The Dominican Republic is located on the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean. It shares the island with Haiti. The country has gone through many leadership changes; the most prominent change came in the 1960’s when their dictatorship came to an end. After 5 years of civil war and many more years of unrest, the Dominican Republic became a democracy.

• 95% of the population is Roman Catholic
• Spanish is the primary language
• Located in the middle of the Hurricane Belt
• Approximately 1 in every 4 children lives in poverty
• Primary education is required for children ages 7 - 

  14. Few children from low-income families go 

   beyond primary school. Secondary classes are

   designed for those preparing for university.
• The school year begins in mid-August or

  September, depending on the school.

The Maria Trinidad Sanchez School in Santo Domingo, the capital, is operated by the Wesleyan Church in partnership with Wesleyan Churches in the States. Because of costs, children from low income families were unable to attend this school. The church wanted to enable some of these children to attend, but they had no way to cover the costs. They asked World Hope International, Inc. to establish a Hope for Children project to assist with this. The resulting sponsorship funds enable the sponsored children to cover tuition and other educational expenses incurred at the school.

Through its history, the school has educated thousands of professionals, many of whom have come to know Christ. The school’s vision is to provide the best quality academic education in the region and provide an opportunity for each student to know Jesus personally.