The InteRDom students that arrived in the Dominican Republic two months ago have been carrying out internships with reputed Dominican and international organizations as well as taking academic courses at UNIBE University over the course of the summer. As part of the InteRDom program, students have also participated in excursions to sites of historical and cultural importance in order to familiarize themselves with the country and its people.

One of such excursions included a visit to Centro Leónin Santiago, one of the leading arts and cultural centers in Latin America and the Caribbean. Daniel Abreu, Special Projects Coordinator, welcomed the InteRDom students to the Center, who were then led on a guided tour which included a visit to the exhibition on Caribbean and Dominican Identity, History and Culture and also to the exhibition on Venezuelan Colonial Art.

Later in the afternoon, students traveled to the house of the Mirabal Sisters, the infamous trio who are probably the most famous female protagonists in Dominican history. The sisters were ordered to be killed by former dictator Trujillo. The sisters’ legacy is now commemorated by the United Nations International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women on the anniversary of their death. InteRDom students were very fortunate to be welcomed at the museum by Dedé Mirabal, the surviving sister of Patria Mercedes, Maria Argentina Minerva and Antonia María Teresa, who spoke to them about her sisters’ struggle against the Trujillo dictatorship.

InteRDom, the internship program developed by Global Foundation for Democracy and Development (GFDD), and its sister organization in the Dominican Republic, Fundación Global Democracia y Desarrollo (FUNGLODE), brought its first group of summer 2007 interns to the Dominican Republic in June. It has a strong cultural program, which has included visits to:

Lake Enriquillo, the Haitian-Dominican border, the Colonial Zone and the Museum of Natural History in Santo Domingo, the Museum of the Mirabal Sisters, Centro León and Saona Island. Students have also participated in workshops on Dominican music, cooking and Taíno culture and have spent a weekend camping at the ecological ranch, Rancho Campeche.

Dominican businesses and organizations interested in recruiting international interns for their projects or in acquiring more information regarding InteRDom should send inquiries via e-mail to:interdom@globalfoundationdd.org