Giving Hands Foundation is a U.S. 501(c)3 nonprofit organization founded in December 2015 by Dr. Jacob Ramirez, his wife Felicia Ramirez, pediatric Nurse Practitioner Lisa Alianiello, and her daughter Jessie Alianiello. This foundation is part of Jacob’s lifelong dream to use his career and passion for service to improve his hometown of Altagracia in Barahona, DR. Felicia is a teacher whose love of children, education, missions, and her husband contributes to her passion for service in this area. Giving Hands Foundation of Barahona is also an incorporated nonprofit organization in the Dominican Republic, known there as Fundacion Dando la Mano de Barahona.
ABOUT US
OUR MISSION
Giving Hands Foundation of Barahona exists by the grace and power of God from whose Hands came the very first gifts of His unending love and blessing. In obedience to His command to love the Lord first and our neighbors as ourselves, our goal is that each of our neighbors will understand God’s personal love for them and His will that they live in health and dignity. As the hands and feet of Jesus, we strive to communicate God’s love to individuals and families as we give of our abilities and resources to meet health/nutritional needs, improve physical environmental factors, and provide crisis relief.
A Dominican-American partnership, following God's call to meet physical and spiritual needs in impoverished communities of Barahona, DR
Giving Hands Foundation originates in Altagracia, a small community in the province of Barahona, Dominican Republic. Altagracia is a batey, meaning it is one of the country’s most impoverished communities as a result of being founded by Haitian sugar cane workers. Its residents see themselves as one of the lowest levels of Dominican society, but in English, Altagracia translates to “high grace.” GHF works as God’s agent to elevate the physical, intellectual, and spiritual status of these neighbors by recognizing their God-given dignity in the height of His Grace. In addition to physical projects, we prioritize youth mentoring to promote education, inspire career goals, and encourage healthy recreation. The vision of our native-born founder Dr. Jacob Ramirez, is that Altagracia’s youth will embrace God’s blessings of their education, abilities, and passions, in order to build their own careers and advance the well-being of their community. In this way, Altagracia may be not only aided by outsiders but continually elevated from within, as God works in the hearts and lives of His children.
OUR SERVICE
The projects of Giving Hands Foundation range from urgent medical service and ongoing health care to paving sidewalks and home construction. Due to advantageous timing in the Dominican socio-political sphere, GHF’s first official project throughout early 2016 was the construction of cement sidewalks along Altagracia’s currently unpaved streets. In compliance with the national government’s requirement of sidewalks and drainage ditches before street paving could be granted, the community came together in local fund-raising, physical labor, and daily labor support (water, lunch, clean-up, etc.) to complete this project which has long been neglected by the local government.
GHF’s next major project is to construct and staff a fully-functioning clinic - including facilities for both urgent and ongoing care, as well as a free pharmacy - within the community, as residents are currently required to travel to the next towns for any formal medical care. Currently, a temporary semi-clinic facility provides regular office hours which are staffed by community volunteers studying in the medical field and supervised by Dr. Jacob Ramirez. Other on-going programs include crisis assistance, weekly children’s Bible lessons, community construction projects, and two separate, one-time child sponsorship programs for school uniforms and Christmas gifts.