0ver 40 percent of the Dominican Republic lives below the poverty line. Poverty is especially crippling in the country since access to money is required to participate in schools and to access healthcare services. Thus the poorest people become trapped in a generational cycle of poverty.

Although the Dominican Republic is known to have higher levels of participation in the school system than some of its neighboring Latin American countries, 75 percent of students complete up to 4th grade and only 52 percent complete a full 8 years of elementary school. Students who complete high school in the D.R. enter university at a 6th grade reading level.   

Tamboril has a local school named Alta Gracia. This elementary school will be adding 50-75 new students at the completion of the expansion of HXP’s project. This project will also allow Alta Gracia to add 5th and 6th graders which will help relieve a huge burden on families who now don’t need to find a new school after they graduate from 4th grade.

This initiative reflects a concerted effort to address the educational needs of the community in light of the ongoing economic and health challenges.