The Healthy Women Project serves to better the health care and advance the status of women living in Las Terrenas, Dominican Republic. Las Terrenas is a town which gains much income from illegal sex tourism. Thousands of women are held against their will and forced to act as prostitutes. Girls as young as nine years of age can be seen working the streets night after night. These women have no access to condoms, contraceptives, or sex education. They are absolutely unaware of dangerous sexually transmitted diseases such as HIV. Women are not taught about birth control and as a result the average age of pregnancy in that town is 15 years old. Diseases such as HPV are commonly transmitted within the population. Women are given little, if any voice or respect in Las Terrenas. In that town, women are objectified daily. Women are raped and beaten regularly in the Dominican Republic, and in its patriarchal, testosterone driven society, men are justified in every way to treat women in such a manner. A great injustice is being done to the women of Las Terrenas. Their bodies are repeatedly being subjected to abuse and disease. The Healthy Women Project provides women with easily accessible, free contraceptives, condoms, sexual education, and psychological counseling. In September of 2007, Project Healthy Women executed the first Women’s Health Medical Operative in the history of Las Terrenas. Collaborating with the Fundación de Mahatma Gandhi and ACES North America Foundation, the project brought a team of well qualified general physicians, gynecologists, lab technicians, pharmacists, and dentists to the town from the nation’s capital, Santo Domingo. The medical team provided family counseling, HIV screening, testing for breast and cervical cancer, dental checks, and various other medical services to the women of Las Terrenas- free of charge. They brought with them a pharmacy which filled approximately 885 prescriptions, also free of charge. 567 cases were seen and treated. Over 300 women were serviced by this project. This operative introduced a notion of women’s empowerment and unity never before seen in that town. The Healthy Women Project now aims to open up a women's shelter in Las Terrenas. The shelter is meant to act as a personal sanctuary for the exploited women, where they can get sustainable, free access to contraceptives, condoms, and information about sexually transmitted diseases. The center will offer psychological counseling to the many rape and domestic violence victims of the town. Literacy classes will also be offered. The start-up cost to build the shelter and maintain it for 6 months is estimated at $35,000 USD. After the first 6 months, the shelter will sustain itself via private national and international donations and government funding. A detailed table of finances is provided below: Finances Table 1: Monthly Personel Expenses, not counting volunteers Physician 25,000.00 Psychologist 20,000.00 Administrator/ Secretary 15,000.00 Promoter 10,000.00 Housekeeper 10,000.00 Maintenance and Security 10,00.00 Volunteer Support 10,000.00 Community relations and publicity 5,000.00 Webpage 5,000.00 Subtotal 110,000.00 *Money is denoted in Dominican pesos. Current exchange rate as of 12/2007- $33 DR pesos: $1 US Table 2: Operational Costs Monthly costs, not counting donated services Electricity 3,000.00 Water 500.00 Insurance 5,000.00 Expandable Materials 2,000.00 Food and Refreshments 1,000.00 Cleaning 1,000.00 Maintenance 2,000.00 Subtotal 14,500.00 *Money is denoted in Dominican pesos. Current exchange rate as of 12/2007- $33 DR pesos: $1 US Table 3: Extension Programs Monthly costs for education and prevention Education Program 10,000.00 Medical Program 10,000.00 Psychological Program 10,000.00 Neighborhood Program 30,000.00 Unexpected Expenses 5,000.00 Subtotal 65,000.00 *Money is denoted in Dominican pesos. Current exchange rate as of 12/2007- $33 DR pesos: $1 US Once adequate funding is received, construction of the shelter will begin. The shelter is estimated to reach 30% of the female population of Las Terrenas in its first year of establishment. It also expects to reach 50% of the population under 15 years of age within that year. Regular services * Medical and psychological services that do not substitute what might be offered in government agencies, but that particularly address the special needs of the target audience. Educational * 3 educational talks a week on site. * 5 educational talks a week in private and public schools. * During the first year, to distribute printed materials among 50% of the general female population and 100% within two years. * To place posters and educational materials within each classroom in the municipality, including nearby neighborhoods. * Establish partnership with area clinics to offer regular talks and educational interventions. Psychological * Participate, inform, support, all interventions listed above. * To offer regular services of orientation and psychological support during emergencies, to those referred by hospital or other medical facilities, or the Women’s Secretariat. * To offer, independently or in association with the medical program, whenever relevant, workshops and seminars on key aspects of womanhood: puberty, pregnancy, breastfeeding, child care, child rearing, sexually transmitted diseases, HIV prevention, cervical and breast cancer prevention, menopause. Neighborhood Programs * Monthly workshops on economic solvency and development, to help reduce poverty. * Literacy classes, helping 100 people a year to learn how to read and write. * To promote the creation of 100 home vegetable gardens, to help improve health and nutrition while teaching resourcefulness. * To foster personal, family and home hygiene through individualized interventions at homes at the tune of 1000 per year. Potential areas: * Services for the elderly * Coordinated efforts with government and non-government agencies in similar, related or new areas. So far, this project has provided women with knowledge of disease transmission and women's health that was never before accessible to them.Through the project, women were put on birth control for the first time in their lives. The project has changed the lives of many women. Please support it, and let the women of Las Terrenas get the respect and dignity they deserve. Please help them...in the name of womanhood.