Working for Justiceby Shelley Koehler

Mission to The Dominican RepublicOctober 13 to November 30, 2014

Jesus said, “let the children come to me.”

My name is Shelley Koehler and I am a CLC member from Guelph, Ontario. In the fall of 2014, I had a chance to volunteer in Dajabon, DR, a small town on the border with Haiti.

I worked with Fr. Mario Serrano, a Jesuit priest who is in charge of Migration issues in the Dominican Republic for the Catholic Church.

My mission was to work with a group of homeless Haitian boys who had migrated to Dajabon. The average age of these boys is 14 years of age. These boys had lost their parents due to death or poverty.

Fr. Mario and I shared his office

Two of the youngest boys (6 and 8) weretaken off the streets by authorities.Here they are posing with a Brazilian Representative who was attending the Migration conference.

The Haitian Street children came to the main church in Dajabon to eat three mealsa day. These meals were consisted of rice and beans, and occasionally they would eat meat.When I arrived I started to gather school supplies to help teach them Spanish, math and drawing.They enjoyed having, ‘ecole’.

This is Fr. Mario ( in blue) who was the coordinator of a regional migration Conference in November, 2014.

Enya, the cook, worked tirelesslyto cook and shop for the food programthat nourished some 10- 20 street boyson a daily basis.

Stevenson, a Haitian University student who is volunteering with the Haitian boys, in exchange for room and board at the Church, is helping Nancy, a devoted volunteer who works for Solidaridad , a social Justice agency.

These are members of the administration of the Parish who supportthe mission of caring for the Haitian boys.

The main language in Haiti is Creole. Here I am taking Creole lessons at a language school in order to understand the boys better.

Christmas was approaching and Fr. Mario wanted them to prepare athe nativity scene. I taught them about the story.

Here the boys are labeling and colouring pictures of the Nativity Scene.

A Nativity Project

The Haitian border was minutes from the Church. Here is the river, Le Masacre. Many Haitians cross this river illegally to enter the Dominican Republic, looking for work and food.

On market days, Mondays and Fridays, thousands of Haitians cross at the border to sell their wares.

An American volunteer, Ken, spends time playing ball with some of the boys in the church courtyard. This was a joyful break from the tedious life of trying to just survive.

The boys painted some stables from a nativity scene.

Magda ,from Poland, came to volunteer for a few weeks.

Father Mario has found a home for the Haitian boys where they eat and learn.

20 beds were donated from the local Catholic High School, St. Ignatius.

Here in the Church, the boys celebrate mass and Fr. Mario teaches them about the birth of Christ.

El Hogar de Cristo is the new home for the Haitian Homeless boys. With the help of donations from the Jesuits in the United States the home will be supported for the next three months. Fr. Mario has hired a cook, personnel to watch over the boys at night and a retired nun, who is coordinating the Mission. Stevenson helps out on a daily basis.

The home provides a place for the boys to eat, bathe and receive some religious instruction. The adjoining field is being prepared for them to play soccer and other outdoor activities.

It is the faith of one priest and the hands of many that are making this dream come alive.