Ana speaks out about child rights though the media

Ana, 17, tells her story of growing up in the Dominican Republic, and about the impact that the work of Plan has had on her life and her community –

Ana with her community

“I was born in the south of the Dominican Republic, in a province of poor development and very few resources. When I was young my parents separated, so I lived with my mother and four of my siblings. My father was occasionally around, but would treat us badly and spend most of his money on alcohol, he would occasionally hit us and once left my arm in a cast.

“My life changed when Hurricane George hit in 1998, many people and animals lost their lives and our community was destroyed. We were moved into an emergency shelter at a school, where 15 people were placed in each classroom. We were there for three months and because of the amount of people, sanitation was poor and many people including my mother got sick and had to be hospitalised.

Ana and group at children participation conference

“Eventually we and 1,000 other families from twelve communities were moved to a nearby village. Many of the families had different customs and living habits, some of the communities were even enemies, but we all had lost everything and were forced to get along.

“When we first arrived each family was given one small room, which consisted of two beds. With my mother, step-father, siblings and siblings’ family all homeless, 14 of us lived in the same space. We lived like this for five years.

“After which, we were able to get a better home with two bedrooms, one bathroom and a kitchen. Just as we began to rebuild our lives though, a fire burnt down many of our neighbour’s homes. Although our home was not damaged, my school was destroyed and I had to continue lessons under a tree. There was little shelter, so when it rained or when it was hot, it became almost impossible to study.

Conference with Dominican and Haitian youth groups

“My situation changed in 2000, at the age of 11, when Plan came into the community and funded the construction of a new school. I have always worked hard in my studies to do my best and help my family, so I was really pleased when I was chosen to make a speech with two schoolmates at the school’s inauguration.

“The event was attended by many important people including the Director of Plan and other authorities. When I thanked them on behalf of our community, everyone began to applaud and I felt so happy! I was even in the newspapers!

“With Plan supporting the community, I slowly became more involved in their work, particularly when they began promoting work with children and youth, and talking about our rights, this was when I saw my opportunity to grow and do something different.

Preparing radio programme

“In 2002, Plan began a project entitled Child Media, to give children and youth a voice through radio. A meeting was organised with the community to find children who would be interested in participating and I jumped at the chance!

“I received training and gradually acquired a lot of knowledge about how to produce a radio programme. It also gave me the opportunity to make many new friends. I had opportunities that I could never have imagined, such as producing a script, writing commercials and participating in training workshops with youth from other provinces. I was even selected to participate in an international conference in London.

“Not only did I learn skills relating to managing radio, but I also learnt about children’s rights and participation, such as self-esteem, how to make decisions, democracy, teamwork, gender equality, issues relating to sexuality and how to give talks in schools and the public to share this knowledge.

Recording radio programme

“My participation in Child Media has also enabled me to develop my literacy, which led to my participation in the reading olympics, in which a classmate and I managed to win a computer for the school.

“Since then, I have continued to be involved in the radio programmes and with promoting children’s rights. My involvement has helped develop my knowledge and taught me many new skills. It has not only given me and other youths the opportunity for a better life, but has also enabled us to do something good for our communities.”