Dominican Republic

Bénévolat en République Dominicaine

Dominican Republic, in Spanish República Dominicana, is a country of the Greater Antilles. It takes up about two third parties of the Hispaniola island, in the Caribbean sea, as Haïti takes up a third party at the west of the island. Spanish is the official language of this country that has more than 10 million inhabitants. The relief of Dominican Republic is very varied, with five mountainous massifs, high plateaus, humid and dense tropical forests giving rise to many waterways and lakes, green valleys and very arid regions. Three mountainous chains cross the country.

It is difficult to give you a right indication of the prices applied in Dominican Republic because they can vary a lot depending on the season, the city, the neighbor or the economic situation… If you live like the locals by buying the fresh products in the markets rather than in the supermarkets and by avoiding as much as possible the imported products and the too touristic places, life will seem you very cheap. Here is a few examples :

Basic products Prices in euros / Dominican Pesos
1L of water (botel) 0,48 € / 25 DOP
1 meal (2 dishes) 5,82 € / 300 DOP
1 bus ticket 0,49 € / 25 DOP

The cooking from Dominican Republic is culturally very rich, offering a variety of meals that mixes Taïnos, Creole, European and African influences in an explosion of tastes rich in colors, condiments and flavors. The Dominican cooking is very similar to that of other South American countries, especially that of the neighboring islands, Puerto Rico and Cuba, even if the names of the meals are sometimes different.

Vaccine and specific advice :

Find out what vaccines are recommended for the country and what are the diseases preventive and/or treatment measures on site.

Checklist :

Vaccine renewal, country-specific vaccinations: 1-3 months before leaving

Visit your doctor or specialist for any health problem, repeat of medical prescriptions, contraception, to have a sufficient initial stock of drugs, adjustment of dosages. Moreover, you will need to send your coordinator a certificate from your doctor certifying that you are well able to participate in an international volunteer project.

Dentist : a dental check-up can be useful before you leave !

Our partner in Dominican Republic is the MR Foundation. Is was founded in 1990 with the objective to offer to the La Romana’s children an education in better conditions. The children mainly come from disadvantaged and poor backgrounds. The organization want to support the exchanges between the volunteers and the students to open their mind. MIR, through its action, wishes to allow children to integrate the labor market more easily or to help pursuing higher education.

With regard to obtaining a visa and entry requirements, we invite you to contact the embassy in question.

Embassy of Dominican Republic in the UK : 

139 Inverness Terrace, Bayswater
W2-6JF
London
United Kingdom
Phone+44-207-727-7091
Fax+44-207-727-3693
Website URL www.dominicanembassy.org.uk

Embassy of Dominican Republic in the USA :

in Washington, DC
1715 22nd Street N.W.
DC 20008
Washington
United States
Phone+1-202-332-6280
Fax+1-202-265-8057
Website URL www.domrep.org

Embassy of Dominican Republic in Canada :

130 Albert Street, Suite 418
K1P 5G4
Ontario
Ottawa
Canada
Phone+1-613-5699893
Fax+1-613-5699893
Website URL www.drembassy.org

List of projects available in Dominican Republic