Friends of Funglode Chapters Form to Broaden Horizons of Organization

Representatives from 15 provinces around the country visited Funglode’s headquarters in Santo Domingo for the first meeting of Friends of Funglode Chapters, where Funglode president, Leonel Fernández, and other board members hosted the visitors.

The initiative, Friends of Funglode Chapters, made headway in the consolidation of its project that aims to support all levels of development in the Dominican Republic. In a first step
toward that goal, a group of representatives from 15 of the country’s 31 provinces visited Funglode in Santo Domingo on Sunday, May 17.

Leonel Fernández, President of GFDD/Funglode and former Dominican President, headed the team that welcomed the visitors and told them about the initiatives and objectives achieved by the Foundation since its establishment 15 years ago.

After thanking the group for their presence, President Fernández welcomed their interest in being part of building a future with Funglode in each of their provinces and for providing venues for dialogue, reflection, and the creation of knowledge. He stressed that these efforts will enable many talented people to channel their skills and will also provide a voice for community members to express themselves
and find solutions to local issues.

In addition to President Fernández, other speakers included Funglode’s Executive Director, Marco Herrera; Manuel Amézquita, coordinator of the project; and César Fernández, principal advisor and coordinator of the work document to which the various chapters will have access: “Dominican Republic 2044: A Vision for the Future.”

Professors, community leaders, professionals from different
sectors, cultural agents, students, and young entrepreneurs, among others, make up the membership of the Chapters.

Through them, Funglode will broaden its exchange of knowledge, reflections, and initiatives for promoting the public policies it has consolidated in its three decades of existence, while directly involving the various communities around the country.

“Each province will have a space for debate, the contribution of ideas, and a
space for undertaking great transformations that require participation from each of our provinces, municipalities and districts in order to make the Dominican Republic a better country,” said Manuel Amézquita in presenting the project.

Mr. Herrera welcomed the fact that members from the different provinces accepted Funglode’s proposal to join together to strengthen mutual exchange and development strategies.

Engineer César Fernández
presented part of what will be “Dominican Republic 2044: A Vision for the Future” with an explanation on how it incorporates approaches and concerns from the communities into concrete proposals that became solutions.

The visitors toured the offices of Funglode, including the Juan Bosch Library, where Aida Montero, library director, explained the services offered, which includes, among other benefits, access to more than 80,000 books as well as numerous
magazines, newspapers, and periodicals.