Dominican Republic: ARK Constanza Children's Home

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC HOME

LOCATION
The Dominican Republic (population 9 million) shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti in the Caribbean Sea. Constanza is 4000 feet up in the Cordillera Central Mountains that runs between the Dominican Republic and Haiti. About 75 miles from the Haitian border, the natural beauty of Constanza is in stark contrast to the vast human need and extreme poverty often found there.

HISTORY
A local minister saw the need for schooling for the children, so he rented a small house and set up a school in it. These humble beginnings led to the establishment of a children’s home that has now become part of the Kids Alive ministries in the Dominican Republic. In October of 2004, seven acres of agriculture land was purchased in Constanza to allow for the expansion of the residential ministry and in 2005 the existing children's home moved to Jarabacoa and is currently known as Harmony Home.

FACILITIES
The ARK Constanza is currently under construction building new facilities to care for more children. Groundbreaking for the new four-home, campus style facilities began in January of 2005. Approximately 40 discarded Dominican orphans who have no other reasonable living situation will eventually have a permanent home at this site.

PROGRAM

The goal of The ARK Constanza is to take in children who have been orphaned, abandoned, or abused and train them to become productive members of their society and active disciples of Jesus Christ. The program is centered on the relationship between the individual child and his or her house mother/house parents.

All of the school-age children will attend school in the morning, and spend time working on educational activities in the afternoon and summers. The Christian staff, both Dominicans and missionaries, will work to meet the emotional, physical, educational, and spiritual needs of each child. A high priority will be placed on helping each child develop a personal faith in Jesus Christ.