-By Beth Burris, Education Specialist, SESA

After hearing the tragic news about the 7.1 magnitude earthquake that was reported from Haiti on the island of Hispaniola, Nancy Nagarkar, executive director at SESA, knowing that I had lived in the Dominican Republic (DR) for over two years, inquired about the safety of my Dominican friends there. I had only heard that they were not directly affected by quake damage.  Five days later, I received an email from a missionary reporting that hundreds of thousands of lives had been lost.  He told me that my dearest friends in the DR wanted to contact me.  They knew I was in Alaska, but truthfully thought it was not part of the United States and did not quite know how to contact me.

My Dominican friends could stand by no longer. They witnessed millions in donations and supplies being diverted to their tiny neighboring country, while Haitian red tape was being unraveled.  The DR also suffers from poverty and corruption. My friends knew that these donations would likely become “lost” in time.  Their plan was to drive into Haiti and personally deliver food and supplies.

They had a longstanding friendship with a Haitian immigrant named Santana, whom I had also befriended while living in the DR.  They knew Santana to be an honest and loving individual.  Together they were hoping to collect donations to buy supplies in the DR and drive them across the border.  Unfortunately, few people in the DR have an income; the majority subsist on “remesas, ” which is money sent from the U.S.  Families in the DR often share a common goal: they hope to get a family member to the U.S. so that the family member can work and send money home to the DR to support the family.

The communication was humble and hopeful.  Was there some way I could send money? “Of course,” I replied and went home to review bank accounts and calculate how much I could send.  I decided to send the maximum allowable by credit card through Western Union on-line.  The transaction would not go through.  Perhaps the system was jammed with donations, fraud, or who knows what.  So I had to come up with a Plan B.

Western Union gave me a referral to an agent at the Carr’s super market just down the street from the SESA office.  I planned to stop there later in the day, but in the meantime, I had an in-house agency meeting to attend.  It was one of those rare occasions when the entire SESA staff was required to be “in” and not traveling.

At the end of the meeting, Nancy asked if there were any comments or questions before we were dismissed.  I looked at her from across the room and mouthed the words, “Dominican Republic, “ and she nodded.  She shared a little about how I had been in the DR with the Peace Corps and then turned the floor over to me.  I simply stated that my DR friends were asking for help and that I was sending a donation later that day, in case anyone wanted to contribute.

Within minutes, I had over $200 in my hand.  Over the next hour, that amount grew to $400, and by midday, SESA staff had donated $500!  People pledged to bring more money the following day. The next day, I sent off a “Money-in-Minutes” wire to the DR for $750.00.  Wow…

The following day, my friends in the DR purchased food and supplies.  Native born Haitian, Santana, arranged to meet trusted church leaders in Haiti to organize distribution.  The trip was risky for many reasons.  The DR has a history of animosity with Haiti. Haitians attempting to cross the border to the DR may face beatings and other abuse by persons who do not want them to enter.  I traveled and experienced the international highway that divides Haiti and the DR while living in the DR in 2006.  I saw Haitians encamped at the side of the rode hoping that a passerby from the occasional auto would toss some food or money from the vehicle.  They squatted by the side of the road with their hands extended, hoping.

The Haitian side of the highway was scoured of any vegetation and was dust and desolation.  The DR side had the occasional palm board, tin-roofed, or thatched “home.” The Dominican government had advertised these as free houses and property to lure people to relocate along the highway to what is called the “fronterleza,” the frontier. They were recruited to serve as sentinels for illegal Haitian immigration.

Humanitarians driving through impoverished Dominican communities to deliver money and goods to Haitians are not looked upon favorably.  Highway travelers are often at high risk because they are viewed as being wealthy, simply for having the resources to drive a vehicle.  After the quake, Dominicans had become increasingly aware that passing autos might be loaded with cash and supplies to take into Haiti.  There are also border guards on both sides of the crossing.  Dominicans must have a passport and/or visa to enter or exit Haiti, which is viewed as another financial “luxury.” Santana would not be allowed to cross to Haiti, or would possibly be unable to re-enter the DR on his return.  These usual concerns were magnified because the border crossings and international highway were lined with desperate Haitians.

My friends made it to Haiti in their refurbished Mitsubishi “jeepeta.” They bought groceries and supplies in the DR’s capital city of Santo Domingo, drove down through the country’s arid southwest region, and entered Haiti.  They met with church leaders in various areas and safely off-loaded the supplies. Their eyes were filled with tears at what they saw.  They took photos and asked the missionary to send them to Alaska.  The photos were accompanied with words of deep gratitude, and a humble desire that the SESA staff were pleased with the Dominicans’ efforts and use of the generous donations.  Their message was, “Mil gracias y bendiciones.”