“La Loma” is an adult training center in the small town of Consuelo, Dominican Republic (approx 1½ hrs East of Santo Domingo). The Grey Sister’s of the I
mmaculate Conception established La Loma in 1997. The Grey Sisters, an order of Nun’s founded in Canada in 1737, have been working in the Dominican Republic since 1951.
La Loma’s purpose was to train locals for the emerging resort industry. In 2001 the local sugar mill closed, and as a result, the school was besieged with people wishing to be retrained and thus find work. The school was unable to accommodate the increased demand. In 2001 a Canadian Rotarian, Bob McAllister & friend Bob Kirk rode bicycles from Whitby, Ontario to Chicago, Illinois in order to raise money for an addition to La Loma. By raising $35,000, a new building was constructed and opened in 2004. Last year (2006) saw 314 graduates in areas such as waiter/waitress, bartending, small engine repair, & plumbing to list a few. All found placement in their area of study. This is significant since the unemployment rate of the region prior to La Loma was 90%.
Ongoing stewardship of La Loma is carried out by Infotep (approx. English translation: Institute National Formation of Technical Professionals). Infotep is a Dominican agency controlled by private sector and government funding. They provide salaries for teachers, along with curriculums for various courses. An Infotep diploma is internationally recognized, thus students graduating from La Loma can find work throughout the Caribbean and around the world. La Loma has just been recognized for Educational Excellence by Spanish American countries, and will receive this prestigious award in Panama later this year.
Due to its success, La Loma is expanding once again. The new building was constructed with the provision of adding a second floor at a later date. That later date is now. In 2008, 8 people rode bicycles from Vancouver BC to Calgary AB to raise funds for an expansion of the school (http://www.vivalaloma.com/). Construction is presently underway with expected occupancy in the fall of 2009.
