Dominican Republic

0

In Country Since

0

Project Sites

0

Small Pharmacies

Our Work

There is great poverty within the interior of the Dominican Republic, away from the beautiful coastal resorts that have become popular tourist destinations. There are rural villages called “bateyes”, where many migrant Haitian sugar cane workers and low-income Dominicans live with their families. MFH works with committed partners in the bateyes around San Pedro de Macoris. The living conditions there are difficult and access to health care is very challenging. Clean water, proper sanitation, and basic necessities are often lacking. Children get sick from preventable bacterial infections and are often undernourished leading to high rates of child mortality.

About Our Projects in the DR

What We Do

Our approach is to bring community health services to the bateyes because there are no hospitals nearby, and transportation is difficult, risky, and expensive.

We partner with a mobile clinic team that brings a doctor, a nurse, and medicines to 23 bateyes at least once a month
We recruit and train volunteers to become Community Health Workers so they can provide basic health services to their neighbors.
We train Community Health Workers to manage small pharmacies, called botiquines, in their homes so that basic medicines are available and affordable close by.

Small Pharmacy Program

In remote areas of the Dominican Republic, accessing basic medicine can be difficult and expensive. Our Small Pharmacy program equips trained Community Health Workers (CHWs) to manage small, affordable pharmacies right in their homes, bringing essential care closer to the families who need it.

For the families nearby, this means that when a child falls sick at night, care is available without a long, costly trip to a distant clinic. Medicines are accessible, affordable, and trusted.

The program also strengthens local livelihoods. CHWs receive business training and ongoing support, earning income from modest medicine sales while providing a vital service to their community.