Dominican Foundation, Inc.

CLEAN WATER, CHANGING LIVES

Thanks to the joint effort of Dominican Foundation and IDDI, hundreds of families in rural communities now have access to safe and clean drinking water through sustainable home filters. 🌱

These filters not only improve health—reducing waterborne diseases—but also restore time and hope: women no longer need to walk long distances to collect water, and children can attend school more regularly.

Every drop counts. Every family matters. 💙

🌍
AGUA LIMPIA, VIDAS TRANSFORMADAS

Gracias al trabajo conjunto entre Dominican Foundation y el IDDI, cientos de familias en comunidades rurales ahora tienen acceso a agua segura y potable a través de filtros familiares sostenibles. 🌱

Estos filtros no solo mejoran la salud —reduciendo enfermedades transmitidas por el agua— sino que también devuelven tiempo y esperanza: las mujeres ya no tienen que recorrer largas distancias para buscar agua, y los niños pueden asistir a la escuela con más frecuencia.

Cada gota cuenta. Cada familia cuenta. 💙

🌍

The Eco-Tourism Floating Platform of Montecristi is an initiative of IDDI, our sister foundation in the Dominican Republic, together with AgroFrontera, financed by the Caribbean Biodiversity Fund (CBF)

What is the floating platform?
• Floating infrastructure for ecotourism, environmental education, and visitor management in the protected area of Montecristi (El Morro National Park).
• It is a community donation to the association of maritime and land tour operators of Montecristi to strengthen the local ecotourism offer.

Who is involved?
• Leadership and ex*****on: IDDI and AgroFrontera.
• Financing: Caribbean Biodiversity Fund (CBF), a regional program for conservation and ecosystem-based adaptation.

What is it for?
• Economic diversification: helps fishers and local guides transition into ecotourism, reducing pressure on fisheries and generating sustainable alternative incomes.
• Public use management: enables safe and controlled visits to mangroves and channels, minimizing impacts on sensitive habitats.
• It serves as a educational platform for environmental interpretation and activities of the Mangrove Living Lab in Montecristi, a model recognized by SEI as an example of coastal restoration and resilience.

Why Montecristi?
• National capital of mangroves: Montecristi province hosts 6,072 ha of mangroves, key ecosystems for fisheries, tourism, and coastal protection against climate change.
• Complementary CBF/IDDI interventions: restoration of freshwater flows and rechanneling that brought back fish and fauna to the mangroves; the platform complements these actions by channeling nature-based tourism.
• Cross-border project in the Montecristi–Bahía de Manzanillo landscape: focuses on biodiversity conservation and livelihoods in the face of threats from climate, traditional fishing, and tourism infrastructure.

Flashback to 9 years ago. A little fun break while assisting the RePapel Co-op, a recycled paper and crafts initiative formed by an enterprising group of women in the Dominican Republic in a small town outside of Puerto Plata. Participant in the then Social Impact Cruise excursion, Jerome Donovan shows off some moves with the ladies of the initiative. The Dominican Foundation and IDDI work together via our Micro-Enterprise program to provide funding and hands-on support for initiatives like this throughout the Dominican Republic.

Want to learn more and help support these initiatives? Visit our website: https://www.dominicanfoundation.org