OCDH realizes its mission by supporting public health, education, socio-economic development and environmental sustainability projects carried out in partnership with local communities; by conducting and supporting research as it pertains to this community; and by engaging both the local and international communities and policy shapers to seek and apply solutions.

Our vision is to call attention and reduce barriers to full social and economic inclusion of Haitian immigrants and Dominicans of Haitian descent who live in impoverished and socially and economically marginalized communities in the northern regions of the Dominican Republic.

ODCH Annual Soccer Tournament on the Bateys! You can help by donating uniforms, and medals, and balls for the kids!

Because of the lack of census data and the failure to distinguish between the Haitian migrant and Dominican of Haitian descent, there is no agreed statistic for the number of people of Haitian origin or descent who work and/or live in the country. Estimates range from 200,000 to as high as two million. The numbers are often minimized or exaggerated depending on the political ideology and intention of the individual quoting them.

The majority of the inhabitants of these isolated rural pockets of extreme poverty are Haitian-descendants. Because of their Haitian-ascendency, babies born in the bateys are often legally unrecognized as Dominican; even when one parent is Dominican. This lack of legal status creates a host of social and economic ramifications for the child, starting with the inability to pursue one's education. Precarious legal status and economic, geographic and social isolation all present unique barriers to these communities. The people are mostly illiterate, unemployed, the language, often a mix of Haitian-Creole and Spanish, becomes a stigma within the surrounding non-Haitian Dominican communities. The beauty of the unique comingling of Haitian and Dominican cultures in these communities is overshadowed by the desperate living conditions of their inhabitants. Despite this, the people of batey Baraguana and other batey communities continue to seek out ways to become self-sufficient and to improve their communities. The people seek to live dignified lives, to start small businesses, to pursue education, to create art. OCDH's vision is to work with these communities to address some critical environmental and health needs while helping them get the tools they need to become self-sustaining communities.