Select a Project to Support
The foundation supports various projects and acts of charity. Please consider donating to one of our current projects listed below.
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Project Rachel
Project Rachel is a school that was started 3 years ago with a mission of helping children who have down syndrome, are autistic, and those who have suffered brain trauma. The school provides resources to children who would not otherwise have access. They are provided with education, food, and financial assistance for medical needs. The foundation covers 90% of the cost to run the school with the government supporting the other 10%. Through Project Rachel, the Portal de Belen Foundation is committed to providing education, nourishment, and spiritual development for the children. |
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Project Hato Nuevo
Haiti is the poorest country in the western hemisphere. In search of a better life, some Haitians enter the Dominican Republic. Unfortunately, the Dominican Republic has its own unemployment crisis and cannot absorb the immigrant population leaving Haitians living in the Dominican Republic without work or access to basic services such as financial support and healthcare. Further the children born of Haitians living in the Dominican Republic are left as 'ghost citizens' - not recognized as citizens of Haiti or the Dominican Republic, therefore they have no legal rights. Through project Hato Nuevo, the foundation provides food substance to families and children who have no means of support and assists undocumented Haitians receive their documents so they are able to legally enter the workforce. |
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The Latrines Project
The Portal de Belen Foundation raises money to fund the building of latrines. To date, the latrines have primarily been built in Don Juan and Guaricano where the people have nothing. Building the latrines provides towns with proper waste management to avoid water contamination and reduce disease. Each latrine costs $200 to build and the Portal de Belen Foundation has funded the construction of over 600 latrines. |
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Acts of Mercy
The Portal de Belen Foundation works with various groups who come to to Dominican Republic for mission work. Over the past 17 years, groups have come down and financial supported and physically worked to build chapels in remote towns in the Dominican Republic and provide other services to those in the communities. The Cornell Men's Hockey team sends team members down on a mission trip bi-annually. Other groups including Sigma Chi at the University of Rochester, Engineers without Borders, and the Sacred Heart Parish in Auburn, NY have brought groups down for mission work. In total, mission groups have built 8 chapels in the Dominican Republic. |
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St. Catherine's Support for the Missionary Sisters of Jesus in Monte Plata (Sr. Iris)
Monte Plata is among the poorest provinces in the Dominican Republic. The Missionary Sisters of Jesus (Iris, Nilda, Teresa and Isabel) have been working there since the mid-1990s to provide support to the neediest families. The center of their work is the Portal de Belén school, which aims to serve the poorest of the poor. The school started with 30 kids who brought their own chairs to sit in the shade of a tree. Today there are about 270 children in a large and beautiful building. The school follows the national curriculum, and our donations help supplement its resources. Our money buys additional school supplies, helps pay classroom teacher aides, and supports the day-care program that allows parents to work and provide for their families. The sisters also take care of youth ministry and adult faith formation programs for the parish of St. Anthony, as well as music ministry for masses and gatherings. Our gifts are also shared with the community when special needs arise, such as extra food for a poor family or necessary house repairs. |
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