SALISBURY — Jessica Treat, an English and Spanish teacher at Northwestern Community College in Winsted (and a resident of Salisbury), took a group of students to a poverty-stricken area of the Dominican Republic this winter, where they took part in a social and educational mission to improve the quality of life for Haitian immigrants.
Three Northwestern students (Jeremiah Gombos, Amy Gusky and Gleny Pinales — a Dominican-born Winsted resident) took part in the service-learning course, spending five days working at
La Escuela de la Communidad de Miramar in Barahona. They were joined by Treat, her 13-year-old son Kai Haaland, biology professor Sharon Gusky and NCCC staff member Duc Tinh.
Barahona is the home of the "bateys," neglected shanty towns originally built to temporarily house sugar-cane workers from Haiti. The neighborhoods have evolved over generations into impoverished slums filled with Haitian immigrants who suffer under documented racism and oppression.
Despite the destitute conditions in the bateys, the American delegation was greeted with smiles and friendly curiosity.
"This was the first time we’ve done something like this," Treat said in an interview after her return. "We were only there for eight days, but it felt so full. It was such a completely different world."
For five days, the teachers and student workers distributed books and clothing, helped teach Spanish and math lessons, and collected health information about each of their new friends — 95 of them in all — in the hope of creating a better future for the community.
Treat said she was impressed that children in the bateys were fast and eager learners.
"Some students didn’t know how to hold a pencil and didn’t know how to speak Spanish because they were speaking Creole at home [when their school was opened two years ago]," Treat said.
"But some students learned very quickly. We read in small groups and we’d come back the next day and they’d be reading to themselves. They were good readers.
"I said to one of the teachers there that it’s just amazing how much the children are absorbing and she said it’s just natural. It’s their natural motivation."
In less than a week, the American visitors developed strong bonds with the children.
"We absolutely fell in love with some of the children," Treat said.
One student, a boy, loved hearing Treat read books to him. At the end of one session, she announced that she would return the following day to read another story.
"God willing," the boy replied. The next day, when Treat arrived at the school, the boy brought a book to her.
On another occasion, older students from a different school congregated around two of the American students.
"There must have been 30 teenagers, all around them," Treat said. "They were just so curious about these two white kids from the States. They had all sorts of questions."
The trip to the Dominican Republic came about through a partnership with the Dominican Literacy Project, an initiative spearheaded by Washington, Conn., resident Kim Crandall.
Crandall founded the Miramar school, funding it with private donations, and last year invited students and faculty from NCCC to develop a cooperative internship program.
The college’s Spanish Club raised more than $1,000 through cultural events, bake sales and raffles to fund the trip. Treat said she hopes the service-learning course will become an annual event.
The project is just one step in helping the Haitian immigrants and their children in the Dominican Republic. There are additional hurdles to overcome, Treat said.
Children born in the Dominican Republic are legally entitled to an education, but children of Haitian immigrant laborers are often born without birth certificates, preventing them from entering high school.
"Right now, without the paperwork, they will not be able to go on to high school, so that is the issue that’s going to need to be addressed," Treat said. "Then you have the issue of how much work there is for educated people."
Politically and economically, progress will require some forward-thinking by the Haitian government, Treat said.
"This issue of using Haitian immigrant labor — which is kind of instituted slave labor — is also holding back the Dominican Republic. By relying on such a low-wage labor source, they are not pursuing the technology they could be using to modernize the sugar cane industry. "
Students and teachers came away from their experience in the Dominican Republic with a broader view of the world.
"I think it’s good to be reminded of what a surplus of wealth we have, even though we don’t always recognize it," Treat said.
Barahona is the home of the "bateys," neglected shanty towns originally built to temporarily house sugar-cane workers from Haiti. The neighborhoods have evolved over generations into impoverished slums filled with Haitian immigrants who suffer under documented racism and oppression.
Despite the destitute conditions in the bateys, the American delegation was greeted with smiles and friendly curiosity.
"This was the first time we’ve done something like this," Treat said in an interview after her return. "We were only there for eight days, but it felt so full. It was such a completely different world."
For five days, the teachers and student workers distributed books and clothing, helped teach Spanish and math lessons, and collected health information about each of their new friends — 95 of them in all — in the hope of creating a better future for the community.
Treat said she was impressed that children in the bateys were fast and eager learners.
"Some students didn’t know how to hold a pencil and didn’t know how to speak Spanish because they were speaking Creole at home [when their school was opened two years ago]," Treat said.
"But some students learned very quickly. We read in small groups and we’d come back the next day and they’d be reading to themselves. They were good readers.
"I said to one of the teachers there that it’s just amazing how much the children are absorbing and she said it’s just natural. It’s their natural motivation."
In less than a week, the American visitors developed strong bonds with the children.
"We absolutely fell in love with some of the children," Treat said.
One student, a boy, loved hearing Treat read books to him. At the end of one session, she announced that she would return the following day to read another story.
"God willing," the boy replied. The next day, when Treat arrived at the school, the boy brought a book to her.
On another occasion, older students from a different school congregated around two of the American students.
"There must have been 30 teenagers, all around them," Treat said. "They were just so curious about these two white kids from the States. They had all sorts of questions."
The trip to the Dominican Republic came about through a partnership with the Dominican Literacy Project, an initiative spearheaded by Washington, Conn., resident Kim Crandall.
Crandall founded the Miramar school, funding it with private donations, and last year invited students and faculty from NCCC to develop a cooperative internship program.
The college’s Spanish Club raised more than $1,000 through cultural events, bake sales and raffles to fund the trip. Treat said she hopes the service-learning course will become an annual event.
The project is just one step in helping the Haitian immigrants and their children in the Dominican Republic. There are additional hurdles to overcome, Treat said.
Children born in the Dominican Republic are legally entitled to an education, but children of Haitian immigrant laborers are often born without birth certificates, preventing them from entering high school.
"Right now, without the paperwork, they will not be able to go on to high school, so that is the issue that’s going to need to be addressed," Treat said. "Then you have the issue of how much work there is for educated people."
Politically and economically, progress will require some forward-thinking by the Haitian government, Treat said.
"This issue of using Haitian immigrant labor — which is kind of instituted slave labor — is also holding back the Dominican Republic. By relying on such a low-wage labor source, they are not pursuing the technology they could be using to modernize the sugar cane industry. "
Students and teachers came away from their experience in the Dominican Republic with a broader view of the world.
"I think it’s good to be reminded of what a surplus of wealth we have, even though we don’t always recognize it," Treat said.
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