Get to Know Us
Mission
ondawave is a nonprofit organization that partners with a small community in the Dominican Republic.
We are a 501(c)(3) organization and we’re unique because the community decides the work we do.
Our programs focus on healthcare, jobs, and education so that the Dominican people have a safe and sustainable future.
Vision
ondawave envisions a future where empowered Dominican communities lead each other to healthier futures through proper, accessible care, preventative treatment, and continuing health education.
Values
Drive | Individuality | Transparency | Patience
Grounding Principles
For over ten years, ondawave has been guided by the Robert Lupton philosophy of Asset-Based Community Development, which is detailed in his works “Toxic Charity” and “Charity Detox.”
Key principles of Lupton’s work are focused on harm reduction wherever possible. In his Oath for Compassionate Service, Lupton asks activists and nonprofit leaders to:
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Never do for others what they have the capacity to do for themselves.
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Limit one-way giving to crises and seek always to find ways for legitimate exchange.
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Seek ways to empower by hiring, lending, and investing in communities, rather than gifts.
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Place the interests of those experiencing poverty above their own even when it means setting aside a personal agenda or the agenda of the organization.
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Listen carefully, even to what is not being said knowing that unspoken feelings may contain essential clues to healthy engagement.
And, above all, to the best of our ability, DO NO HARM.
ondawave continues to believe the best way to approach nonprofit work is through the lens that focuses on the strengths of the community, not its weaknesses
Why Angostura?
Not much comes easy for a Dominican living in Angostura. They're located two rivers away from the main road, an hour and a half away from the best hospital, and two hours away from the largest city. Many young people and adults move away from Angostura in search of better jobs and better health care. Though the Dominicans we've spoken to wish they could move back to Angostura, their every day lives just don't allow it.
To us, Angostura is a community of creators, artists, and leaders. They are passionate and hopeful despite the many economic and social issues they face. Every week, the town council meets to discuss the needs of the community and issues affecting their lives. They've even set up microlending opportunities at the town bank and fundraise via "pay what you can" when the community identifies something they'd like to create. Angosturans have the energy and passion to pull themselves from poverty and we believe ondawave is one of the levers they can pull.