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    Opportunities For Girls
    In The Dominican Republic
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    Your Gift Makes A Difference
    Get Involved
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    Improving The World
    One Girl At A Time
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    What Can We Do Together?
    Help Transform Their Lives

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what we do

Soy Niña, Soy Importante (SNSI), or "I'm A Girl, I'm Important," is a summer day-camp that serves at-risk girls ages 9-12 years old and provides a safe, nurturing environment where girls can simply be girls.

We give young girls the guidance and tools they need to be self-reflective, critical thinkers and to make timely life choices.

SNSI works to lift girls and young women from the cycles of inequality, violence, lack of education and scarce economic opportunities.

We remind girls of their value in society, and instill the social and emotional skills they need to make informed, important decisions.

The camp, an initiative of nonprofit Fundación Tropicalia, serves the town of Miches and surrounding communities in the Dominican Republic.

SNSI aims to reshape how girls think of themselves as individuals, as females, and members of society.

Why Girls

The Dominican Republic has the fifth-highest teen pregnancy rate in Latin America, with 22% of Dominican girls becoming pregnant at least once before their 19th birthday. Impoverished girls and young women who become pregnant face higher risk of health complications related to early pregnancy, and are more likely to drop out of school.

The demands of teen motherhood can set young women on a lifelong course of minimal education and underemployment, perpetuating the generational cycle of poverty. Nearly 43% of pregnant teenagers have never attended school or have reached only a basic grade level.

By 2016, more than 790,000 Dominican girls were in union or married before their 18th birthday. Nearly 59% of them come from the poorest households in the country. These girls sacrifice important opportunities such as learning, maturing physically and emotionally, and simply enjoying their youth.

Our Progress

Goal: 300 Girls | $60,000

Our goal is to raise $60,000 and serve 300 girls in three one-week camp sessions. Given the geographic span of the Municipality of Miches, the camp will travel to three different communities, covering our girls’ transportation and meals; the purchase of didactic materials; staff fees including a nurse, an assistant camp director, and specialized teachers; room and board for camp counselor volunteers; among other operational expenses.

"The week devoted to working with girls from Miches made me realize we (volunteers) have so much to give. We're used to our comfort zone, to grumbling, to being ungrateful. SNSI is an opportunity like no other for spiritual, emotional and social transformation"

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Karla Alcántara

SNSI 2015 Volunteer, Lucas Guibbes

"These girls need us. To learn, to hear an 'I love you', to be taught their worth, to improve themselves, to entertain them for a week, to show them a model to emulate. 'Soy Niña, Soy Importante' brings out the best in the girls, and the best in ourselves"

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Maia Moreno

SNSI 2015 Volunteer, La Gina

"I fondly recall my girls from the first year showing a happier, more positive attitude the second year. 'Soy Niña, Soy Importante' is a learning experience that enriches the lives of both the students and the staff"

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Beatriz Peña

SNSI 2015 Volunteer, La Mina