We just published our 50th edition of our Community Newsletter and it is amazing to look back and see how far we’ve come!

This year we have seen many advances in our initiatives to boost the sustainable development of Miches. We have counted on the participation of community members, children, parents, and teachers, who have all come together to make the future we want a reality.

We have successfully completed another year of Soy niña, soy importante (I’m a Girl, I’m Important) summer camp, where 300 girls from Miches, ages 9 to 12, had the opportunity to share a week full of joy, games and lots of learning! One more year in which we strive to make sure these girls recognize how important they are for their families, their friends and, especially, for themselves.

Fundación Tropicalia is celebrating its tenth anniversary in promoting the socioeconomic and environmental development of Miches, positioning this destination as a benchmark for sustainable tourism in the Dominican Republic and beyond.

Holy Week (Semana Santa) is upon us once again, a time when many Dominicans and foreign tourists visit Miches to enjoy and discover the natural wonders that this beautiful municipality has to offer.

This past weekend we supported 512 Congress: "The Innovative Power of the Teacher", where 11 individuals from Miches participated in the event, including educators, guidance counselors and coordinators for the educational centers of La Gina, TV Centro La Gina and La Culebra.

As part of Fundacion Tropicalia’s ​​Sociocultural Advocacy program area, members of the foundation accompanied the community in its celebration of one of the most picturesque and colorful festivals, the traditional Carnival of Miches.

In celebration of International Women's Day, we are proud to present Priscila Peña and Yaysi Díaz, the two young women who will participate as representatives of the El Seibo province in the Future Leaders Summit of the Dominican Republic, organized by the Embassy of Canada.

At Fundación Tropicalia we are convinced there is extensive value in international collaboration to expand development opportunities for the communities we work with, and for this reason, we approached the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to request the assignment of one of their Japanese program volunteers to collaborate with us in Miches (JICA).

For the past 10 years, Fundación Tropicalia has been working in the community of Miches, Dominican Republic, supporting the environmental and socioeconomic development of the region, working alongside international organizations, the public and private sectors, academia and civil society organizations.

UNESCO statistics reveal that only 30% of women around the world choose higher education in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Globally, female student enrollment is particularly low in with a mere 3% in data sciences and technology, 5% in natural sciences, mathematics and statistics, and 8% in engineering, manufacturing and construction.

This year's efforts to enhance the value of the unique beaches of the municipality of Miches have been an example of integration and empowerment.

Since 2011, Fundación Tropicalia and Universidad ISA (UISA) have shared the same vision, offering opportunities for young talents in the province of El Seibo to better themselves. This is how the scholarship program that fosters inclusion in higher education and cultural exchange is born.

The project “Inclusion of Micro and Small Enterprises (MSEs) in the Sustainable Tourism Supply Chain in Miches” has been implemented since 2013 by Fundación Tropicalia in partnership with the Multilateral Investment Fund of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB/MIF) with a global investment of almost a million dollars.

This initiative, led by Fundación Tropicalia in partnership with the Multilateral Investment Fund of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB / MIF), seeks to empower local producers and entrepreneurs.

Did you know the Dominican Republic is the 5th country in Latin America and the Caribbean with the highest teen pregnancy rate? And did you know 44% of teenage school dropouts are a result of early pregnancy? In 2016, more than 790,000 (37%) of Dominican girls were married before reaching the age of 18.

Once again we come together to help the girls of Miches with the 2017 edition of “Soy niña, soy importante” (SNSI) or “I’m a Girl, I’m Important” summer camp, with the mission of offering at-risk girls 9 to 12 years old a fun, safe and educational experience.

On January 28, we hosted the annual celebration of our School Renovation and Maintenance Program (PRyME) with more than 300 guests from the Miches school community - teachers, principals, community members, etc. - Educational District 12-04, local authorities and the Ministry of Education (MINERD).

Fundación Tropicalia and private university “Universidad Iberoamericana” (also known as UNIBE) signed an agreement to promote collaboration between the two institutions through programs aimed at contributing to the social development of Miches.

Fundación Tropicalia was honored by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) at the agency’s 13th UNTWO Awards ceremony held at the International Tourism Trade Fair in Madrid.