Project Title: Implementation of the Única Girls Empowerment Mobile Application (Única App Implementation)

Location: Dominican Republic

Grant Amount: $31,614.86

Grantee Website: dominicandream.org

Areas of Impact: Education & Literacy, Gender Equality, Health

Mission of DREAM
The “dream” is that all children and youth in the Dominican Republic (DR) have equal opportunities to learn and realize their full potential. DREAM believes that learning changes lives. Its transformative education programs extend from early childhood through young adulthood, empowering at-risk children and youth to create a better future for themselves and their families to break the cycle of poverty.

Summary
The purpose of this project is to successfully implement and monitor the new Única App, for adolescent girls (ages 12 to18) and women. The Única program seeks to dismantle traditional gender norms and develop girls’ and women’s skills in leadership, critical thinking, problem solving, and communication. This project will improve knowledge about sexual and reproductive health, equip women and girls with skills to make healthy decisions, and foster gender-equitable attitudes. This culturally-relevant, digital curriculum will improve accessibility across DREAM’s partner communities throughout the Dominican Republic in order to shift attitudes and bring about cultural change.

Why We Love This
We love this very ambitious, innovative, collaborative project using modern tools to reach young people where they are. DREAM sought the participation of youth in developing the audio and video content for their mobile app to be accessed by a diverse audience using different modalities. The topics and information covered are current, timely, and at times include taboo topics that communities find hard to discuss openly. In the present climate of the COVID-19 pandemic, this is a safe space for girls to learn and interact privately and independently.