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DEMOGRAPHIC PROFILE

Total Population:
8,129,734 (July 1999 est.)

Urban Population: 
61.7% (1995 est.)

Rural Population: 
38.3% (1995 est.)

Three largest cities:

Santo Domingo 
(Population: 2.4 million, 1999 est.)

Santiago (de los Caballeros) 
(Population: 500,000, 1999 est.)

San Cristobal
(Population: 409,381, 1993 est.)

Population Age:

5-9 years — 967,749
10-14 years — 904,708 (1995 est.) 
0-14 years — 35% (male: 1,447,435; female: 1,393,122)
15-64 years — 61% (male: 2,501,206; female: 2,426,564)
65 years and over — 4% (male: 171,049; female: 190,358) (1999 est.)

Source: CIA-World Factbook 1999
Whitaker’s Almanack 2000
 

CASE STUDY
 

Location: Santo Domingo

Sponsorship of Program: Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA)

History/background of program:

Established in 1980. Andres Fortunato is the General Director of YMCA .

Approximate # of children served: 60

Characteristics of the children served:

Children living on the street or run the risk of doing so.

How children are recruited/selected:

Children arrive on their own free will; program coordinators seek out children on the street.

Program Services:

• Facilities for bathing and cleaning themselves
• Staff conduct medical checks and psychological evaluations of children 
• Provide necessary medication to follow up every case at the YMCA center (problem with the spread of diseases in Dominican Republic)
• Schooling; recreation; feeding; camping; workshops on carpentry and hydroponics (the process of growing plants in sand, gravel, or liquid, without soil and with added nutrients)

Philosophy of program:

Program aims at assistance and prevention in several stages to gradually achieve re-education and re-insertion in normal social activities.

Special features:

Street educator’s; staff assigned to program by Department of Health and Social Well-being.