School enrollment

So hear we are in August. Wow the summer passes fast. Here in Caminante we finished summer camp and spent this past Monday evaluating the weeks of camp; what went well, what we can improve for the next summer. After a useful evaluation we enjoyed the afternoon at a beautiful house in a pool overlooking the ocean. It was a fun way to enjoy time with all who helped make the summer camp successful.

School enrollment has begun which means Caminante staff has jumped into action to make sure no kids are left out of school for reasons such as do not have the school uniform, shoes, school supplies, and the biggest problem of all....a birth certificate. There is a law in the Dominican Republic defending the rights of children stating that by law each and everyone has a right to an education regardless of their race, nationality or sex. However, this law is in conflict with another law stating that children without a birth certificate can not enroll in school. So, now that school enrollment has begun we have many children and parents coming to our office informing us that the school won't let the child enroll because they are with out documents.

A large percentage of children here in the DR are do not have a birth certificate. This is for a variety of reasons:

1. The parents are immigrants from Haiti living in the DR without proper documentation and for that reason can not declare their children at birth because they themselves do not have papers as well they live in a fear of deportation. Although the children are born in the DR they are not automatically given a Dominican nationality. (do you see any relation to immigrants in the US?)

2. The parents are unaware that they need to declare the child at birth. This is done separately away from the hospital and costs extra money. Therefore, parents who have no money, are illiterate or do not have documents either do not think to declare their child.

The process to get a child a birth certificate when the parents are of Haitian nationality or do not have a birth certificate themselves is next to impossible and extremely expense. So...Caminante begins the battle with the school directors and district directors fighting for the rights of the children. The battle that children have a right to education and it is obligatory to enroll them in school; meanwhile we will assist the parents and children in beginning the process of first the parents getting their papers and then the children getting a birth certificate.

The other side of the problem is the fact that the schools are overpopulated with children, not enough teachers or classroom space. Therefore, the first and easiest children to reject are those without birth certificates.

Then down the road in the future you have uneducated, undocumented young adults and adults without jobs and with hungry children that are don't have birth certificates and the cycle continues.

At first the problem seems simple, but then it unfolds into a greater systematic problem that has no easy solution. It's overwhelming, frustrating and a challenge. Many children not in school, then they go to the street and that leads to a whole other series of problems.

Where do you begin to see the change? What can we do?

Caminante continues the battle and with their strong presence in the community many children that are normally marginalized and left out of school are in school. There is where we begin to break the cycle. Although it doesn't end there...now that these children are in school we fight the battle of them staying in school. Many enter already behind for their age, with learning problems, with little support from home and with the weight of working outside of school to help support their family. The children in school treat them differently and they often have poor attendance and grades. Here is where the work of Caminante continues; education reinforcement, a constant presence in the life of the children, enrolling them in the homework rooms that work as an educational reinforcement as well as helping children with personal development, working with the families, being a presence in the parts of the city where they are working. And that's only the beginning....