PIANTINI, Santo Domingo, DR. – Since 2005, the Batey Relief Alliance (BRA) developed a comprehensive HIV/AIDS program, funded by USAID/CONECA, delivering free healthcare, antiretroviral (ARV) treatment and medicines to hundreds of children and adults infected/affected by HIV and AIDS inside impoverished sugar cane batey communities in the province of Monte Plata. The program is implemented in partnerships with the Clinton HIV/AIDS Initiative and the Dominican’s Ministry of Health. “But one crucial component was missing in the program all along, until three years ago the USAID donated to BRA its first 75 MT tons of dehydrated food to distribute to patients at high risk of malnutrition undergoing ARV treatment,” said Ulrick Gaillard, CEO of the BRA.

In its third-year funding, USAID completely financed BRA’s food distribution program in the Dominican Republic with annual grants of $288,075 of which, $173,100 goes toward food commodities and $114,975 for the receipt, rapid transportation, delivery, and distribution of the commodities to more than 10,000 vulnerable people each year, including people lving with HIV/AIDS and Tuberculosis, pregnant women, the elderly and grandparents caring for orphaned/vulnerable children (OVC). Click BRA.IFRP 2009-2010 Photo Album to view image. “The International Food Relief Partnership (IFRP) is a USAID Food for Peace Title II Initiative to support the production, stockpiling, transportation, delivery, and distribution of shelf-stable, prepackaged foods by U.S. non-profit and Public International Organizations. And we are glad to partner with BRA to help the people of the Dominican Republic,” said Ben Vogler, IFRP’s Program Officer.

The USAID food distribution program complements two other important BRA programs in the DR: the Micronutrient/deworming providing food to 62,000 undernourished children taking multivitamins and antiparasitic medicines, and the HIV/AIDS Prevention and Treatment providing food to those who are malnourished and undergoing ARV therapy or taking potent medicines to fight opportunistic infections. “Proper nutrition has shown to have not only positive physical and psychological results on our patients, but also tremendous economic impacts on their communities,” added Gaillard.

Aside from distributing food to residents living of Monte Plata, BRA expanded the program’s reach by donating food commodities to a dozen local partner non-governmental and government organizations addressing food insecurity for impoverished populations in other far-reached vulnerable communities in other provinces and border localities.

But Gaillard concluded that while the USAID’s Food Distribution is a crucial program that continues to address food needs and save lives of thousands in DR’s communities, but the program could have even greater impacts on thousands more living in economically-isolated border communities in the neighboring Republic of Haiti recently ravaged by the mega earthquake that killed more than 300,000 and left 1.5 million homeless, sick and hungry.

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic. – The Batey Relief Alliance (BRA) was invited to exhibit its humanitarian work during a three-day event blitz —called Expo Monte Plata 2010—from August 13-15, organized by the Senatorial office of Charlie Mariotti promoting the province of Monte Plata’s rich agricultural, cultural and eco-touristic values.

More than 25,000 attended the event and visited the BRA’s giant stand that displayed large posters and photographs of farmers, tractors and trucks engaging in the development of agriculture and community infrastructures inside seven agricultural batey rural communities.

The BRA-USDA agricultural initiative, in its first year, is exemplary as it created a cooperative with 7,000 new members to work closely with 700 farmers to work 1500 acres of fertile land to produce food security and economic self-sufficiency for 35,000 people.

Hundreds of brochures, pamphlets, and small gifts were distributed to visitors – and BRA’s personnel (agricultural specialists and health promoters) was also available to educate the public about the agricultural project and how it fits within the province’s New Millennium Plan to fight hunger and poverty by fortifying agriculture development inside impoverished communities.

PIANTINI, Santo Domingo, D.R. – Evaluators from Columbia University School of Social Work and Indiana University Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies and School of Public and Environmental Affairs recently conducted a two-month study to evaluate patient treatment and satisfaction at BRA’s medical center in the province of Monte Plata. Three years earlier, BRA summoned a much broader study by a team of researchers from Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) and Mailman School of Public Health to determine the impact the organization’s humanitarian health services have on the Dominican Republic’s vulnerable populations.

Both studies have found that BRA’s health programs are meeting an unmet need for quality health services in DR’s vulnerable communities and have a very high level of satisfaction among beneficiaries. Some key findings have also found that BRA has greatly improved the population’s ability to obtain quality health services; 96% of patients are “satisfied” or “very satisfied” with the services while 100% expressed plans to return for future medical needs; BRA has an absolute advantage in providing HIV Care and Treatment services in the region of Monte Plata; and BRA has a strong advantage in the provision of health promotion services through volunteer health promoters. Despite BRA’s relatively well-positioned and competitive work, however, 51% of patients recommended that BRA offers a greater variety of specialized medical services; has a greater flow of essential medicines; and builds a 24-hour/day in-patient clinic.

Since 1997, BRA delivers critical health services and essential medicines to more than 80,000 people each year living in impoverished communities including the bateyes, urban and rural slums and border localities. In 2005, BRA built and operated an integrated modern medical center inside batey Cinco Casas offering a variety of services, including primary health care, pediatrics, counseling, dental services, ophthalmology, gynecology, and specialized services for individuals living with HIV/AIDS. “In our continuing effort to improve the quality of our services and meet the community’s health needs, BRA sought to collect critical data and assess organizational and community needs in order to appropriately plan for long-term capacity building and growth,” said Ulrick Gaillard, BRA’s CEO.

BRA’s successful heath intervention is due to the available of free medicines to the poor donated by loyal partners such as Direct Relief International, Catholic Medical Mission Board, National Cancer Coalition, Vitamin Angel Alliance, etc.
Since January 2010, BRA expanded its health intervention into the border regions of Haiti operating a medical clinic in the commune of Anse-a-Pitres.