This documentary follows a group of American teenagers who travel to the Dominican Republic to see how their fundraising project made a real difference. A Seattle high school club raised over $100,000 for Esperanza International, which administers microfinance loans to start or maintain small businesses in the Dominican Republic and Haiti. Twenty-five students traveled to the DR to see first-hand how a loan for as little as $50-$250 can have such a large impact on so many people’s lives.
To see firsthand how their microfinancing funds were being utilized, 25 students (along with chaperones) traveled to the Dominican Republic to experience that which could only be told in the pictures and words of these remarkable young men and women. The teenagers visited small villages, pueblos, barrios and batays to sit in on loan meetings, talk to loan associates, and learn first hand how a loan for as little as $50-$250 can change not just one person’s life, but many lives.
When added to their experiences of actually going out and asking for the donations from their community, seeing how the funds are being used, and making new friends along the way, the kids from Bellevue High School Microfinance Club will carry with them indelible memories for the rest of their lives, learning that the amount of money you may have is not the key to happiness, that a dollar has an incredibly different value depending on your circumstances and most importantly, that young men and women CAN make a difference.
Details
LENGTH: 1 x 60 Minutes
FORMAT: Special
CAMERA: HDCAM
INTERNATIONAL TRACK: Yes
TEXTLESS: No
CLOSED CAPTIONS: No
ASPECT RATIO: 16:9
PRODUCTION YEAR: 2008
RELEASE YEAR: 2008
SUPPLIER: Bennett Watt Entertainment
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: USA
RIGHTS TERRITORY: Worldwide
