I have often noticed while traveling that some of the most beautiful places suffer from an unfortunate amount of poverty. The Dominican Republic is one of those places. Despite its rich culture, beautiful beaches, and fun-loving attitude of the people there, many of its citizens live in extremely downtrodden conditions. This is most evident in the bateyes.
What are Bateyes
Bateyes refer to rural neighborhoods that were originally communities built for the cultivation of sugarcane. Today, they are the homes for many Haitian immigrants and Dominicans of Haitian ancestry. The people in these bateyes often lack basic essentials such as food, water, and access to medical care. There is no electricity and very few job opportunities. The buildings are made with readily-available materials. In more urban environments, this may mean a large building with small rooms divided by wood or fabric for different families. In smaller bateys, the people may live in small wooden huts. These neighborhoods do not receive any kind of funding from the Dominican Republic.
History of the Bateyes
Originally, the bateyes were created for the cultivation of sugarcane. The Dominican economy relied heavily on the exportation of sugarcane for hundreds of years. Starting in the early 1900’s, thousands of migrant workers came from neighboring Haiti to work in these bateyes. This source of cheap labor was beneficial to the Dominican economy, but also stirred up a lot of anti-Haitian sentiment. The dictator of the Dominican Republic, Rafael Trujillo, instilled emphasized the racial superiority that Dominicans had over the darker-skinned Haitians, which led to a state-sponsored massacre against Haitians and Dominicans of Haitian descent in 1937.
A changing economy and natural disasters have limited the feasibility of making a living from sugarcane in the bateys. On top of that, many people in the bateyes live in fear of deportation. In 2013, a court declared that anyone who could not prove their family lived in the Dominican Republic prior to 1929 would no longer be considered a citizen. Mass deportations ensued, and tensions reached a peak in 2015 when a Haitian man was lynched in the city of Santiago. The lack of opportunity in the bateyes combined with the fear of venturing outside of their communities keep the people there impoverished and with little hope.
Where the Bateyes are Located
Today, about half a million people live in over 400 bateyes around the Dominican Republic. They are located everywhere from the interior of the country to the coast. I visited a batey on the outskirts of the capital city of Santo Domingo, as well as one less than a kilometer from large resort hotels in Puerto Plata. There are large clusters of bateyes found in the southwestern part of the country, including the provinces of Baoruco and Independencia.
Volunteer Opportunities
If you decide to volunteer in a batey, I highly recommend learning at least a little bit of Spanish or Haitian Creole. French would be helpful as well, as many Haitians would be able to understand that. Just being able to translate could be extremely helpful to the people in the batey. There was an American healthcare worker volunteering in the batey, and I was able to translate nutrition information that he provided from English into Spanish. A Dominican volunteer then translated what I said into Haitian Creole for the people to understand.
If you are interested in volunteer opportunities, the Batey Relief Alliance is a good resource.
