Article sosuanews.com 21 May 2008

Sylvia arrived with a donation of 5000 euro

There are at least four organisations in Sosúa that try to provide a better future for poor children in the town. Sosúa Kids Organisation is one example, and the organisors of this group include Janet Williams, Barbara and Linden Anderson, and Karen Conguergood. Together, they ensure that 282 children (who could not otherwise afford it) can attend school, by providing them with school uniforms, books and writing materials. The group also pay tuition fees for four students who attend the university. The SOSua project has adopted a small school in a tiny village where the residents consist mostly of Haitians, and where the children do not have the right to free education. The SOSua project pays the salaries of teachers, as well as purchasing school furniture and equipment. The group recently organised a day trip for some of the children.Then there is another organisation that focuses on handicapped children in Sosúa. We'll be publishing an article on this group soon.
However, our attention today focuses on the Stichting Help Sosuakids to School', which is a Dutch foundation primarily headed by Sylvia Berkley.
(Read more = Lees meer)

Article www. sosuanews.com 12 June 2008

Benefit evening by 'Asher Foundation' not well attended

A benefit evening was organised on Saturday evening by the Asher Foundation and held in the Plaza Marina
hall, which is located in the main street (Pedro Clisante), opposite Banco Reservas. This foundation focuses on providing education for around 250 children that cannot take part in the conventional schooling system as they do not have the required documents.These are mostly children from Haitian families. The building where their lessons currently take place is far too small to house such a huge influx of children. The foundation hopes to purchase a larger building in the same area, and convert this into a school. It was hoped that this benefit evening would raise sufficient funds for a down-payment on a new building. The schoolchildren gave various performances (dance, pantomime, acted out sketches and sang songs), and the Yesenia Martinez band played various (religious) melodies. Unfortunately the audience was fairly small and the donations only amounted to around 400 dollars. But every little bit helps, according to the organisers. The committee members of the Asher Foundation would like to thank their sponsors for all their efforts.The sponsors include:
Compay José, Hotel Don Andres, artist Teddy Tejeda, Productos Sosúa and Supermercado Playero.

Article www.sosuanews.com 2007/10/11

11 October 2007

School project progresses well

On 27 December 2006 we told you about Sylvia Berkley, who supports the Sosúa Kids Organisation and also a school project for poor children close to Puerto Plata airport.

This is an educational project for poor children, mostly Haitians, who live in the slums opposite the Air Force base near the airport. These children have no birth certificates and are not included on the civil register, and therefore cannot take advantage of the free education available to children in this country. Judith (a qualified lawyer and practicing Christian) and her husband Roberto have started up a kindergarten and primary school for these children. They found some run-down premises and a good teacher who was prepared to work for a low wage. Luckily they met Sylvia, who had collected money in the Netherlands (from friends and family) to support this project.
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27 December 2006

Article in Sosúa-News set Sylvia in action

Sylvia Berkley is a very socially committed woman - she helps people (via action or advice) wherever she can. She knows what is to be less than perfect, because she has suffered her entire life from the consequences of polio, a disease that she contracted when she was young, before there was any vaccine against the illness. She therefore tires quickly and has trouble walking and carrying things, but this doesn't stop her from helping those less fortunate in this world.

During a previous stay in the Dominican Republic she saw for herself the extent of the poverty. Later she read in Sosúa-News about the children of Sosúa and surrounding villages, who came from poor families and could not go to school because there was no money to buy school uniforms. Sylvia mentioned this to her friends and family, and soon developed a plan to travel to Sosúa and find out exactly how she could help these children.Friends and family soon collected 4000 euro between them,so Sylvia bought herself a ticket (paid with her own money)
and stayed in a hotel in Sosúa.
(Read more= Lees meer)