The Batey Relief Alliance
“We believe that the chaotic situation of the poor can only be resolved by creating a productive environment where socio-economic and health care investments are made in an organized way in and with the people…” Ulrick Gaillard, founder of Batey Relief Alliance.
The Batey Relief Alliance capitalizes its resources in developing a sustainable health care delivery system that meets the population’s health and cultural needs inside its own communities — the concept of bringing the care home to the population. Since 1998, BRA has been charged by the people of the bateyes it serves to deliver health care that was often inaccesible due discrimination, extreme poverty or fear of deportation. BRA’s projects are implemented with the support of and in collaboration with the Dominican’s Ministry of Health—-SESPAS and the State Sugar Council—CEA, local grassroots partner organizations, the recipient communities, volunteers and international donors. The following programs and projects are a clear statement and commitment of the BRA to the people it unconditionally serves.
BRA’s Health Care System
BRA’s projects covers geographical areas of more than 40 bateyes located in the districts of Sabana Grande Boya and Don Juan in the province of Monte Plata, 68 rural communities, five surrounding provinces, including Santo Domingo, and dozens of urban barrios and border zone localities with Haiti. BRA responds to the long-term health needs of the vulnerable population by building modern health care facilities, carrying health and education programs, and saving lives. On an average, more than 20,000 batey residents annually receive critical health care and essential medicines inside their batey communities— and another 60,000 are served by BRA indirectly through its medical donation program distributing donated medical goods to local partner groups raising their capacity to deliver improved services to their respective communities around the country.
§ In 2003, BRA installed inside batey Cojobal, province of Monte Plata, a 30-foot, fully-equipped and staffed Mobile Health Clinic servicing residents from the batey and 17 other batey and rural communities. Patients can now visit the clinic freely; receive permanent and follow-up medical services and medicines, laboratory work, and HIV/AIDS education and prevention. The clinic was funded by the Lions Clubs International Foundation, Washington-DC Order of Malta, and the New Jersey Eyeglass Recycling Center.
§ In 2006, BRA built the bateyes’ first modern medical center complex inside batey Cinco Casas, province of Monte Plata, servicing residents from the batey and other batey, rural/urban communities and nearby provinces. Patients can now visit the center freely; receive basic medical services and medicines, laboratory work, and HIV/AIDS education, prevention and treatment. The center is also equipped with an ambulance, a warehouse to store medical supplies and equipment, and a dormitory to house long-term foreign volunteers and local medical residents. The center was funded by the Lions Clubs International Foundation, the Clinton Foundation and the Dominican’s State Sugar Council—El Consejo Estatal de Azucar.
§ In 2006, BRA delivered antiretroviral treatment (ART) to batey AIDS sufferers at its new medical center—the first time ever batey residents have access to this expensive and hard-to-obtain treatment. This program is implemented in partnerships with the Clinton HIV/AIDS Initiative and the Dominican Ministry of Health’s DIGECITTS and COPRESIDA.
§ In 2006, BRA made available the first ambulance, stationed at batey Cinco Casas, for the emergency service of the bateyes and surrounding rural communities of the Monte Plata province. The Wallkill Valley Rotary Club and the Dominican’s Club de Rotario Arroyo Hondo Santo Domingo funded this project.
§ Other project in planning is the building of a Residential Home inside the bateyes for children who are infected by HIV/AIDS, abandoned or orphans. The project will be implemented and funded by the St. Paul Community Church-Washington DC.
SOME OF THE MAJOR PROJECTS BRA IMPLEMENTS IN THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
§ HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment—The Rainbow Project: USAID/Family Health International funded part of this comprehensive project by identifying 1700 AIDS sufferers, vulnerable/affected children and pregnant women living in 36 bateyes in the province of Monte Plata. The project is implemented in collaboration with the Clinton HIV/AIDS Initiative—CHAI helping BRA to deliver free ARTs and opportunistic disease medicines to patients, and with the Ministry of Health’s HIV/AIDS Service Branch—DIGECITTS that installed an HIV/AIDS Care Unit at BRA’s center where BRA delivers to patients free psychological and emotional support. The BRA also offers to patients free medicines, medical services, nutrition, clothing and transportation.
§ CONDOM DISTRIBUTION: This program is implemented in partnership with and funded by the Public Service International—PSI where low-cost condoms, as a preventive mechanism to fight AIDS, are made available to batey residents.
§ DOMESTIC VIOLENCE/HIV/AIDS PREVENTION: The MAC AIDS Fund funded this program targeting 36 bateyes in the province of Monte Plata. It was implemented in collaboration with the Margaret Sanger Center International of the Planned Parenthood in New York City. The program identified and prevents the roots of gender-based violence against 600 women leading to sexual abuses and HIV contraction.
§ TUBERCULOSIS PREVENTION AND TREATMENT: This program is funded by USAID targeting 26 bateyes in the province of Monte Plata. It is run as part of the national plan to combat TB and its related stigma in rural bateyes of the Dominican Republic. BRA works with more than 60 health promoters and health educators via workshops and community meetings. Patients are tested, educated about self-protection and that of others; and receives free medical assistance and nutrition.
§ BLINDNESS PREVENTION—I can See Project: This program is funded by the New Jersey Recycling Lions Eyeglass Recycling Center and the Lions Clubs International Foundation, which trains local health care promoters and teachers to detect basic eye problems among children and adults – and refer cases to our optometrists/ophthalmologists to receive further attention in optometry care or eye surgeries. Prescription eyeglasses and sunglasses are donated to all patients. This service helps prevent blindness or blindness related diseases stem from long exposures to sun glares, Diabetes, poor diet, etc. Our goal is to afford the impoverished population an opportunity to protect their vision that could otherwise prevent them from learning or thriving professionally. The Dominican’s Club de Leones Arroyo Hondo Santo Domingo is a partner to the project.
§ PRIMARY CARE: BRA delivers annually at its medical facilites and through sponsored medical mision trips to 17,000 batey residents affordable medical care in general medicines, pediatrics, gynecology, dentistry, and prevention health education. All patients receive free medicines and vitamins to complete their treatment. When necessary, BRA schedules referrals for its patients to other facilities. Donated medicines, medical supplies and equipment are from the Catholic Medical Mission Board, Direct Relief International and Food for the Poor.
§ MEDICAL DONATIONS: To support its health care intervention, BRA secures each year more than US $ 5.2 million in in-kind donations of essential medicines, medical supplies and equipment through its international donors, such as the Catholic Medical Mission Board, Direct Relief International, Food for the Poor, the Interchurch Medical Assistance/Week of Compassion, etc.
§ TRAINING/EDUCATION OF COMMUNITY HEALTH PROMOTERS: BRA recruits, organizes and works with more than 100 community health promoters from various batey communities; trains them in health crisis prevention techniques around hygiene, water distribution/consumption, HIV/AIDS/STIs, Tuberculosis, health wellness; and sends them back to their communities to educate residents. BRA’s health promoters play an important role in its preventive health care delivery system inside the bateyes.
§ CLEAN WATER: BRA distributes clean water, as a disease prevention mechanism, to batey residents and AIDS sufferers through the donations of water filters and the sale of low-cost PUR water packs. This project is implemented inside the bateyes and urban/rural slums, and funded by the PSI and the Rotary Clubs of New York and Wallkill Valley.
§ VITAMIN AND DEWORMING: BRA endeavors to ride the poor of parasite-related diseases and infections and enhance their vitamin deficiency by making available anti-parasitic medicines and vitamins to 30,000 children living in the bateyes and urban/rural slums. This project is supported by the Vitamin Angel Alliance and the Direct Relief Alliance.
§ MEDICAL VOLUNTEERS: BRA recruits and secures foreign volunteers as medical students and professionals from the United States and around the world to work in health care delivery and education at BRA’s medical facilites or placed at some of BRA’s local partner organizations. This project is supported by the Catholic Medical Mission Board—CMMB, the Association of Haitian Physicians Abroad—AMHE, and various international universities and groups from Canada and the United States.
§ MEDICAL MISSIONS: BRA sponsors annual medical/eye care mission trips to the Dominican Republic, bringing teams of foreign volunteer physicians, dentists, ophthalmologists, students, nurses and allied health workers, mostly from the United States and Canada, to work along side local health care professionals. To complete patients’ short-term treatment, BRA donates free medicines and vitamins, sun and prescription eyeglasses and medicated drops. Donated medicines and medical supplies are from the Catholic Medical Mission Board and the Week of Compassion/Interchurch Medical Assistance.
§ DISASTER RELIEF: BRA responds to natural disasters affecting both Haiti and the Dominican Republic by rushing emergency assistance and medicines to the victims. BRA delivered relief support after Hurricane Georges hard hit the Dominican Republic in 1998 and after flash floods and heavy rains hit the Dominican’s Jimani and Haiti’s Font Verettes in 2004 killing more than 5000. Natural disasters are real, unpredictable and uncontrollable. This is why BRA remains ready and committed to carry out similar relief operations should it become necessary. The organization appeals for tax-deductible financial support to package and ship donated humanitarian supplies, and to coordinate the on-site distribution of these supplies in the Dominican Republic. A $20,000 contribution would underwrite an air shipment of medicines. A $10,000 contribution would underwrite one sea-going shipment of supplies. Tax-deductible donations can be made payable to Batey Relief Alliance and mailed to P.O. Box 300565, Brooklyn, N.Y. 11230. Click CONTACT for more details.
§ ARTS & CLASSICAL MUSIC: A pilot project to bring music lessons, through the Suzuki Method, to children who live in impoverished areas of the country, including the bateyes. BRA is the first institution to undertake such an initiative inside the bateyes. So far eight kids are recruited and traveling once a week from their batey communities to the capital Santo Gomingo to take private cello lessons. After a year, when a commitment to the instrument has been established, the children could receive a personal instrument to keep. The long-term plan is to expand the program to violin instruction — and after five years, create a mini orchestra made of children with limited economic opportunities.
SOME OF THE PROJECTS BRA IMPLEMENTS IN THE UNITED STATES
§ HIV/AIDS EDUCATION: Funded by the New York State Department of Health, the Batey Relief Alliance, in partnerships with the Brooklyn-based Haitian radio station—Radio Soleil and the Association of Haitian Physicians Abroad—AMHE, uses radio airwaves to reach and educate immigrant populations in the New York metropolitan areas about HIV/AIDS contraction and prevention. Health experts are invited to address other heath-related issues.
§ INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION AND AWARENESS: The Batey Relief Alliance partners with Haitian and Dominican students associations at Barnard College and Columbia University to host annual international conferences addressing issues of health/HIV/AIDS, human rights and bilateral relations between Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Experts in the fields are gathered to evaluate and to forge together solutions for those issues. BRA’s conferences have been held at the United Nations in 2001 (Dominican’s Bateyes: A new reality), Barnard College in 2004 (Relations between Haiti and the Dominican Republic in the 21st century), and Columbia University in 2005 (HIV/AIDS in Haiti and the Dominican Repubic: a bilateral challenge).
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