SAVANITA - PUERTA PLATA

This is the site where we worked today.

Enrique (left pictured with his brother Louise (right)) is the President of the Bank of Hope in this community. They call their Bank of Hope the “Community in Progress and Development”. This bank includes 35 families in the community. Esperanza facilitates small micro-loans to members of the community through their Bank of Hope. The Esperanza Bank of Hope currently lends to 13,000 families in the Dominican Republic supporting over 100,000 people. All of the 35 families in the Community in Progress and Development Bank are responsible to be sure that the loans from all the families are repaid. Esperanza has a 98% success rate in collecting their loans from their associates.

Enterprises in this community include small convenience stores, selling fried foods, selling new and used clothing and other small businesses.

The 35 families have put themselves together into a co-op so that they don’t directly compete with each other and so they can purchase their products in bulk when presented with an opportunity.

Enrique was introduced to Esperanza by his brother Louise. At Louise’s invitation, Enrique went to a Smiles for Life work site last September and was the second to last person who had his teeth cleaned. He was last because he was not an associate of Esperanza and was only seen at the end of the day after all of the Esperanza associates were completed. He was so impressed with the health experience (that Esperanza was interested in health as well as micro-lending) that he went back to his community; organized the 35 families and in now one of Esperanza’s most successful banks.

Today we were able to help over 130 members of the Esperanza Community in Progress and Development (associates and their families) and completed well over 500 individual procedures.

The Crown Council team sent this fabulous back-rub devices....Life savers!!!
Austin Hammond did built 50 Newborn Kits before coming to the Dominican (pictured here with his Dad) They delivered them to a clinic today!

Here are just some of the people that made it all happen today in Savanita....

Dr. Roy Hammond made magic today...Here is BEFOREHere is an hour later....
Here is AFTER...another Miracle and another life changed.

Each day we treat the Esperanza Associates and members of their families. While we enjoy treating everyone....we can't help but especially love the Children of the Dominican.