Aldeas de Paz

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Aldeas de Paz

History of the Peace Villages Foundation Int.

In the 1990s Manfred Monnighoff, a German entrepreneur developed the Peace Villages Foundation Int., the first known Non-Profit Franchise Concept. For this Monnighoff left his successful business career in Holland behind to become a social activist. He joined grassroots NGO's around the globe and worked as a volunteer with the intention of helping to create and promote a "Culture of Peace". Learning to put his entrepreneurial skills to work and gaining important NGO management experience, enabled him to set up replicable and self-sustained aid programs under the legal frame of Fundaciòn Aldeas de Paz, 2001 in Venezuela and later 2015 in the Dominican Republic. International Volunteers contribute through a combination of practical work and financial donations. The financial base for all international operations is based on a rotational credit system (RCS) and volunteer donations. Volunteer donations received by the Peace Villages Foundation are colocated independently of the volunteers placement location to programs in the Dominican Republic and Venezuela.

The Concept of the Peace Villages Foundation

We operate in Central and South America independenly from political, religious or business interests and maintain independence by completely funding and operating our programs with the practical and monetary contributions of volunteers and interns who participate in programs located in the Samana province of the Dominican Republic and hopefully soon again in Venezuela after the reopening scheduled for 2017/18.

OUR ORIGINAL MISSION: Peace Villages promotes a Culture of Peace through enriching cross-cultural exchange for people of all races and nationalities and we practice voluntary community service where we provide additional opportunities in education, sports, health care and skill training. We assist our beneficiaries to develop their potential and improve their own lives.

OUR LONGTERM VISION: Peace Villages offers Volunteers & Interns the great opportunity to work side by side with locals, learn new skills, study Spanish and immerse oneself in the Latin and Caribbean culture. We share the values of peace, justice and tolerance, fundamentally focusing on the preservation of cultural values and the empowerment of young people while valuing local knowledge and working with cultural sensitivity. Our Volunteer opportunities are truly the microcosm of a world where people join together giving priority to improving life for humanity and promoting a Culture of Peace as a practical way to both prevent and resolve conflict.

The beginnings in Venezuela

Monnighoff and the Peace Villages Foundation Int. started in 1995 a first humanitarian project in Merida, Venezuela, thanks to the collocation of his own life savings in form of a rotational credit. The work in Merida focused on children rights. Efforts were made to integrate street children and at-risk youth into a more stable environment, and at times into foster families. With the aim of creating a registered NGO in Venezuela, he succeeded in 2001 with the legal constitution of Fundacion Aldeas de Paz in Caracas, Venezuela and later in 2015 in Samana, the Dominican Republic. Aldeas de Paz has been based in Santa Elena, Venezuela since 2003 and has been operating in the Dominican Republic since 2015, focusing its resources and volunteer support on cultural exchange and social development programs.

During 2014 the social and political situation in Venezuela became increasingly difficult and programs based on volunteer participation had to be temporarily suspended until 2017/2018 when programs are scheduled to start operating again! This has been decided based on the request of Venezuelan board members of Aldeas de Paz and the necessity for help with social development and aid programs in Santa Elena, Venezuela!

While our programs in the Dominican Republic are very successful and operations are open for volunteer participation, the Venezuelan programs in Santa Elena will be initially exclusively run by local Venezuelan staff and financed by international volunteer donations and the rotational credit system of the Peace Villages Foundation International.

Aldeas de Paz in Venezuela will hopefully be able to invite international volunteers later in 2018 when accommodations at the foundations grounds are reopened and a special access route to the location in Santa Elena near the Brazilian border is fully operational. However, we welcome interested Volunteers and Interns to contact us for more information.

Aldeas de Paz in the Dominican Republic

Since January 2015 a second branch of Fundacion Aldeas de Paz has been inaugurated in the Dominican Republic. With great support of the local community the Dominican headquarters has successfully been established in Samana and Las Terrenas, both lovely coastal towns in the north east of the Dominican Republic. We are met with exceptional friendliness and kindness by locals and authorities! Our work in Samana and Las Terrenas is focusing on education and human rights, environmental protection and animal rescue.

We are also promoting actively cultural exchange and sustainable, ecological tourism as a source of income for impoverished communities in the province. We are mainly concerned with the plight of children, youth and young adults from vulnerable communities and from disadvantaged backgrounds.

What we do

With our Youth Care and Community Work Program we aim to empower children and young adults by offering them additional educational opportunities and tutoring classes, as well as supporting and educating parents. With the help of local professionals we started the first ever educational and therapeutic initiative for children with special needs in Samana.

Our small Community Attention Center located in the heart of Samana hosts our special need school and offers computer literacy classes, English and German language classes. In different locations around Samana and Las Terrenas we offer environmental awareness and conservation programs as well as animal rescue and care programs.

Additionally we raise awareness for critical issues through our Social Media, Multimedia and Journalism Project. An awareness raising television program with the aim to help educate parents and attend adolescent issues is planned. With the help of our NGO Management and Administration Program we coordinate our efforts and keep up with the managment of operations in the province. Within this program we support our staff to coordinate the various initiatives and logistical planning involved with the aim to become self-sustained in the community.

Our Medical and Dental Health Experience and Observation Programs provides interns and volunteers for the local hospital, neigborhood clinics and dental clinics to shadow and assist the nurses and doctors. While our Hospitality and Tourism Program offers interns the possibility to gain working experience with local hotels and tour-operators as well as help training local workers in the tourism industry. Thanks to the great efforts of all the volunteers from around the world, Fundacion Aldeas de Paz is able to make a positive impact on the local community!

German Government recognized

In 2016 Aldeas de Paz became a recognized hosting organization in the framework of the development volunteer service weltwaerts, founded in 2008 by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development. Aldeas de Paz in the Dominican Republic in cooperation with the German Red Cross places volunteers in programs based in Samana and Las Terrenas.

Mission Statement
ADP is independent from political, religious or business interests and maintains independence by completely funding and operating its programs with the practical and monetary contributions of volunteers. The community promotes the “Culture of Peace” through enriching cross-cultural exchange for people of all races and nationalities and practices voluntary community service where it provides additional opportunities in educational, recreational and environmental fields and assists its beneficiaries to develop their potential and improve their own lives. ADP Community shares the values of peace, justice and tolerance, fundamentally focusing on the preservation of indigenous cultures and the empowerment of young people while valuing local knowledge and working with cultural sensitivity. ADP Volunteer opportunities are truly the microcosm of a world where people join together giving priority to improving life for humanity and promoting a “Culture of Peace” as a practical way to both prevent and resolve conflict. Volunteers and interns are the driving force of our charity, both through their volunteering and through their financial contributions.

Community Description
Aldeas de Paz (ADP) is a sustainable and transparent community and grassroots NGO based in Santa Barbara de Samana, the Dominican Republic. A typical member, volunteer or intern needs to be enthusiastic, willing to learn, ready for a challenge, has a desire to take initiative and dedicates a lot of caring and passion to the position. Friendliness, care, commitment and patience are among important qualities. We welcome individual volunteers, families and groups regardless of age, experience or background. Volunteering with ADP is a great opportunity to work side by side with locals, learn new skills, study Spanish, and immerse oneself in the Latin and indigenous culture. You are interacting with the community, building relationships and making a positive impact. These days the Community is welcoming new permanent members and especially idealistic people are encouraged to join.
Housing
Land owned by: An absentee landlord
Membership
Adult Members: 8
Percent Women: 61-70%
Percent Men: 31-40%
Percent Transgender: 0%
Visitors accepted: Yes
Visitor Process:
mailto: mail@peacevillages.org
Open to new Members: Yes
Membership Process:
3 months to 12 months: provisional membership
12 months onward: permanent membership

Economics
Dues, Fees, or Shared Expenses: Yes
Shared Income: Members have completely independent finances
Required Labor Contribution per Week: 20
Open to members with existing debt: Yes (some debts)
Sustainability Practices
Current renewable energy generation: 25-50%
Planned renewable energy generation: 0%, or close to 0%
Current food produced: 0%, or close to 0%
Planned food produced: Between 25-50%
Food produced locally: From 50-75%

Lifestyle
Shared meals: 2-5 times per week
Dietary Practice: Omnivorous (plants and animals), Paleo (no grains, dairy, processed foods, or legumes), Local (food sourced within 100 miles), Organic (no pesticides or synthetic fertilizers), GMO Free (only non-genetically modified organisms), Vegetarian (no animal meat; dairy and eggs okay), Mostly Vegetarian, Vegan Only (plants only, no animal products) – Please check this only if you are 100% Vegan., Mostly Vegan, Raw or Mostly Raw, Kosher, Halal
Dietary Choice or Restrictions: Not at all important – people may eat however they individually choose.
Alcohol Use: Yes, used occasionally.
Tobacco Use: No~ this community does not permit tobacco use.
Common Spiritual Practice(s): Ecumenical (accepts all religions or spiritual practices)
Education Style(s): Up to each individual
Healthcare Options: Up to each individual

Source: https://www.ic.org/directory/aldeas-de-paz/
             http://www.peacevillages.org/what-we-do.html