A group of 17 Grade 11 students is heading to a small community in the Dominican Republic. The humanitarian trip is part of the leadership program at Macdonald High School in Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue.
The students will be working in a batey called AB4. In the Dominican Republic, bateyes are small communities mostly populated by Haitian migrants where the primary source of income is cutting sugar cane.
Christopher Chang, a leadership teacher at Macdonald High School, has organized eight of these trips. This year, there is a double purpose.
“We want to bring school supplies there. We find that when schools are more equipped, they’re more apt to stay in school,” said Chang.
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So far, they have gathered a handful of school supplies for the only school in the village — but they are asking for more.
“School bags, gently used knapsacks, we need notepads, we need pencils, erasers, rulers,” Chang said.
People who want to donate school supplies can drop them off at Macdonald High School or contact Christopher Chang directly (cchang04@lbpearson.ca).
The other reason for the trip is to build a house for a local worker the previous Macdonald High School group met last year.
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Chang said that when he saw the conditions the worker lived in, he decided to go back the following year and build him a home.
The man’s current house looks like a shed, according to Chang.
“It’s really small. It has a makeshift ramp because his child is in a wheelchair,” he added.
The students will also rebuild a timeworn basketball court for children in the community.
Local builders will be on site to supervise the students, but Chang says they still have to put in the work.
“They’ll do a lot of cement mixing, a lot of digging, putting the concrete blocks,” he said.
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While students prepare for their final exams and upcoming prom, planning the trip is helping them recognize the value of what they have.
Ashley Foster is also going.
“I’m kind of excited to go on the trip, but it’s also prom coming up and everything, so it’s exciting, but I’m stressed,” she said.
Chang hopes that trips like these serve as an eye-opener for his students.