Child Thrive Dominican Republic

Child Thrive community partner, Clínica de Familia La Romana, started its first HIV program in 1999 to prevent transmission from pregnant women to their babies. It is now one of the largest HIV clinics in the country and provides a host of other medical services for the community.

This Child Thrive project is focused on supporting teens with HIV. Adolescence is an especially vulnerable time for kids living with HIV, as they frequently struggle with depression, anxiety, and other mental health challenges. This can complicate medication adherence. As with all individuals living with HIV, fears and stigmatization can severely limit teen socialization, as well as access to educational and career opportunities.

Child Thrive Dominican Republic helps teens living with HIV overcome these challenges through healthcare access, counselling, support groups led by older individuals with HIV, educational support, and career readiness skills building. The project also works to prevent HIV transmission through sexual and reproductive education.

This collaborative project serves some of the most vulnerable Dominicans and Haitian refugees – teens identifying as low-income, HIV+, sexual & gender-based violence survivors, undocumented, and/or LGBTQ. Many families in the program typically earn $2 – $4 dollars a day doing grueling agricultural work.

Partnering with local community organizations like Clínica de Familia La Romana ensures that interventions aimed at helping vulnerable youth are culturally appropriate, trusted, accessible, sustainable, and responsive to the unique needs of the community.