PPAAJ

OCTOBER 2024 UPDATE

Eric — Fri, 25 Oct 2024 00:53:24 +0000

The new school year has begun, putting education at the forefront of Projecto’s efforts in the Village of Catarey, Dominican Republic. While the kids have returned to their studies in Moca we are continuing our partnership with the Arias Foundation, with the emphasis on medical supplies, clothing, food and so much more for the unfortunate but proud families that we help year-round. Our work is never ending, but thanks to your generous support, we are not only able to set attainable goals but realize them in a reasonable amount of time. As the end of the year approaches, thank you to all who have joined the effort to make the world a better place for those families who would otherwise have nowhere to turn.

FIREFIGHTER TRAINING – November 2023

Eric — Tue, 27 Feb 2024 12:20:12 +0000

Firefighter training remains one of our paramount missions. Firefighters can’t train without suitable tools to train with. So prior to our November 2023 journey to the Dominican Republic, our logistics partner, Embarque Colonial, shipped bunker gear and other equipment for distribution to the cities of Jarabacoa, Monte Plata, Loma de Cabrera, Bayaguana and Villa Trina. Metro-Dade Firefighters Local 1403 provided financial support to our mission. Then, add to the mix Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Lt. Darryl Sevalia, along with Firefighters Michael Lopez and Angel Luna, who traveled on their own time to DR with a commitment to train the personnel in those cities how to use their new tools. May the Lord Jesus continue to bless you for supporting our causes.

SEASON OF GIVING – November 2023

Eric — Fri, 23 Feb 2024 22:30:16 +0000

Life in the Dominican Republic is especially challenging. Despite economic gains, more than 20% of the population still live in poverty. We at ProJecto por Amor a Jesus do our part to ease the burden whenever we can with as much as we can. On our most recent journey, we continued to provide support to our school and church in Catarey. With the generous assistance of Bethany Church-Iglesia Betania of Miami, Team ProJecto donated shoes to the children of La Chancleta School. In addition, we brought enough food for 60 families who now won’t go hungry. The Roberto Arias Foundation, an equally benevolent partner, helped us with donations of medical supplies and food. All in all, ProJecto had a most successful fall trip to DR with the help of our supporters. Thank you, Jesus for showing us the way.

Early Christmas In Dominican Republic

Eric — Sun, 02 Apr 2023 15:47:06 +0000

March was Women’s History Month in the United States. So it was singularly appropriate that a group of women of the fire service contributed to an early Christmas for the some ProJecto kids in the Dominican Republic that we distributed during our March visit. A heartfelt thank you goes to Barbara Bechtel, Terry Dominguez, Robin Miller, Cheryl Naso, Kristie Kobrin and other women who have dedicated their lives to helping others, for their generous gift of toys to these children. There is no greater joy than to see the look on a child’s face when he or she receives an unexpected present.

SEASON OF GIVING – December 2022

Eric — Sun, 18 Dec 2022 15:12:27 +0000

It’s the Season of Giving, a time of the year that we at ProJecto hold very dear. This month, in conjunction with our partner, Fundacion Roberto Arias, an organization that distributes medical equipment and supplies to Dominicans in need, ProJecto distributed bags of food to families without the means to enjoy a real Christmas dinner. May the Lord bless them all, and from all of us at Team ProJecto to all of you, have a Merry Christmas.

Home Reconstruction, Salcedo DR – February 2022

Eric — Sat, 05 Mar 2022 11:15:59 +0000

Salcedo is the capital city of the Dominican province of Hermanas Mirabal. Most of Salcedo’s 45,000 residents work in agriculture. In Salcedo we found Marlene, a widow with four children, one of whom requires constant care because of injuries suffered in a motorcycle accident that has left him unable to walk or speak. Her home was in such a terrible state of disrepair. No floor or windows and a roof that allowed water to pour in whenever it rained. With assistance from our Pastor Sino, ProJecto replaced the floor and windows and repaired the roof, so a grateful Marlene and her children can move back in and live with dignity. Thank you Jesus for allowing us to do your work here on earth to help those who are less fortunate than ourselves.

Firefighting Equipment Donation – January 2022

Eric — Sat, 12 Feb 2022 13:07:03 +0000

Following months of planning, ProJecto has brought more than 100 sets of firefighter bunker gear, helmets, hoods, boots and gloves to a carefully selected cluster of fire departments in the Dominican Republic. Visiting the provinces of Santiago Rodriguez and Valverde with stops in the municipalities of Bonao, Mao, Juan Dolio and La Vega, the country’s 4^th largest city. This was an exceptionally emotional stopover, as La Vega’s fire department recently suffered the loss of three firefighters, who made the supreme sacrifice while fighting a building fire. Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Lt. Darryl Sevalia and F/F Michael Lopez accompanied Team ProJecto on this journey, assisting with much needed training for the Dominican departments. We owe a great deal of gratitude to Miami-Dade Fire Rescue for its equipment donation, spearheaded by Miami-Dade County Commissioner Sally Heyman. ProJecto is also grateful to Metro-Dade Firefighters Local 1403, Fire-Tec and Embarque Colonial for their assistance in getting the equipment in the hands of those who desperately needed it. As always, glory to Jesus for allowing us to do what we do.

2021-22 Aguacates School Year

Eric — Wed, 20 Oct 2021 13:39:28 +0000

The school year in Aguacates has commenced, but this year there is a new reason to be thankful. When ProJecto built the schoolhouse in the village, we established a goal of seeing the children attend the regular school in the town. With the 2021-22 academic year upon us, and by God’s Grace, our goal has been achieved. While the younger children will continue to attend our school in the village, the older students will now attend the middle school in town.

Bayaguana Extrication Equipment Donation June 2021

Eric — Tue, 03 Aug 2021 17:23:22 +0000

Every large municipality, regardless of where it is on the globe, has its own unique troubles, but if there is one problem common to all of them, it’s traffic. Bayaguana, a municipality in the Dominican Republic with more than 35,000 residents is no exception. Until recently, Bayaguana’s fire department was not prepared to handle some traffic related calls for assistance, such as entrapments. Two years ago, because of ProJecto’s efforts, the town of Riviera Beach in Palm Beach County, Florida, donated extrication equipment to the Bayaguana Fire Department. So when two people recently became trapped inside a truck that had run off the road, Bayaguana’s firefighters were able to make good use of the donated tools and free both victims, likely saving their lives. Thank you Riviera Beach Fire Rescue for your life saving donation.

Dr. Toribio Bencosme Hospital Equipment Donation, February 2021

Eric — Tue, 09 Mar 2021 12:33:58 +0000

Improving the quality of care for bedridden hospital patients has been a long-standing goal of ProJecto por Amor a Jesus. While the distribution of firefighting gear around the Dominican Republic was the focus of our February journey, the ProJecto team also made time for patients at Dr. Toribio Bencosme Hospital in Moca. These individuals require feeding tubes, and as a result are confined to their hospital beds. Thanks to generous funding provided in part by our friend Jackie Kirstein Bruder, the hospital was able to acquire sorely needed medical supplies that would otherwise be unavailable to these special people.