Development throughout the life of a person depends on nourishment, shelter, education, and many other factors. A person cannot lead a full life without catering to their needs and interests, and living in poverty does not help. Poverty levels affect many people all over the world, specifically, the Dominican Republic. I recently took a trip there with my mother, and, during this trip, I noticed many dilapidated homes that housed under-nourished families. I feel that these situations do not help people develop successfully or practice all of their beliefs. To further research my assumptions, I interviewed Yadiris Aleman who was born and raised in a small town outside of Santiago. She moved to America when she was 20 with her family, and
School is only mandatory until the sixth grade, by which, many children have already dropped out. Of the hundreds of schools destroyed in tropical storms, only about half have been rebuilt. Hence, Yadiris was very surprised at the importance of education upon her arrival in America. She followed very strict rules growing up, but education was never stressed. Yadiris mentioned one thing that stuck out to me; she thought the low concern for education has a connection to the low income offered. I feel this low income will eventually affect the attitude of the workers, which in the end will result in a low interest and seriousness about one’s job. There are public clinics with free health care, but they are understaffed and poorly equipped. As a result, those who can afford it go to private doctors. Often times the older generations still use voodoo and other natural remedies rather than traveling to a clinic. The health clinics are understaffed because education is not stressed to the children. Subsequently, there is a battle for low education jobs between all of the Dominicans and illegal Haitian immigrants.
Another factor in the Dominican poverty is the long border it shares with very undeveloped Haiti. “[A]gricultural labor shortages occur that are in part satisfied through large-scale Haitian immigration” (Raynolds). I feel that this, in a way, is like the situation the United States is in right now. There are many jobs being taken by illegal immigrants, this takes