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Strengthening a Family
After her husband died, a young mother of four children, three under the age of six, was lost until NPH Dominican offered a helping hand.
Reported by Kelsey A.
Communications Officer Assistant, NPH Dominican Republic
August 14, 2017
After her husband died, Kikita, did not know what to do. Lacking an education at 24 years old, she had four children, three under the age of six and was forced to ask for donations from neighbors. Then Kirsten “Kiki” Henschel, NPH Dominican’s Project and Community Outreach Coordinator, and her team proposed an idea; they offered to buy groceries monthly for the family if Kikita picked up garbage along the road leading up to NPH and in the batey. Kikita agreed, and for the past two years she has worked to beautify our neighborhood.
She shared proudly, “I pick up all the papers, almost every day, and I clean up the garbage on Mondays and Fridays”. Reciprocity is the most wonderful part of Kikita’s aid from NPH because it gives her a feeling of accomplishment and keeps her pride intact.
Kiki explains how the situation with Kikita is not one sided, but instead, an exchange. “It is an interchange, it is something for her to feel invested, useful and good because it is not just alms [a handout],” Kiki explained to me. This beautification project has helped link Kikita’s small family to NPH in many ways.
When it comes to helping Kikita’s family, NPH has not just stopped after buying groceries. We helped expand Kikita´s very small and modest house. This past Christmas season Kikita received the news, NPH would add an additional room to her former one-room home.
NPH Dominican Republic also helps Kikita’s children through education, something Kikita never received. Kikita’s four children are all attending NPH’s schools. She has twins of four years old who are in our Montessori school, an eight-year-old son who is in third grade, and a thirteen-year-old daughter who is in her sixth year of primary school. Kikita is very proud of her children. While talking with her, she shared that her children all know their letters and can read! She hopes her children will graduate from high school.
Kikita is also working toward a better future for herself – one of our current volunteers offers English classes to women in Batey Nuevo, and Kikita attends as many classes as she can. “I go when I can, because it makes me proud to learn English,” she said.
Kikita, an active member in her church, gives thanks to God for giving her Kiki, Kieran Rigney our National Director, and NPH as a whole. Kikita commented, “Kiki is a very good person, she is loving, caring and kind. It is because of her and NPH that we are living and surviving, because without NPH we would not be here. I give a big thank you to everyone – Kiki, Kieran, Susana, Thomas, and all the people from NPH.”
Related Information:
• NPH Dominican Republic
• How Your Help Makes an Impact at NPH
• Education Program
• Community Outreach Programs
Photo above: Kikita with her four children. Photos below: Kikita and her two sons proudly sitting on their new couch, Kikita’s youngest son in our Montessori classroom; Family check-up time with special thanks to the University of Arizona Medical students who came to hold clinics in our neighboring communities; Kikita’s youngest daughter checks the heart beat of a medical student
