this story has power
Help us raise funds to secure and expand the shelter at Casa Azul - one of only 2 women's shelters in the Dominican Republic.
Casa Azul is the flagship shelter and headquarters of the Batey Rehab Project (BRP): the only organization in the Dominican Republic that provides care to women and families across the entire spectrum of humanitarian response and post-traumatic human development. Like most organizations that respond to human trafficking, BRP provides reconnaissance, intervention, rescue, advocacy and prosecution supports. But unlike any other organization we've found, BRP provides the umbrella of supports, resources and protection necessary to restore whole families (2 generations at a time) to thriving, while breaking the intergenerational cycles of extreme poverty and violence. This means holding babies, building homes, providing full employment + benefits, trauma-informed care, reproductive and mental health services, education, spiritual and emotional supports to each woman in their program. All of this is provided in-house, resulting in healing, empowerment and permanent, personal transformation.
Prosecution & Safety
Phase 1: $15,000.00
Fortification Casa Azul
Phase 2: $30,000.00
Shelter Expansion
Phase 3: $160,000.00
In the fall of 2018, BRP began prosecuting cases against perpetrators who pose an ongoing threat to the families in its programs or to the communities we serve. This process has endangered the shelter and its community, catalyzing an urgent need to fortify security at Casa Azul and construct an expanded shelter on our existing property. This shelter is the only shelter that exists in the Dominican Republic that does not separate women from their children, and it is one of the only shelters that exist at all in the DR.
Phase 1 of this campaign enables BRP to carry its current prosecution to conviction (including legal fees, professional services, legal filings and counsel), provides secure transport and safety personnel for shelter staff and residents to ambulate as necessary, and provides the necessary assessment of Casa Azul for security upgrades.
Phase 2 of this campaign enables BRP to build and fortify compound walls, add video and audio surveillance capability, fund a backup generator system, activate added staff for protection, and construct temporary shelter additions to reach current populations in need.
Phase 3 of this campaign enables BRP to expand its shelter, adding a classroom, clinic, office and increased residential capacity by 600%. Especially for women requiring prosecution, this phase enables BRP to provide its wholistic services to a more broad population.
Want to get more involved? Love, care, read/understand and pray in your own way. Here are some of the best ways you can support...
Host Ian to share a presentation and discussion in your community (homes, schools, churches and local businesses). 25 minutes + Q/A.
Check out www.bateygirls.org and explore the amazing jewelry for sale. Purchase a WorldChanging bracelet and the proceeds sponsor a child in our program for a full month!
Talk to us about sponsoring our post-production phase, or, host a film screening in your community (must be able to gather an audience of 50 or more persons). Contact ian@(this website name).com.