ and Response-Ability volunteers focus on primary and secondary education, yet projects also include health, documentation, and adult education campaigns.

Southside Baptist Church (Warner Robins, Georgia) Southside Baptist Church has several missionary families working in bateyes in the DR.

Southwestern Adventist University - SWAU The Southwestern Adventist University has yearly medical missions trips to a batey/bateyes near Cabral. The trips serve primarily as alternative clinical experiences for nursing students.

The First Baptist Church of Wallingford, CT The FBC mission in the DR began in 1990, and it works in La Romana and the surrounding bateyes. FBC partners with the Haitian Missionary Baptist Church in La Romana to build/rebuild churches, support medical personnel, and send their evangelism team to the bateyes.

Volunteer Optometric Services to Humanity - VOSH International VOSH sends medical missions to bateyes to offer eyecare services. Group of Interdenominational Pastors GPI partners with Church World Service and other organizations to improve living conditions in the bateyes.

Commission of Dominican Ecumenical Work - COTEDO COTEDO is a member of BRA, and it supports various medical missions and water sanitation and health projects in the bateyes. IMPORTANT INTERNATIONAL DOCUMENTS International Convention on the Rights of Migrant Workers (and members of their families) The International Convention on the Rights of Migrant Workers, effective beginning July 2003, protects the rights of all migrants and their family members, regardless of documentation status. Full text of the convention can be found at http://www.migrantwatch.org/1990unmrc/1990_un_mrc.html. INFORMATION/PUBLICATIONS

Human Rights Watch - HRW (Americas Watch) HWR investigates international human rights abuses, and it educates citizens and policymakers about human rights violations. HRW published a good report, "Illegal People," on the plight of Haitians in the Dominican Republic and the tensions that exist between the two nations.

National Coalition for Haitian Rights - NCHR NCHR advocates for the rights of Haitians around the globe. While the primary focus of the NCHR appears to be Haitian immigrants in the U.S., the Refugee and Migration Program assesses the situation of Haitians in the DR, and it produced a helpful report "Beyond the Bateyes" in May 1996.

Minority Rights Group International - MRG MRG strives to protect the rights of minority groups around the world. MRG's report "Migration in the Caribbean: Haiti, the Dominican Republic and Beyond" is informative, and it can be downloaded from their Web site.

International Human Rights Law Clinic The International Human Rights Law Clinic is located at the UC Berkeley Boalt Hall School of Law. It investigates human rights abuses worldwide, and it published a recent study, "Unwelcome Guests," on the rights violations surrounding mass deportations of Haitians from the DR.

Catholic Institute for International Relations - CIIR CIIR allies itself with MUDHA and the Network Jacques Viau to build civil society and support the rights of batey residents. CIIR's recently published "Needed but Unwanted" is an excellent resource on the life of Haitians and Dominicans of Haitian descent living in the DR. The report can be downloaded from their bookshop.