Thank you for your participation in a Help One Now Learning Journey! The Help One Now ethos is to remain invisible in our communities and focus our efforts on resourcing key leaders instead. Help One Now leads a limited number of Learning Journeys for committed, long-term supporters (Church Partners, Child Sponsors, Foundation Members, and Circle Members) each year. On these Journeys, emphasis will be placed on connecting with a community, building deep relationships with the local leaders, and brainstorming how you can unlock your human capital to partner together and support their work back home.

A few important things to note about this trip:

Airfare and all expenses on the ground (meals, lodging, transportation) are included in the trip price, but any other costs associated with your trip would be your responsibility (those costs may include spending money, or appointments at a travel clinic before your trip, for example). We do allow our trip participants to fundraise through their registration pages in order to make those trip costs more manageable!

Those traveling are required to carry a passport with an expiration date further than 6 months away from the date of travel. Should your passport have already expired, or should your passport expire within 6 months after your intended trip dates, you can mail in your old passport to get it expedited and renewed. HERE is where you can find more information on how to renew your passport.

Due to the nature of our work, Help One Now requires special approval from the trip leader, and Director of International Operations to join the trip if you are under the age of 18. If approved, we will email out a form to get signed by parents or legal guardians, giving permission to travel out of the country with the team.

In addition, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommends various vaccinations for international travelers depending on your destination country. Please visit a medical professional or a travel clinic as soon as you know you are traveling abroad, as they may recommend particular vaccinations or medicine based on your destination, some vaccinations are not always immediately available, and some vaccinations need to be administered over the course of months. **Please ensure you are up to date on all routine vaccinations. These vaccinations include a measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine, diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis vaccine, varicella (chickenpox) vaccine, polio vaccine, and a flu shot! Most of you are up to date on these anyway!**

The DR does not currently have any required vaccinations; however, we recommend the Hepatitis A vaccination, a Typhoid treatment (pill or shot), and Malaria medication as well.

Some travelers choose to receive the Cholera, Hepatitis B, Rabies, and Yellow Fever vaccinations, but REST ASSURED: we know these lists may seem overwhelming, but all of these vaccinations are entirely optional and are merely precautions!

We’d love to encourage you to familiarize yourself with Help One Now’s philosophy regarding international mission. In preparation for your potential Learning Journey, please try to read Doing Good Is Simple by Help One Now’s founder Chris Marlow. Another great resource is When Helping Hurts by Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert.

Tentative Trip Schedule

*Please note that this schedule is subject to change*

Thursday 3/13

• Arrive in Santo Domingo, the capital of The Dominican Republic, around lunchtime
• Lunch together at a traditional Dominican restaurant
• Travel to La Vega via van
• Meet local leader Rod Davis and take time to hear his story and vision
• Dinner and intro to trip meeting at guesthouse. This will be a time of getting to know Help One Now and laying out expectations for the week and how we can make the most of our time together

Friday 3/14

• Breakfast and a guided morning reflection time
• Tour Help One Now’s partner schools and hear about how education has empowered the community
• Tour T.E.A.R.S. medical clinics and learn about their vision for the future
• Visit the T.E.A.R.S. water treatment facility and learn how it contributes to their overall mission
• Dinner and downtime with Rod and his team at the guesthouse

Saturday 3/15

• Guided morning reflection time, followed by breakfast
• Visit families in the Family Business Program and see their businesses in action
• Visit the T.E.A.R.S. Haitian church and hear about their ministry
• Visit Salto Jimenoa waterfall in the mountains outside of La Vega
• Have dinner at a nice traditional Dominican restaurant
• Downtime with Rod and his team

Sunday 3/16

• Breakfast and a guided morning reflection time
• Church service at a local TEARS community church
• Depart La Vega, travel back to Santo Domingo
• Visit Santo Domingo’s Zona Colonial historic district. This will be time to see some of the country’s history and experience the beauty of its culture
• Free time to relax at a beautiful Caribbean beach
• Dinner at Casa Hemingway Hotel, time to debrief and reflect on the trip together

Monday 3/17

• Final guided morning reflection time and breakfast together
• More free time to relax at the beach before heading home
• The team will travel home from Santo Domingo in the afternoon

*More details will be emailed to you. In the meantime, please reach out to trips@helponenow.com if you have any questions*