MLB-DDA

 In an effort to provide more extracurricular opportunities to Dominican youth, Carolina Cruz and her husband Pedro Martinez have partnered up with the Major League Baseball Dominican Development Alliance to establish the There is Power in Learning (Hay Poder en Aprender) Foundation.  With recently built classrooms and computer center, the foundation offers computer courses, art classes, and non formal education courses to the children of Manoguayabo, Pedro Martinez's hometown.

Hay Poder en Aprender is an excellent example of how baseball and its players are giving back to a country that has given so much to the sport. Launched in June 2009, the There is Power in Learning project has achieved a normalized schedule for daily classes and extracurricular activities for youth in the community of Manoguayabo as of the first quarter of 2010.  In the community center built with MLB-DDA project funding, the project now provides after school classes from Monday to Friday in two shifts to approximately 200 youth (145 girls and 55 boys).  The classes in math, reading and writing, science, and human values offered a the center reinforce the materials the students learn during regular school hours and increase the total number of learning hours in a day.

The community center of the There is Power in Learning project has become a gathering point for community organizing.  During a student and teacher led family march against violence, the center was open to the community and provided informational workshops on family violence.   There is Power in Learning also held a holiday party to display the artwork done by the children.  The party helped increase parental involvement in the activities of the project and build self-confidence in the children.  The excellent parental participation in the activity proved the community support for the project.  

microcredit program.  The women currently attend weekly meetings and receive business training to help ensure that the loans are invested in successful business initiatives that will help sustain an improved standard of living for loan recipients and their families.  The loans also help to improve the self-esteem of the participants who are often held back by the struggle of poverty.  

The project has also worked to be sustainable by creating links to community businesses, local government programs, and other donor organizations. The Ambassador of Taiwan has visited the project and the There is Power in Learning foundation has received donations from many organizations including: CONANI, the Dispatch of the First Lady, and the National Lotery.  However, the foundation is continuously looking for more support.  Please contact Carolina Cruz de Martinez at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it  to learn more about the There is Power in Learning Foundation and how to get involved.