The Village

The village of Cercadillo is located about an hour's drive north of the Dominican Republic's capital city, Santo Domingo.  Although the village is less than five miles from the community of Villa Mella, it seems cut-off from the rest of world due to poorly constructed roads and no access to public transportation.

It is estimated that 500 people live in the village, the majority of which are extremely poor.  With no running water or electricity, the lives of those in Cercadillo stand in sharp contrast to the wealthy of Santo Domingo.  The men of Cercadillo often leave the village before daybreak with their machete over their shoulder, seeking day labor jobs.  The work the women can find outside the village usually involves carrying heavy loads on their heads for hours, leaving them with little money and great pain at the end of the day. After spending the day doing work that no one else wants to do, the villagers often return home without enough money to feed their families. There are no paying jobs within the village.

Because the majority of the people in Cercadillo are undocumented, they have no access to quality medical care or education.  They are treated by the goverment as if they don't exist. Ina York, project facilitator, has often said that although their government seems to have forgotten the people of Cercadillo, God never has.  And to that end, The Cercadillo Project was born, to help meet basic needs while sharing Jesus' love.