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The Dominican Republic
When Columbus “discovered” American in 1492, he first landed on a Caribbean island that was claimed in the name of the Spanish crown and called La Isla Española. The harbor where he and his men went ashore today bears the name Santo Domingo and is the capital city of the Dominican Republic. La Isla Española, later known as Hispaniola, is a living example – both fascinating and deeply sobering – of its European colonial legacy. Today the eastern two-thirds of the island are the Spanish-speaking Dominican Republic, and the western third is French-speaking Haiti, the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. Haiti has an annual capita income of USD $490, compared to USD $2,850 in the Dominican Republic. A portion of the trip will focus on the long-standing tension between Dominicans and Haitians, a conflict whose historical roots go back to the 17th century.

The economy of the Dominican Republic is based mainly on the exports of sugar, coffee and tobacco, although tourism and other services have recently grown in importance. Due to its history and the Latin American phenomenon of the caudillo, or political strongman, wealth in the Dominican Republic is distributed very differently than it is in the United States, with the majority of the countries wealth concentrated in the hands of a few.

Global Issues Background
The lack of access to formal education has many associated consequences, among them high levels of poverty, illiteracy and underemployment. Poverty is widespread throughout many areas of the Dominican Republic and nearby Haiti. In the Dominican Republic, 30 percent of the population lives beneath the poverty line. In Haiti, 80 percent live under the poverty line and 54 percent live in abject poverty.  Although there is an emerging middle class in urban areas, much of the country’s wealth is concentrated in the hands of a few powerful families, many of whom own large tracts of agricultural lands. In rural areas, poverty is widespread. In the Dominican Republic, the poorest half of the population receives less than one-fifth of the Gross Domestic Product, while the richest 10 percent enjoy nearly 40 percent of GDP.

As a result of the unique history of the island and other factors, there are long-standing economic, social and racial tensions between people from the Dominican Republic and Haiti. Haitian immigrants to the Dominican Republic are discriminated against and commonly live in segregated worker camps, or bateyes, where Haitians harvest sugar cane for minimal wages. The tensions between Dominicans and Haitians have been exacerbated by the 2010 earthquake, which is causing many Haitians to search for refuge in the Dominican Republic.


Requirements
Students should have a satisfactory level of physical fitness in order to participate in manual labor and other physical activities, such as hiking and swimming.

Students and parents are required to complete all required World Leadership School forms, including the Application, Acknowledgment and Assumption of Risks, Indemnity Agreement, and the Medical Form. As part of the application, students must respond to a detailed questionnaire expressing their reasons for wanting to go on the trip.

Students should remain flexible to changing circumstances, delays and other hurdles that are common in the Dominican Republic. The specifics of volunteer work will be decided according to the needs of the community or organization shortly.

Risk Management & Safety
We strive to responsibly manage risks. Our itineraries minimize highway travel and maximize immersion in rural communities that we know well. We update our risk management protocols, integrate feedback into program design, and invest in safety and communication equipment. Despite these efforts, World Leadership School cannot guarantee safety nor can it eliminate the inherent and other risks of international student travel. For information regarding program activities and associated risks, risk management, and student and parent responsibilities, please contact us(303) 679-3412.