Fundación La Merced (La Merced)
La Fundación La Merced was born 7 years ago with the goal of providing a more dignified life to children and adolescents, freeing them from child labor and teaching them about their rights. La Fundación was born from the raising of consciousness among a group of people from the community who were worried about the extremely dangerous situation of shoeshine boys of the area. In a spontaneous manner they organized to provide assistance. Little by little, a team of volunteers started forming and began organizing activities according to the observed needs. Since then, the team has strengthened and formalized, explanding the areas of intervention in order to offer a systemic response to these problems. The activities are based on a rights-focused community work. The interventions are made in the following areas: Education, Recreation, Nutrition, Health, Social Work, Legal Assistance, Raising Awareness and in response to Incidents .
General Information
- Legal Name: Fundación La Merced
- Acronym: La Merced
- Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
- RNC/Tax ID No: 430093734
- Geographic Areas: Distrito Nacional
- Theme Areas: Children and Youth, Community Development, Corporate Social Responsibility, Education, Food/Agriculture, Gender, Health, Human Rights
- Quantity and Type of Beneficiaries:
More than 100 children and their families
The Team
Administrative Manager: Pilar López Rodríguez
Executive Director: Gina Paredes
Executive Vice President: Tomas García
Board Members:
Alfredo Paredes, President
Tomás García, Vicepresident
Pilar López, Treasurer
Sandra Rojas, Secretary
Tino Deón, Vocal
Contact Information
- Telephone: (809) 620-9907
- Email: fnl.lamerced@gmail.com
- Address:
Manzana 20, n 7
Avda. Las Palmas.
Santo Domingo Oeste (Herrera) - Website: http://fnl-lamerced.blogspot.com/p/conocenos_2490.html
- Social Networks: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
Contact Person
- Name: María del Pilar López
- Position:
- Telephone: (809) 620-9907
- Email: fnl.lamerced@gmail.com
Operation
- Type of Organization: Non-Profit Organization
- International Affiliations:
- Years of Operation: 14
- Number of Employees: 9
- Number of Members: N/A
- Number of Volunteers:
30
- Sources of Funding:
• Sponsorship of Children
• Corporate donations
• Community donations - Products/Services:
Arts and crafts such as: key chains, sandals, bracelets and rosaries.
Homework Workshops
Community Legal Assistance
Education
Recreation
Training - Total Income: Income: 2014 RD$ 1,960,804.16
- Total Expenses: Expenses: 2014 RD$ 1,725,675.00
Mission/Vision
Our Vision: To be a leading institution in the eradication of child labor and domestic and sexual exploitation of children and adolescents, guaranteeing them holistic development and respect for their rights.
Our Mission: To prevent and eradicate child labor and domestic and sexual exploitation of children and adolescents, supporting and training them so they may obtain a holistic education through the values of the La Merced Congregation, which allows them to contribute to the development of a free, just and united society.
Our Values: Faith, Freedom, Responsibility, Justice, Gender Equality and Solidarity.
Our Goals:
• Prevent and eradicate child labor and domestic and/or sexual exploitation through rights-focused community work.
• Raise awareness in the population about child labor and about domestic and sexual exploitation which threatens the rights of children and adolescents.
• Propose “holistic educational alternatives” to children and adolescents in situations of high risk for child labor and to victims of domestic and sexual exploitation.
• Contribute to the resilience of children and adolescents, their families, and their community.
Primary Programs and Projects
• Corporate Outreach
• Space to Play and Learn
• Technical Training Project for Adolescents
• Child Sponsorships
• Community Legal Services
• Nutrition Program
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Work Areas: Source; http://fnl-lamerced.blogspot.com/p/hacemos.html
• Eradicate child labor in the Herrera neighborhood, especially of those who work as shoeshine boys, until they reach majority and are autonomous.
• Offer a dignified life to children and their families, collaborating in their education, nutrition, health and recreation.
• Improve the literacy of children.
• Develop their artistic, athletic, human and religious potential.
• Formalize the legal status of these children and their families.
• Raise awareness in the population about child labor and its harmful effects on the rights of children.
Education Areas.
• Inclusion and follow up of children in private and public schools to ensure their education, reinforcing it with homework workshops which include educational materials provided by appropriate foundations.
• Creation of weekly opportunities for psychological, artistic and athletic development of the children, together with activities like arts and crafts workshops, painting, dance, gymnastics, cinema, theater and reading . . ,
Social-Familiar Areas.
• Social, medical and psychological assistance for children and their families, counting on free services from a Parish Medical Dispensary, and the delivery of shoes, clothing and food.
• Motivation, integration, support and follow up to children and their families in the program, through weekly visits to their communities, especially to their schools, homework workshops and homes, by members of the La Merced Congregation and other members of the Socio-Familiar and Education teams.
• Monthly meetings with the parents and guardians of the children in which informational workshops are given about health, hygiene, nutrition, the family . . .
Legal Area:.
• Registration of children, and the offering of legal services to their families.
Sponsorship Program.
Sponsorship contributes to the improvement of the lives of the children and their families. With the monthly donations each sponsor makes, a dignified education is provided, ensuring the necessary health assistance needed in case of illness and appropriate nutrition so that they can continue their studies.
INFOTEP Workshops: We have equipped six classrooms for INFOTEP workshops in the parish next to the medical dispensary in Las Caobas, Herrera. As of now, we are providing instruction in computers, bakery, and sewing. We would like to add a barber/beauty course.
New PROJECT (2017): Our goal is to construct in Bienvenido a Space with multi-use classrooms, a play ground, sports court, daycare center, medical dispensary, multi-use salon, theater, etc. The construction of this space (5,000 square meters) will be done in four phases:
1) Cleaning of lot and building of cement wall (done).
2) Creation of athletic area, with basketball/soccer courts and play area.
3) Construction of classrooms and medical clinic.
4) Construction of day care.
Source; http://fnl-lamerced.blogspot.com/p/hacemos.html
