Education helps girls build a better future in the Dominican Republic

For Jocaylin, education can give her daughters opportunities she did not have growing up.

“I am so happy that I have two daughters, but every day I worry that my girls will be harassed,” says the young mother.

In the Dominican Republic, girls face a high risk of violence and exploitation, early marriage or unions, and adolescent pregnancy. SOS Children's Villages works with families to help children stay in school and gain the knowledge and opportunities they need to pursue their goals.

Breaking the cycle through education

Jocaylin knows how important those opportunities can be. Growing up, she experienced violence at home.

"I experienced a lot of violence from my grandmother. The worst thing was that she told me that my mother never wanted me and wanted to sell me at the hospital. I was so unhappy in my family that I got married at 15 and had my first daughter at 16."

Some girls enter early marriages or unions as a way of escaping difficult or unsafe situations at home. Early unions are also closely linked to adolescent pregnancy and can limit young girls' opportunities to complete their education and become financially independent.

Today, Jocaylin wants something different for her daughters.

Her husband works in a bakery, but his salary isn't enough to cover the costs of their children's education. As a result, they were accepted into SOS Children's Villages' Family Strengthening Program.

SOS Children's Villages supports families like Jocaylin's, in part by helping them overcome barriers to education so children can stay in school and gain the knowledge and skills they need to pursue their own goals.

"Education is extremely important for girls and young women to become financially independent," says Raquel Santos, Program Manager at SOS Children's Villages Dominican Republic. "Otherwise, their only option is to get married and be provided for."

Knowledge helps protect girls

Education also helps girls recognize dangerous situations and understand their rights.

Commercial sexual exploitation of children is a serious concern. Raquel explains that children cannot consent to sexual exploitation – they are victims of abuse, not participants in prostitution.

For Jocaylin, keeping her daughters informed is one way of protecting them.

"Recently, a man offered my 12-year-old daughter money if she went with him," she says. "But my girls are well-informed; they know that this doesn't mean anything good. They are smart, they will be free."

Her daughters are already imagining the futures they want for themselves.

"I want to be a flight attendant," says the eldest shyly.
"And I want to be a doctor!" interjects the younger one.

Hearing her daughters talk about their ambitions shows Jocaylin how education can give them opportunities and choices she did not have growing up.