Dream Project and Fundación Brugal inaugurate new school library in Sosua

Cabarete, Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic.- On August 20th,The Dominican Republic Education and Mentoring (DREAM) Project andFundación Brugalinaugurated a brand new children’s library in the Sabaneta deCangrejos public school in Sosúa. The children’s library aims to encourage a love of readingamong students and provide teachers with the high-quality resources needed toteach literacy skills.

Thecelebration kicked off with a jazz musical performance by student members ofthe DREAM music band, and was followed by read-alouds and dramaticperformances by young participants in DREAM library programs. Virginia Cabral,President of the FundaciónBrugal, and Rafael Peguero, Sub-Director of the public school in Sabaneta deCangrejos, provided generous words of encouragement for the project. Theinauguration closed with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and tour of the new library.The event was also attended by Lizzie Sanchez, Executive Director of Fundación Brugal, Premio Brugal judge Nestor Sánchez, Made Almonte, President of theParent and Family Association, Catherine DeLaura, Executive Director of DREAMProject, Ann Smyntek, Education Sector Program Manager at Peace Corps, FatherRodriguez, and other members of the community.

The construction of the school library was made possible by Brugal Cree en su Gente, a set ofprestigious awards given by the Fundación Brugal to nonprofit and civil society organizationsthat contribute to the development and well-being of communities in theDominican Republic. The DREAM Project was recognized as the winningorganization in the category of education in 2014, and has committed to useaward funds to further its “Yo amo leer” schoollibrary program. Peace Corps Volunteer Cindy Toscano helped bring the projectin Sosúa to fruition, working tirelessly in all stages of the design andimplementation process. The DREAM Project and Fundación Brugal will be collaborating in the coming year tobuild a new public school library in Cabarete.

“School libraries provide a safe space for students to becomeindependent learners and discover the joys of reading outside of the classroomwalls. Many students in the school did not have access to books prior to thisproject. Now, they have hundreds of colorful, interesting, and engaging booksfor all ages, which will be instrumental for both their personal and academicdevelopment,” said Rebeca Martínez, Academic Director of The DREAM Project.

In addition to the school library, students from the Sabanetade Cangrejos public school have had the opportunity to participate in a varietyof DREAM Programs, including a Mobile Library, Summer Camp, and My Very OwnLibrary Book Fairs. The DREAM Project’s goal in working in the public school inSabaneta de Cangrejos is to provide holistic educational programming with afocus on literacy to support students as they learn, grow and develop.

To learn more about the DREAM Project and its innovativeeducational programs, please visit: www.dominicandream.org