"...we focused on building trusted relationships from the beginning with the families, churches, and leaders in the community."
Could you imagine waking up every day feeling less than human, unworthy of love, lacking real opportunity, and merely surviving? This is the story being lived out in children and families in the most vulnerable communities in the Dominican Republic. This is the story we are on mission to change through the powerful love of Jesus Christ!
Our story began in 2004 in a small community called Pancho Mateo on the North Coast of the Dominican Republic. We knew there was not a quick fix for the issues we were facing so we focused on building trusted relationships from the beginning with families, churches, and leaders in the community. We rented a small home in the heart of Pancho Mateo to provide education for vulnerable children in need. We invested in them by meeting their educational, physical, emotional, and spiritual needs through the love of Christ. As we grew in numbers we soon moved out of the rented home and purchased a small building that would eventually become the current Makarios school campus.
During our school's continued growth we noticed the impact we were having in a child’s life was limited without reaching the family. The brokenness of families represented in these vulnerable communities contributes to physical and sexual abuse, addiction, sickness, and a host of other problems that prevent a child from thriving. We needed to take action to address the root cause of these problems so we launched our Family Empowerment program. The need to restore families is greater than ever, not only in the DR but around the world.
As the story of Makarios continues, we are taking the root cause of broken families into consideration. Creating opportunities where God can bring about spiritual restoration in families is at the forefront of our efforts moving forward.
Our story is far from over! We are excited to share more about our next chapter in the coming weeks.
Here are some of our other stories of change.