The Dominican Republic: Poverty Reduction Among Stateless Haitians

In the Dominican Republic (DR), people of Haitian background have been living for multiple generations without any legal nationality in either the DR or Haiti. These populations are vulnerable to poverty and exploitation, but there is a growing effort among Dominican churches to minister in these communities.

An Envision site is equipped to provide structure to the work and facilitate the development of future international workers. The applicant would coordinate efforts between Dominican churches and Envision to have an impact on these vulnerable people while also helping to develop the next generation of Alliance workers.

Position Type:

• CAMA worker
• Partially funded (requested to raise partial support)
• Single or couple

Responsibilities:

• Train local leaders
• Develop and maintain relationships with partners
• Develop interns and residents in areas of international holistic poverty alleviation
• Develop programs to address poverty in cooperation with local partners

Required Qualifications:

• A recognized bachelor’s degree
• Perspectives Mission Course or another comparable mission course
• Alliance Polity course
• A minimum Modern Language Aptitude Test (MLAT) score of 20

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in urban development
• Experience in mentoring or coaching
• Leadership skills and an entrepreneurial spirit
• Experience in small business development

Biblical Characteristics:

• Demonstrated heart for the poor and marginalized (Micah 6:8)
• Theological alignment with The Alliance
• Demonstrated flexibility and grace in all aspects of life
• Vibrant spiritual life with consistent practice of spiritual disciplines
• Ability to learn and recover from failure

Timeline for Deployment:

Summer/fall of 2024. Following appointment, and once fundraising goals and other qualifications are met, the appointee is required to attend a cross-cultural and language-acquisition program and pre-field orientation prior to deploying.

General Information:

Applicants would live in the oldest city in the Americas, Santo Domingo, a large and modern city with many friendly and hospitable people. Apartment living is most likely. In the city, many American products are available, along with reliable access to electricity, internet, and other services. For ministry purposes, many stateless Haitians live within easy drives outside the city.

World Factbook—Dominican Republic

Joshua Project—Dominican Republic

Language Expectations:

Language is an essential part of ministry. The successful applicant(s) will receive one year of intense Spanish language study followed by ongoing language and cultural acquisition. It’s likely the applicant(s) will also need to learn some basic Haitian Creole as well. The goal will be to speak, read, and write the language at a functional level in order to mentor, teach, and train others.

Health Considerations:

Quality health care is available.

Expectations for Spouse:

Spousal roles vary, based on the spouse’s gifts, training, and abilities, as well as the needs of the team. It is expected that both spouses will be meaningfully involved in meeting team objectives, depending on the nature of the family roles, children, etc.

Children’s Educational Plan and Options:

Bilingual private schools and homeschooling are viable options.

Compensation Package

The successful applicant(s) will receive a full compensation package with the expectation that, once appointed, efforts will be made to raise a portion of support costs through the applicant’s network of friends, family, local church, or other resources. Information on support costs will be made available upon application. Training and/or coaching in fundraising is available.

Important Clarification

Applicant(s) should be aware that serving in the international world often requires a higher degree of grace and flexibility. For example, overseas teams can be suddenly and unexpectedly impacted by illness, government decisions, financial realities, team changes, or other factors beyond the team’s control. The challenge for applicants is that these factors can sometimes necessitate the sudden redefining of a position, which may take place before, during, or after the application/interview process has begun or is completed.

Whole-Life Health

CAMA Services is the relief and development specialized structure of Alliance Missions. As part of an evangelical denomination, we are committed to biblical holism, which is modeled and reflected through our work. Due to this commitment, part of the required qualifications includes optimal emotional, spiritual, and physical health. These will be assessed during the application process.