These are some of the               People of Barrio Blanco           Greetings

So far, 46 families who were living in terrible shacks have become owners of real homes with the combination their labor, and building materials donated through Providing Opportunity.  We are still building more homes.  Here is where we have built within Barrio Blanco during the past 5 1/2 years.

This is what the homes we replaced looked like:

This is an example of one of the homes we built.  It looks nicer now because Hector fixed it up.  The homes are all custom and vary.

We currently have a total of 35 students on full scholarships.  27 attend CADIN Colegio private school, and 8 in university.  Before our efforts, there were none.  Here are some of our kids.

The DREAM Project administers both a Montessori School in the mornings and afternoons for 27 children aged 2 1/2 to 5 1/2 and as well, an after school tutoring program to further our older students' abilities.  We provide breakfast for the morning crew.  All are running well.  Below inside our school.

Our (free) clinic in Barrio Blanco treats 50+ people weekly with Dr. Wally Jean.  We have paid for him to gain a specialty in diabetes which is prevalent in the barrio.  The clinic is running very well and helps people ongoing.

We are about to celebrate with the THIRD Traditional Christmas Dinner for ALL 350 people in Barrio Blanco (food donated through Providing Opportunity, preparation labor by residents).  As well, donors paid for decorations and we are using the tree donated by LLibre Ferreteria again.  Looks Beautiful!  Below, decorating the entrance, tree, setting the tables up for the feast, and...

                                                 

This past year has been wonderful for the progress on all fronts in Barrio Blanco.  If you walked by the entrance, you'd notice the new paint and flower boxes (we paid materials, labor by residents).  You might also notice that the DR government paved the entry and throughout the barrio passages

Litter patrol every two days makes Barrio Blanco much cleaner than it was, and than other places, but still not perfect.  Students receiving scholarships and their parents do the litter patrols as a community service exchange.  Below is a patrol group one day.

Haha!   Lelen on the left has the grumpiest face on.  You should see her when she smiles!  Lights up the world!  In photos, she is either smiling  Big or frowning Big, like here.  Really nice lady.





There is a growing sense of pride in the neighborhood.  Things have been improving visibly and inside the people.  They feel "ORGULLO  BARRIO BLANCO" which means "Pride Barrio Blanco"

Thank you to all who have helped.  You are truly making a real, visible difference, and you can ask anyone in the neighborhood and they'll tell you this and express appreciation to "Los Donantes", the Donors.

More info or to contact:  Ron Zauner   (you can click this-->)    ProvidingOpportunity@gmail.com   

in the U.S.   541-844-9745

Building Homes June + July 2016

We are building 4  NEW HOMES  in Barrio Blanco, Cabarete  Right Now .. between June 2, and July 23,2016!

Anyone can come by and jump in.  Just ask "Where is the Project?" , or "Where is Ron working?"  ..... then get ready to be accepted by 15 to 25 Dominicans and Haitians working together with lots of POSITIVE Energy !

We are building in two sites within Barrio Blanco ... one will be two story stuccoed block with a full home on each floor.  We are calling this "Norma's house" because she owned the land and will own the downstairs home.  Upstairs will be Michel's family.  Norma is our project cook, and Michel is a valued worker.

Everyone who receives a home with our efforts provides one full time worker daily 6 days weekly until we finish.  At the second site, "Efen's house" we are building a 2 story wood home and remodeling and expanding a studio home to be a full 2 bedroom for Lele's family.  During this we will be raising the roof  6 feet on two homes to create upstairs bedrooms.

All homes are built with money donated to Providing Opportunity to buy materials, and labor from Barrio Blanco residents.  We have torn down terrible scrap shacks and built 43 homes so far this way.  Everyone loves them, and they are solid.  Almost every home has a living room, bathroom, kitchen, 2-4 bedrooms and porch.  All have full septic systems below the home and all homes are raised 3 feet above ground to their floor to enclose the system and raise the interior above floodwaters.

Here are some pictures so far....

When clearing the land at Norma's, the ladies in the below picture earned themselves paying jobs

Below is where Efen and is family were living.

We tore this shack down


   Yes, that was a "home" on the left.

  After pouring footings, we began building our base which encloses our septic system which includes 2 primary and secondary tanks and leachfield
 
We removed the small remaining shack and added support to the home base.  After that, our tanks went in, they were sealed followed with rebar and below floor plumbing and vapor barrier.  On Monday, June 20th, we poured the concrete floor.

Back at Norma's house, after building our foogtings and block base and doing remaining prep work, we were ready for our drainfield stones.
 On top of our septic tanks we put plywood forms to pour concrete on top of. We leave a hole to climb in to remove the wood when the concrete is dry.

The people building walls above are standing on the floor that is already 4 feet above ground.
By the end of the week,  Norma's home was the new playground.

And clothes dryer

Sunday was haircut day

And time to relax
 Ahhhh.
To be fully current with "What's Now" ....

It is now Tuesday evening, June 21, 2016.  Norma's first floor walls are completed and we have a carpenter working to build the forms for her ceiling -- the second story floor.  This afternoon our first truckload of lumber from Santiago was ordered and hopefully will come in this evening.

We build with love in Barrio Blanco.  We build happy.  If you are in Cabarete ask for Barrio Blanco and come by.  Be a part.  If you want to chip in, our Paypal button is on the Donor tab, or write to (Ron) at ProvidingOpportunity@gmail.com for info.  Typically during building projects I send out weekly Project Updates to Donors so that they can see their money being put directly to work.

We do a lot more than build homes in Barrio Blanco, and wherever you are ... please jump in with us.  You will see direct improvements for whatever you do.  EVERYTHING  that is given to help this community goes directly in to Barrio Blanco.  All costs outside are paid separately from donations by one family.

Click here :   Scholarship Information
                      *** Scholarships have progressed.  We currently have FULL Scholarships for                          25  students to CADIN Colegio, a very good private school, plus 4 to University

This is the What's Now page for Providing Opportunity

We are breaking ground to build two new homes in Barrio Blanco on May 27, 2015 and lasting for    5 to 6 weeks.  If you want to come by, join in, send money or bring food or clothing, either contact me via email at .. ProvidingOpportunity@gmail.com    or come to the neighborhood and ask anyone where we are building.

My name is Ron Zauner, and I work full time "to help the People of Barrio Blanco"  in Cabarete, Dominican Republic.  I use all of my effort for that, and don't have time to keep the web page current.  What I do, though, is I send out Donor Updates via email.  Often.  These are a much easier way for me to keep people informed about what is going on.

Yes, I know....it would be best if the web-site were kept current too.

The web page for Providing Opportunity.org was created in December, 2012.  It seems so very long ago...because we have accomplished so very much since then.

We use our money and effort to bring benefit directly into Barrio Blanco.  Every donation goes directly into the barrio.  My family pays all administrative and other costs so that we can do this.  A downside is that I can't afford to pay programmers to do continual web work, or advertise.  But, as mentioned, we accomplish a lot.  Since December 2012, here's a catch-up:


After removing 18 junk shacks and building new homes in place during Project 1, completed in September 2012, everyone was so pleased that we went forward with Project 2.  The second project was more efficient.  We were planning on limiting our building to 10 new homes, but added 20 !  And a New Medical Clinic building, which allowed us to move clinic services out of the school.

We completed Project 2 at the end of June, 2013, and you should see it !  Fantastic!

This picture on the left was a hand-out taken from a rooftop at the beginning of Project 2 in Jan. 2013.  The picture on the right was taken from the same direction, but on the ground.   It's true!


Really nice!  We even made a beautiful garden that was named "Gene's Garden" after Gene Stewart, a wonderful man who came from Oregon and worked his tail off to help these people.  Everybody loves Gene.

The DREAM Project has been running our school, and you should see what a job they do.  Beginning in August 2013, they taught 25 students aged 8 to 14 in their "Young Stars" program in the mornings, and Montessori school with a different 25 students in the afternoons.  These are both highly successful school programs.  DREAM not only provides 2 paid teachers for each class, but also has had 6 college students from Norway everyday in school.  Talk about special attention.  In fact, after Montessori, beginning in January, these Norwegians even taught English in the school!

Additionally, because about half of the children in Barrio Blanco are malnourished from donations to Providing Opportunity, we served "One nourishing meal per day" to each of 50 school children.  As an aside, this is our most expensive ongoing program costing $8500 yearly, and we can use help...yes. 


The school building has become the Community Center for the barrio.

In our new Medical Clinic, we pay for Mirian Placencio, our doctor, to provide clinic services 3 half days each week.  Earlier this year (2014) we began inoculating first the children (over 100) for 5 diseases (including DPT), and then over 100 adults.  Further, 2 weeks ago we began testing for Papillovirus.

Everything we do is FREE to the residents .... But.... The residents do the work.

This is important.  When any of us looks at "government housing", or even charity given housing where the beneficiaries are "given the keys", it doesn't take long before the residences and area look junky.  True?

Not so in Barrio Blanco.  The people built these homes.  They worked hard.  Very hard.  Their homes are theirs, and they have chosen colors, styles, and have added various touches that would surprise you.  And the residents are proud and protective of their homes.

 

Now, we are intent on providing scholarships to the children of Barrio Blanco; the future.  You can become part of this, and we could surely use your help.  June 30, 2014 ... today ... these are some of our happy children beginning Summer School at CADIN Colegio.  Imagine that...happy for summer school!  All have known hunger. They are happy because they already know that this is their chance for a better future. 

And this is our chance to help.      Elianny is front left....and taken...she's my #1 girlfriend, and smart as a whip. 

What is especially unique with Providing Opportunity is that you know where and how money you donate is spent.  We show you.  It's personal.

So....if you'd like to know more, or be kept current on our progress....send an email to ProvidingOpportunity@gmail.com  Your name and email will not be used given to any others, and will only be used to show progress.

Thanks, Ron

Providing Opportuntiy
85017 Willamette St.
Eugene, Oregon   97405
USA

tele  (541) 844-9745