Safe and Friendly
Located between Cuba and Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti. The Dominican Republic is a very safe and friendly country, with many Dominicans having family living in the states. A representative democracy has been in place since the 1960's. Baseball is the national sport, with many Dominicans playing in the major leagues. The country is very poor, especially along the "frontera", the area along the Haiti border. The major industries include tourism, agriculture especially the sugar crop, mining and manufacturing.
Outreach360 founder and executive director Tom Eklund was working with a medical missions group, Flying Doctors of America, when he and a small group of volunteers from Atlanta visited the Hope of a Child Orphanage in Monte Cristi in May of 1994. They saw that the orphanage was struggling to just provide the basic necessities, much less opportunities for the children living there.
Outreach360 was incorporated in 1995, and volunteers and donors have been getting involved in our mission ever since. Over 15,000 short term volunteers have worked with Outreach360 since that time.
Volunteer Facilities/Community Learning Centers
Monte Cristi
Monte Cristi is a sleepy town of about 20,000 residents located on the northwest coast of the Dominican Republic. It was founded in the 16th century, and enjoyed a period of prosperity at the turn of the 19th century when Europeans exported mahogany and agricultural products. Today, its' salt flats produce a large amount of salt for Morton Salt, some fishermen make a living fishing, and there is a nearby melon and banana industry. Monte Cristi is home to a beautiful national park beach, El Moro.
Outreach360
Manolo Tavarez Volunteer Center
In the spring of 2007, Outreach360 purchased a building in Monte Cristi, and converted it into an English institute. In 2011, the English Institute was converted once again to our main Community Center in Monte Cristi and is used to house volunteer teams.
Outreach360 Salomón Jorge Volunteer Center
The Salomón Jorge Volunteer Center is a recently purchased space. This location consists of two buildings, one a converted house and one a large open dorm building. It is located about 5 blocks from our other location, which is in the center of town, and a few blocks from a beach with a beautiful pier. This is also the location for the Salomón Jorge Neighborhood Learning Center.