Your generous support helps provide the solutions they need. This story is part of our ongoing Global Poverty Perspectives Series. We hope you find it insightful.
The family of Sandro (blue shirt) and his sister, Santa (on the left) is just one of hundreds of families in the Dominican Republic whom Carlin has helped since becoming a lawyer and working for Children International.
Carlin C’s journey to becoming the only full-time lawyer in our entire global organization had its conception in her Dominican childhood.
When I was a little girl,” shares Carlin, “I wanted to have a magic wand to change someone's life because I saw the lack, people who didn’t have resources, whose rights were violated.
Carlin joined Children International’s Dominican Republic team in 2017 and has helped more than 700 families obtain their official government identity papers.
This early desire to make a difference ultimately led to Carlin becoming a lawyer. She is now dedicated to helping sponsored children and family members obtain their identity documents.
Being without these official papers often means disadvantaged households spiral further into poverty, with education, healthcare and other crucial services remaining out of reach.
Carlin resolves civil documentation cases, fulfilling a vital need for our work in the Dominican Republic. The nation shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti, making for a very porous border between the two countries. This is partly why acquiring official government documents, especially for those who are financially disadvantaged, can be such an arduous process. As in virtually every other nation, documents like birth certificates are needed to access rights as citizens. Without the proper documents, basic rights and services, such as health care, education, social security, and even some domestic travel, are inaccessible.
Many children in our Dominican communities lack any form of official identity document. Sometimes, Carlin tells us, not a single person in an entire family has a birth certificate or other basic documentation. This poses a significant challenge that doesn’t exist in other places we work; at least, not to the extent it does here.
“Having a name and an identity is a right that every person has,” says Carlin. “An identity document opens the doors to multiple opportunities, like obtaining their first job, in the case of young people, or formal employment for adults. To have the opportunity to travel, to get married - all those things that society guarantees us as citizens. Probably the greatest benefit for young people is to be able to study, to be able to obtain their diplomas, to develop job skills. And,” Carlin adds, “to be able to access health services.”
Birth certificates with a wrong or missing last name, and official documents that have not been notarized, are the two most common problems Carlin helps solve. Many families simply don’t have the finances to pay for a notary or to get an incorrect record officially modified.
In the Dominican Republic
It costs individuals roughly US$100-$150 to have a notary modify a record & court proceedings for documentation cases costs about US$750-$1,000
“This means that often years go by, many years, and they cannot get their ID because they don’t have the money on hand,” says Carlin. “They have other priorities; food, shelter, the basics needed to survive. Children International covers the expenses of all sponsored children in the documentation process and gives the mother the opportunity to get her ID. And we receive her commitment to be diligent about obtaining the documents required for her sponsored children. For non-sponsored siblings, we advise them and provide support so that they can also resolve their situation.”
One of Carlin’s first cases is among those that impacted her the most. “This woman had five sponsored children,” she says, “between the ages of 8 and 16. She had already gone to the inspectorate, but they never gave her any resolution. The case had been stuck there for years when I began advocating and fighting for her rights. In the end, we made it. Now all her children have their documents. Seeing that woman’s gratitude when I handed her birth certificates and other identity documents ... that was one of the greatest satisfactions!
Jenny and Juan Raul, outside their home. The boy now has all the rights and opportunities that Dominican citizenship guarantees.
Sponsored 14-year-old Juan Raul is another of Carlin’s success stories. Although he shines on the baseball field, "I couldn't play ball because I didn’t have a birth certificate,” Juan Raul tells us. His deep enthusiasm for playing often led to disappointment. “Every time they held a tournament,” he adds, “I couldn't participate with my teammates because of it.” The boy was even delayed from starting school because his birth certificate was invalid—his name had been misspelled—and his family couldn’t afford the steep fees charged by a private lawyer.
Thanks to Carlin’s work, Juan Raul (above, with his mother, Jenny) can now travel with his teammates for baseball tournaments.
That’s when Carlin stepped in. She guided Juan’s mother, Jenny, through each hearing, secured provisional school enrollment for her son, and handled all the legal authorizations. Children International covered the court and government costs, and after an eight-month process Juan finally received his birth certificate. Now he can play ball, attend school without extra paperwork, and receive national health insurance — life-changing proof of the impact of Carlin’s work, and the importance of our supporters who make it possible.
“Carlin was very good,” says Jenny, “she guided me on what documents I should bring to the hearings. I felt supported and many things have now improved.”
With a big smile, Juan tells us, “Now I feel better because I am able to play baseball." His immediate goals, he adds, are clear: to compete for the Youth Champion team award and win the Gold Glove.
Due to a misspelled last name on his birth certificate, Ronald (above, who goes by “Sandro”), was delayed in being able to attend school.
Another case Carlin shared with us involved siblings Sandro (8) and Santa (11). Neither had birth certificates and were therefore unable to begin their formal education when they came of age. A volunteer told their mother, Regina, about Carlin and how she could help. The last name had been misspelled, which Carlin was able to get corrected. Now, both siblings are attending school.
“For me, it is a great pleasure to give back to society by helping all those sponsored children through my profession," Carlin says. “Being part of an organization helping people, I feel that I fulfilled my dream. And I want to continue fulfilling it by helping more people.”
Carlin helped Sandro (now 8, front row/blue shirt) and his sister, Santa (11, front left), to obtain their full rights as citizens of the Dominican Republic.
Did you know that your generosity helps families overcome invisible barriers that keep them from accessing education, healthcare, and opportunity? "Giving them access to an identity,” concludes Carlin, “is the beginning of eradicating poverty for our young people, helping them to build a better future.”
We hope this glimpse into Carlin’s work shows how Children International is making a lasting impact — one document, one child, one family at a time. We’d love to hear what moved you most about this story. Leave a comment and let us know!
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