PARTNER REPORT Amaranta Recovers from Heart Surgery

When Meliana found out her granddaughter, Amaranta, had a severe heart condition that required surgery, she says, “I trembled with fear.” The surgery was too expensive for the family, and so they prayed for a miracle.

Thanks to generous people like you, Amaranta, a sponsored child in the community of Don Bosco, was able to get the surgery she so desperately needed. She received surgery at a hospital in Santo Domingo, and is now home with her grandmother, recovering.

This surgery has done much more than save Amaranta’s life—it has inspired her and given her a goal for the future. She hopes to become a cardiologist. “I want to help people with the same problem as me,” she says.

Amaranta sits with her grandmother at their home in Don Bosco shortly after a successful heart surgery.

Thank You for Camp!

In August, children from every community we serve got to attend camp! There were two different two-day camps—one for younger children, and one for teenagers.

The theme of camp was “raising children with values that transform their community.” The children learned how they could use their gifts and talents to serve their communities.

The children not only participated in camp, they put their lessons into action right away by serving. “Playing the piano at the camp, I became a good server,” says 16-year-old Darvin. “I’ve learned the most important thing is not to be served, but to serve others and be supportive.”

Children from every community we serve attended camp this summer, thanks to you.

Children Read in Los Robles Thanks to Your Support

In September, the first group of parents graduated from adult literacy classes! Many of the parents were forced to leave school at a very young age to work. “My children used to ask me for help with their homework, but I couldn’t help them,” says Yaquelin, who was among the first graduates. “Now I feel much better. They ask me for help, and I can do it.”

When you support COTN’s ministry in the Dominican Republic, you help fund programs like the adult literacy classes. Thanks to you, parents like Yaquelin can be supportive and involved in their children’s education. Whole families are being changed because of your care. Thank you! Country Director Francisco Tejeda presents one of the

parents with a certificate of completion.

Dominican Republic

Third Quarter 2013