Facts

Dominican Republic Facts:

• Roughly a quarter of the population lives below the poverty line.
• Despite the growth of the middle class, there is a sharp contrast between the privileged and those without basic necessities.
• Though it is a tourist destination with beautiful beaches, the surrounding areas have been overcome by extensive slums.
• Decent housing is typically unaffordable for extremely poor families so they often build shacks made of scrap wood and metal with dirt floors in squatter communities.
• Poor living conditions, unsafe drinking water, environmental contamination and inadequate sanitation cause many families to suffer from illnesses like parasites, colds, diarrhea, and skin and respiratory diseases.
• Makeshift shacks are often built near streams or rivers with the risk of flooding and mudslides.
• The unemployment rate in the Dominican Republic is around 17%.
• The average sponsored child’s family spends 80% of their monthly income on food.
• Most sponsored children’s families earn an average of $100 (US dollars) per month.
• Most children start school at age 7 and are required to attend through age 14. Afterward some begin working at an early age to help support their family rather than continue furthering their education.