Project Esperanza

Project Esperanza is a service organization that was started by two Virginia Tech students in the fall of 2005. It sprung out of volunteer trips they had taken to the Dominican Republic with another organization. They had a deep conviction to continue to return, bring along others, and as a group to use their gifts and resources to give all they could to a community in the Dominican Republic.

The mission of Project Esperanza is to form a global community focused on creating positive change and a sustainable future for Haitian refugee and immigrant youths in the Dominican Republic through education and empowerment.

We Envision:

A constant improvement in the quality of life of those living in the worst conditions in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic and the entire island of Hispaniola (Haiti and the Dominican Republic). We envision change that is not temporary but self-sustaining; that does not produce dependency but that empowers the people it serves. We want to see an increasing number of opportunities in education, employment, and living conditions that release the potential already inherent in impoverished communities themselves — in the resources, skills, and leadership of the people.

People using their economic and educational resources in socially generative ways. We envision our volunteers, staff, partners, and supporters taking action to break the cycle of poverty and the cycle of apathy by creating new pathways to social justice. We believe that these pathways are created when individuals take the knowledge and passion that has been given to them and invest them creatively in positive change.

Lasting relationshps between sponsors and students, volunteers, employees, and beneficiaries. We see individuals, churches, and organizations creating initiatives and networks of support that strengthen the innovative social programs on the island of Hispaniola that we are priviledged to be a part of.