Our work in the Dominican Republic

Development worker Raquel Casares with a colleague in the Dominican Republic

The challenge

We need to do more to tackle gender inequalities and promote opportunities for women.

We need to empower more local people to participate in local development plans and make improvements to their communities.

We need to do more to respond to HIV, particularly to increase women’s participation in HIV prevention activities.

We need to meet the needs of people of Haitian origin living in the Dominican Republic, particularly in the border area.

Read more about our current projects in the Dominican Republic.

Our achievements

Progressio has been working in the Dominican Republic since 1989. Our development workers have:

• strengthened the capacity of civil society organisations in the Dominican Republic and Haiti to achieve political and social change to improve the quality of life and achieve greater gender equality in poor rural communities
• supported the work of partners who are arguing for the introduction of laws and regulations favourable to organic production, biodiversity and protection of natural resources
• worked alongside Dominican and Latin American partners to bring together farmers, researchers and government policy-makers in a seminar on genetically modified organisms
• raised awareness and debate on the economic, environmental and political impact of free-trade agreements and better alternatives to free trade agreements
• helped secure improved legislation relating to HIV and AIDS, in order to reduce the prevalence of HIV among the general population and principally among women and young people
• supported partners to influence the country's changed constitution, so that it incorporates agroecology, sustainable agriculture, HIV and AIDS rights, and the rights of Dominican-Haitians
• organised the diploma on local development and municipal legislation with a gender perspective, boosting the skills of more than 55 community leaders
• monitored the drafting of the national plan of regulation of migrants and the reform of the Dominican constitution so that it complies with human rights standards
• played a key role in developing the participatory budgeting process and in training and supporting vulnerable and poor communities to participate in this process
• helped to develop participatory budgeting as a key democratic practice in most municipalities in the country – the DR has become one of the few countries in the world where participatory budgeting is enshrined in law and all municipalities have to implement it
• encouraged the mainstreaming of gender in municipalities' policies and agendas
• strengthened community organisations in the capital, Santo Domingo, and lobbied government on poverty reduction policies and budgets
• developed a forestry development plan that meets the needs of rural people in the impoverished Dominican Republic/Haiti border area
• promoted access to medical services and counselling for people living with HIV to reduce stigma and discrimination
• promoted the implementation of pro-poor policies and services in DR/Haiti border areas
• strengthened the ability of women’s organisations to advocate for women’s rights and participate in local development initiatives, including access to treatment for HIV
• helped promote organic farming and better marketing and distribution of small-scale farmers’ organic produce.