Travis Ritch has a better understanding of the concept of the spirit of charity.
He received the lesson the old fashioned way; he earned it.
While other students relaxed during spring break after a hard term’s work, Mr. Ritch, 17, joined 23 fellow students from Canadian schools to spend two weeks on a humanitarian mission to the Dominican Republic.
‘My trip to the Dominican Republic brought new meaning to the concept of the necessities of life; it really is food, water, shelter and clothing of any quality,’ he said.
‘There is an entirely different realm of poverty in Hispaniola that none of us is used to seeing. We think of poor as not being able to afford a mobile phone. These people have nothing, nothing.’
The first week, said Mr. Ritch, son of David and Valerie Ritch of South Sound, the student contingent rolled up its sleeves and helped build four small houses in a village called Caraballo.
What was unusual about it was that it is home to Haitians, not Dominicans, he said.
‘The government in the Dominican Republic is very corrupt.
‘Haitians illegally sneak over the border to work. For just a few dollars a week, they cut the huge sugar cane fields that are the staple of the DR economy. It is an illicit relationship because Haitians, though illegal immigrants, are rented very poor-quality houses – or shacks – by the government. These shanty villages found throughout the cane fields often have no running water, electricity, health services, roads or schools.
‘The DR government shuns outside help for these communities. Nevertheless, one wealthy Canadian has built five villages for these Haitians, which allow them to be healthy, learn Spanish and get somewhere in that country,’ Mr.Ritch said.
Caraballo is the largest of these with about 100 basic houses that cost about US$2,500 to construct and include large improvements, such as windows, on previous homes.
If a Haitian adds a window to an existing house, government charges more rent.
‘More and more Haitians are fleeing over the border into the DR, which is predominantly Catholic, because of ongoing political turmoil in Haiti. The Dominicans abhor the Haitians’ Voodoo faith, so it’s not a happy mix,’ Mr. Ritch said.
As well as becoming proficient builders, the Canadian students learned to play dominoes as they ate local food, played with the children and taught them some English, showing them how to write their names, Mr. Ritch said.
‘I brought a mirror with me one day and all the kids were scared of it. One said something, which our translator told me meant, ‘That thing has a face on it’. They’d never seen themselves before.’
The Canadian youngsters turned their attention to helping Dominicans during the second week of the trip.
‘Our work in that country gives the people a hand-up, not a hand-out. Charities are often criticized as being illegitimate or ineffective, and thus businesses, individuals and foundations are always wary of being solicited for this cause or that cause. But this is the real thing,’ Mr. Ritch said.
Their work was based at a Rotary-sponsored youth centre in an averagely poor shanty town close to the city of Tamboril, in the north of the country. About 60 youngsters attend the centre.
‘The sisters who ran it had never had a vacation in their lives,’ said Mr. Ritch. ‘We split into four groups daily; one to run the day camp, one to work on its building site, one to run a day camp near the city of Santiago, and one to do home visits with International Child Care.
‘ICC is a four-country humanitarian organization, which provides rehabilitation to disabled kids. The locals who run its DR branch also teach the often-irresponsible men in the DR how to be good fathers, as the onus usually always falls on the mother there. Not in any of the home visits did we ever see a father figure,’ he said.
‘The Dominicans’ quality of life is better than the Haitians’. The Haitians are the modern-day lepers of the DR, but the DR people are still very poor. Their standard of living is much lower than that of Cayman, which has a modern infrastructure and building codes. The Caribbean is known for its low standard of living, and I see why now, having been to Hispaniola.
‘The DR is an island of contrasts – physical beauty with the stranglehold of poverty that keeps its citizens unable to do anything more than live hand to mouth and die.’
During their stay, the Canadian students also helped alleviate poverty by handing out such practical items as bug nets, clothes and baby formula.
The trip was hugely rewarding, said Mr.Ritch, who has been a student at Upper Canada College in Ontario for the past year.
‘Everywhere we went people wished us well, and we were even marched in triumphant procession through Tamboril, accompanied by a big band.
‘I understand better the spirit of charity now, having been directly involved,’ he said. ‘When I looked at photographs of what we’d being doing, they looked like shots emanating from any generic National Geographic programme, but I was there. I did it. I experienced it and even better, I helped to ameliorate their conditions.
‘I also learned how many methods of communication there are other than speaking. Imagine trying to get 30 kids under your control to get into a circle when you don’t speak their language.’
Mr. Ritch has already committed to being the student coordinator for the UCC contingent for next year’s DR trip, although he fears a high workload might prevent him going personally.
In the meantime, his charitable spirit is burning strong: He has just founded UCC’s first Key Club, of which he is president.
Mr.Ritch’s work in the DR was sponsored by CUC, Kirk Freeport Ltd., Ritch & Conolly, Renard Moxam of Island Companies, Henry Harford and family and Dart Management Ltd.
The trip was organized in conjunction with charity organizations Rotary International, International Child Care, The El Samaritano Foundation and Crossroads. The students, aged 15-17, raised US $24,000 to support their efforts.
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