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When they tell you that you can't...
“They didn't want to recognize me as a Dominican."—Darío Masiy Bigamos 
Darío lives by the idea that if there is something that he has been told he couldn’t do based on his heritage or class, he will prove them wrong.

Darío Masiy Bigamos was raised in the batey (sugar cane plantation) Las Pajas, about 15 km outside of the town of Consuelo, Dominican Republic. His parents, Rosa and Celuis, being both Haitian nationals, faced a number of barriers due to documentation problems, yet still worked hard to ensure opportunities for their children. After his parents separated at age 7, Darío joined his father in Barrio 41 where he had bought a piece of land and Darío could access education more easily through the scholarship program of the Compassion organization. 
When he finished high school his intention was to enter the military academy. However, just as many children of Haitian descent in the DR routinely are, he was denied entry due to lack of citizenship documentation. It didn't matter that he had a Dominican birth certificate, the government at that time had changed citizenship laws, removing citizenship from thousands and he was not guaranteed the rights of a citizen. “They didn’t want to recognize me as a Dominican.”
Darío’s process for citizenship documentation lasted three hard years. He worked in the construction sector to fund lawyers for his case and found community support where he could. However, by the time he finally had access to his documents, the age limit to enroll in his dream school had passed by one year. This was just a stumbling block for Darío. He set his sights forward and took technical training courses to become an electrician. With this new designation he landed a job with a local distillery, but didn’t stop there. He is now studying electrical engineering at the UfHec university.
“Currently, I dedicate myself to social work, As a child I always received a lot and work to be able to help as well as they helped me. My dream is to have my own residential electrical service company, this is a way to help my parents but I would also help with my knowledge to reduce deaths due to bad electrical installations.”
Darío’s heart remains in the community and as a strong young leader he is the president of  the neighborhood association of Barrio 41 as well as the overall association of all neighborhood associations of the municipality of Consuelo. He was instrumental in the recent municipal road expansion into Barrio 41 which provides drainage in the community reducing flooding and allowing a possible expansion that will provide running water to the homes, which he continues to advocate for. Darío's leadership is creating lasting change in the community of Barrio 41. 

Darío's story is important for so many reasons. His personal struggle with documentation and accessing the full rights due to him as a Dominican citizen is, sadly, not an isolated case. In early February we'll be inviting you to tune in to a special podcast release about this very issue. Thank you, Darío for sharing your story with us. It has been a pleasure for our Canadian team to get to know you, and we look forward to working together in 2023!
“[The Adult Literacy] program has helped me to live well and be successful, because I can defend myself in society.” ―Clairmathe, Haiti
Clairmathe is a mother and leader in her community. She shows us the hope that Haitians have, and how they are using it to not only get through the current crisis, but to guard against challenges ahead. After completing Adult Literacy classes,

Clairmathe participated in business training and took out microcredit loans to start a small business. Her extra earnings ensure that she and her husband can put food on the table and send their children to school.
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By supporting Rayjon this holiday season, you can help make sure that women like Clairmathe have access to the resources and opportunities they need to reach their goals, and families like Darío's get legal support with documentation.
Vanilla! The perfect stocking stuffer

We are so happy to announce that we once again have quality vanilla from the island of Hispaniola available for sale! $5/2oz. or $10/4oz. 
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From all of us at Rayjon Share Care,

Thank you for your solidarity and support in 2022.

Best wishes to you and yours for a peaceful holiday season, and all the best in 2023!

PO Box 2482 

Sarnia, ON  N7T 7T1

info@rayjon.org