A Cow For Hermione and Jennifer
Donation protected
This past summer I went to the Dominican Republic with an independent microloan project. I was able to raise about 4,000 dollars during the school year, and in my 25 days in the DR I was able to purchase 4 cows, a pregnant pig, and build a public, educational vegetable garden at the elementary school! It was the best summer of my life. To pick my families, I walked from house to house in the community for days, introducing myself to each family, explaining my project, and interviewing all who were interested.
I got very close with all 5 of my families in Las Canas, but one in particular defined the summer for me. This one family, I consider to be one of my own. Their house was like a haven for me this summer. I’d go with the intention of checking on the cow situation, and end up playing and talking with the family of four for hours.
This is Hermione Juliet. On Christmas, she turned four! She is the light and joy of her family, myself included. At first she was shy, and then one of the neighborhood kids told me that Hermione went around talking about me, telling everyone that I was her big sister. After that, we were inseparable. I carried her like a little giggling doll everywhere that I went.
This is Jennifer. Jennifer is 15, and honestly the most gentle, hardworking, and kind soul I have ever met. She never stops smiling, and I truly consider her to be one of my closest friends. In her community, about 90% of girls above the age of 13 are in some way affiliated with prostitution. I have never asked Jennifer directly about this, because it is so common that the girls in the community think nothing of it and it would be unfair for me to express my inability to accept that she is simply doing all she can to make money to feed her family. Keeping Jennifer and Hermione away from that became my driving force for the project. I thought that if I can help improve the family’s economic situation and food stability, then the likelihood of the girls being pushed toward prostitution would be minimized.
This is the mother of Jennifer and Hermione, a truly remarkable woman and mother who owns one of my favorite laughs ever.
This is a view of the entire house.
This is the cow that the family purchased this summer, with Jennifer and Hermione’s father Ingenio. How the project works is that my money pays for it initially, as a microloan. Over the next two years, a portion of the money made for the family from the cow’s milk will go toward paying off the loan. Ingenio was so committed to this, and took the route of selecting a cheaper cow. Based on the quantity of the milk produced, cows range anywhere from about $600 to $1,500 and upwards. While all of my families selected cows $900 and above, Ingenio selected Julianna the cow, with her calf Pepita, for a total of $595 because he wanted the loan to be manageable and “40,000 ($897) pesos and above is a lot of money for a poor man.”
Last night I received an update from the project supervisor about all of my families. Four out of five are flourishing with their animals. However:
My heart was broken when I read this, but now I am more driven than ever. I’m going to get this family another cow. I can’t go about my life here without knowing that this family is smiling about the cow behind their house.
The money from my 4 cow families from the previous summer would have provided the funds for two more cows by this upcoming summer. However, those funds are for future families, and now I am permanently down $595 as long as this family is without a cow.
I feel strongly that this family not only be able to replace their cow, but that they know that they can purchase one of higher quality to minimize the chances of further disappointment.
So far, from tutoring and donations this year I have raised some money and I am going to allocate all of this to Hermione and Jennifer’s family. The dream is to have over $1,000 available for this family, so they at least have the opportunity to invest in a high quality cow.
I am willing to do whatever it takes to get this family a cow as soon as soon as possible. Soon, I am going to reach out and tell them to start looking for one and until the funds come in I am going to pay out of pocket.
I am driven by the thought of this family’s relief when they find out that no, they’re not in debt, but that I refuse to leave them behind.
Thank you so much for your support just by reading this because knowing that other people have also thought about Hermione and Jennifer makes this worth it, even if no donation comes of it.
If you’re interested in helping this family, and would like to make a donation, know that contributions of any size will make all the difference. If you have any questions, you can email or text me at any time of any day, ever.
Thank you so so so much. This project and this family mean everything to me.
I got very close with all 5 of my families in Las Canas, but one in particular defined the summer for me. This one family, I consider to be one of my own. Their house was like a haven for me this summer. I’d go with the intention of checking on the cow situation, and end up playing and talking with the family of four for hours.
This is Hermione Juliet. On Christmas, she turned four! She is the light and joy of her family, myself included. At first she was shy, and then one of the neighborhood kids told me that Hermione went around talking about me, telling everyone that I was her big sister. After that, we were inseparable. I carried her like a little giggling doll everywhere that I went.
This is Jennifer. Jennifer is 15, and honestly the most gentle, hardworking, and kind soul I have ever met. She never stops smiling, and I truly consider her to be one of my closest friends. In her community, about 90% of girls above the age of 13 are in some way affiliated with prostitution. I have never asked Jennifer directly about this, because it is so common that the girls in the community think nothing of it and it would be unfair for me to express my inability to accept that she is simply doing all she can to make money to feed her family. Keeping Jennifer and Hermione away from that became my driving force for the project. I thought that if I can help improve the family’s economic situation and food stability, then the likelihood of the girls being pushed toward prostitution would be minimized.
This is the mother of Jennifer and Hermione, a truly remarkable woman and mother who owns one of my favorite laughs ever.
This is a view of the entire house.
This is the cow that the family purchased this summer, with Jennifer and Hermione’s father Ingenio. How the project works is that my money pays for it initially, as a microloan. Over the next two years, a portion of the money made for the family from the cow’s milk will go toward paying off the loan. Ingenio was so committed to this, and took the route of selecting a cheaper cow. Based on the quantity of the milk produced, cows range anywhere from about $600 to $1,500 and upwards. While all of my families selected cows $900 and above, Ingenio selected Julianna the cow, with her calf Pepita, for a total of $595 because he wanted the loan to be manageable and “40,000 ($897) pesos and above is a lot of money for a poor man.”
Last night I received an update from the project supervisor about all of my families. Four out of five are flourishing with their animals. However:
My heart was broken when I read this, but now I am more driven than ever. I’m going to get this family another cow. I can’t go about my life here without knowing that this family is smiling about the cow behind their house.
The money from my 4 cow families from the previous summer would have provided the funds for two more cows by this upcoming summer. However, those funds are for future families, and now I am permanently down $595 as long as this family is without a cow.
I feel strongly that this family not only be able to replace their cow, but that they know that they can purchase one of higher quality to minimize the chances of further disappointment.
So far, from tutoring and donations this year I have raised some money and I am going to allocate all of this to Hermione and Jennifer’s family. The dream is to have over $1,000 available for this family, so they at least have the opportunity to invest in a high quality cow.
I am willing to do whatever it takes to get this family a cow as soon as soon as possible. Soon, I am going to reach out and tell them to start looking for one and until the funds come in I am going to pay out of pocket.
I am driven by the thought of this family’s relief when they find out that no, they’re not in debt, but that I refuse to leave them behind.
Thank you so much for your support just by reading this because knowing that other people have also thought about Hermione and Jennifer makes this worth it, even if no donation comes of it.
If you’re interested in helping this family, and would like to make a donation, know that contributions of any size will make all the difference. If you have any questions, you can email or text me at any time of any day, ever.
Thank you so so so much. This project and this family mean everything to me.
Organizer
Jess Powell
Organizer
Westwood, NJ
