Sponsor a girl in Miches with Soy Niña, Soy Importante and Canablue

January 13, 2020 3:46 pm



2020 is the year to give back! Did you know that by purchasing real estate in Punta Cana via Canablue, you are automatically sponsoring a girl in Miches at the Tropicalia foundation, with the program Soy Niña, Soy Importante?

Miches is a coastal community nestled in northeast Dominican Republic, in El Seibo Province, and is known for its precious beaches, like Playa Esmeralda. With a population of approximately 21,000, Miches has historically been an isolated community located in one of the poorest regions of the Dominican Republic. Its main industries include agriculture, cattle-raising, artisanal fishing, micro-business services and artisanal crafts.

We’ve talked about ​Punta Cana’s unstoppable growth​ before, but did you know this growth is thought of as moving northeast? In terms of geography this means moving closer to Miches, in El Seibo province. Miches is going to be part of the Punta Cana-Bávaro communities faster than we think, why? Because Miches is only 101.6 km from Punta Cana, 1 hour and 30 minutes by car.

In the last five years the number of visitors to the area and economic activity in general has increased notably thanks to the new highway that connects Miches with the eastern tourist corridor. However, Miches is not exempt from the socioeconomic challenges of emerging rural communities, such as unemployment, low levels of education, and underdevelopment.

This is where ​Tropicalia​ and its Foundation step in.

tropicalia, a luxury sustainable development along with a Four Seasons, has been Gustavo Cisneros, the head of the Cisneros Group, vision for a long time. Don Gustavo loves Miches and Costa Esmeralda so much that he actually moved here and started, through Cisneros Real Estate, a one-of-a-kind destination called Tropicalia. But behind the breathtaking views of the land where Tropicalia is being built, there is a sustainable vision, more like a business model, that rules the whole development and goes further than just a luxurious hotel.

Sustainability is Tropicalia’s business model and inside this model four key commitments are being held through ​Fundación Tropicalia​ for over 10 years now: protect, restore and conserve the environment; select partners and suppliers based on shared values; rigorous design and development standards, with environmentally friendly construction techniques, and to support community development and economic inclusion through la Fundación, which carries out education, environment, productivity and socio-cultural advocacy programs. One of these programs is the I’m a girl, I’m Important program or Soy Niña, Soy Importante (SNSI), ​designed for vulnerable and at-risk girls from 3 communities in Miches: La Mina, La Gina and Miches Town.

As a summer day-camp that serves girls ages 9-12 years old, I’m a Girl, I’m Important program provides a safe, nurturing environment where girls have the opportunity for being simply girls. The camp gives young girls the guidance and tools they need to be self-reflective, critical thinkers and make timely life choices through a curriculum that includes: Education in Values; Artistic Expression & Development; Development of Interpersonal Relationships, Self-Esteem and Self-Awareness; Sex-Ed and STD Prevention; Gender & Violence; Nutrition and Sports. SNSI also help girls discover their potential and encourages them to dream big and to make age-appropriate decisions, such as continuing your studies or avoiding unplanned and untimely pregnancy.

But, why girls? Well, here are some real but really scary facts on girls in the Dominican Republic.

  • Teen pregnancy is becoming more frequent.​ The Dominican Republic has the fifth-highest teen pregnancy rate in Latin America, with 22% of Dominican girls becoming pregnant at least once before their 19th birthday.
  • Dropout rates increase.​ Impoverished girls and young women who become pregnant face higher risks of health complications related to early pregnancy, and are more likely to dropout of school.
  • Child marriages. ​To date, more than 790,000 Dominican girls were in union or married before their 18th birthday. One in five teens between the ages of 15 and 19 is currently married or in a civil union with a man at least ten years her senior (yes, and it’s legal!) These girls sacrifice important opportunities such as learning, and maturing physically and emotionally.
  • Victims of violence.​ The Dominican Republic also ranks third in the region in femicide rates. Dominican girls and women are also victims of sexual abuse, harassment, and gender inequalities. Just a few days ago, on January 1st, 4 femicides were reported in Dominican Republic.

So, on 2020 Soy Niña, Soy Importante (SNSI) will mark the 8th edition of the camp, which will take place in three sessions of a

week, in three different schools, aiming to reshape how girls think of themselves as individuals, as females, and members of society, and through this mission trying to change those stats.

Their goal this year is to have 300 girls participate and raise $60,000 in donations from companies and individuals, which they accept in cash or products and materials for the girls.​ It only costs $200 to send a girl to the camp ​and this covers transportation and food for the whole week, the purchase of teaching materials, nursing services and specialized teachers, accommodation for volunteers and basically, making the camp happen 3 times during next summer. Another way of contributing is through donations in species, such as shoes, books and teaching materials.

This is where WE step in.

Here at Canablue, we want to make reality better for these girls. Why? Because girls are key to changing the whole future of their communities. It really takes a village to raise our kids and we want to collaborate and be part of this ​village​ and take you on with us.

How can you help? Well, we’re joining forces along with the Tropicalia Foundation (Fundación Tropicalia) to help raise the money they need so they can reach a new record this year. So, ​everytime you buy a property through us, you will automatically be sponsoring one of the girls!
You can get more info about the program and what the Foundation does at snsi.fundaciontropicalia.com.

At Canablue, not only do we want to make real estate easy but we would really want to make an impact on the communities where we work and enjoy living. Please, reach us If you’d like to get involved with SNSI or the Foundation and how can we do more for dominican girls.