Service & Learning · Dominican Republic

Serve, learn and live the Dominican Republic.

Four programs for universities, companies, Rotary clubs and any group that wants more than a trip: real community work, real friendships and a deep look at the country.

international volunteers since 2005

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service trips

local staff with every group

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Choose your program

Four ways to join

University volunteers measuring pipe for a water system

Volunteer immersionLLUVIALive in a Dominican community for a week and build a project with its residents.

For: University and youth groups
Length: About 8 days
Focus: Safe water

Woodinville Rotary members with a Dominican flag

Service + eco-developmentYUMAREServe and connect with Dominican communities, then explore the island and its natural treasures.

For: Any group: Rotary clubs, companies, organizations
Length: 1 or 2 weeks, adapted to your group
Focus: Community service + ecotourism

Students and community members in matching shirts

Academic partnershipStudy AbroadA program designed with your university around your learning goals.

For: Universities and faculty
Length: Up to 2 weeks
Focus: Six academic tracks

Dominican youth during a leadership activity

Youth leadership exchangeDIY InternationalInternational and Dominican youth learn, lead and serve side by side on real community challenges.

For: Students and young volunteers
Length: Adapted to your group
Focus: Leadership, service, resource mobilization

Program LLUVIA

One word, six commitments

LLUVIA means "rain" in Spanish, and it is how our immersive volunteer program works. Built on more than 17 years of hosting international volunteers, it gives participants the chance to:

LLivinglike the community where you work

LLearningfrom each other

UUnitingas one team on one project

VVolunteeringwith your hands, side by side

IInnovatingsolutions with residents

AActingon the injustices communities face

A week in the program

Day 1Arrival, travel to the community, welcome dinner and orientation
Day 2A day with the community: games and home visits
Days 3–5Community meeting, service work, lunch with neighbors, evening reflection
Day 6Last morning of work, recreation, farewell dinner
Day 7Colonial Zone and an afternoon at the beach
Day 8Departures

Sample itinerary; each program is adjusted to the group.

Your program fee covers

HousingAll mealsIn-country transportationDrinking waterLocal excursionsProject materials24-hour staff24-hour doctorUS emergency lineProgram planning

Part of every fee also helps our local team continue the work after the group leaves.

Working with Servicio Para la Paz was one of the best experiences of my college career. I got to work hands on in the community and experience the rich culture of the Dominican Republic.Past LLUVIA participant

Working with community members day after day really motivated me to work harder and harder.Past LLUVIA participant

Groups coming in 2026–27

Dates	Group	Program	Volunteers
Dec 11–18, 2026	NC State University	LLUVIA	15
Dec 12–19, 2026	Appalachian State University	LLUVIA	15
Jan 3–10, 2027	East Tennessee State University	LLUVIA	16
Feb 27–Mar 6, 2027	Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology	LLUVIA	15
Mar 13–20, 2027	NC State University	LLUVIA	15

Program YUMARE

Serve with communities, then discover the island's treasures

YUMARE is open to any group: Rotary clubs, companies, organizations and friends traveling together. Participants do hands-on service and spend time with Dominican communities, for example installing rainwater systems and water filters for families who lack safe water, and then explore the natural and cultural richness of the Dominican Republic. The program adapts to one or two weeks, depending on your group's goals and schedule. Our long-time partner Rotary Santo Domingo Quisqueya (District 4060) helps make it happen.

120+families with safe water through our Rotary rainwater project

12 + 1families and one school in La Privada with Woodinville Rotary

~85children with safe water at Francisco del Rosario Sánchez school

YUMARE volunteers with Servicio Para la Paz in the Dominican Republic

Where you go

Juan Adrián, Monseñor NouelRainwater harvesting project with the community, and the Camellón river

Colonial Zone, Santo DomingoThe first city of the Americas and its historic landmarks

Caves of Wonders, San Pedro de MacorísAn underground natural museum with Taíno rock art

Saona IslandWhite sand, mangroves and coral reefs

Jima RiverWaterfalls and a lesson in conservation

Next YUMARE group: Rotary Club of West Raleigh, October 11–20, 2026, with 21 participants. Is your group next?

Study Abroad

A classroom that goes far beyond the classroom

For universities, we design a study abroad program of up to two weeks that fits Spring Break, summer or winter sessions without disrupting the academic calendar. Students learn through service-learning, workshops with local experts and SPP staff, and cultural immersion with homestays.

Academic tracks

Community development & local leadershipEnvironment & sustainabilityEducation & youthCommunity healthHuman rights & gender equityArts & cultural expressions

Every program can be tailored to your institution, including optional joint curriculum design.

Included

Safe, comfortable lodging and full meals
Airport pickup and local transportation
Daily academic, cultural and service activities
Interpreters and cultural guides
Safety, first aid and staff on call 24/7
24-hour doctor
Impact report for your institution

Working with SPP allowed our students to experience an educational and transformative journey that went far beyond the classroom.Visiting professor, Appalachian State University

We not only learned about community development, we built real human connections. I would return in a heartbeat.Student participant, NYU

Past university partners include NYU, Appalachian State, NC State and Indiana State. Fees depend on focus, length and activities; write to us for an estimate for your group.

Program DIY International · Dandelion Innovative Youth

Connecting young people through leadership, service and community action

Dandelion Innovative Youth (DIY) International is an immersive leadership and service-learning experience that connects international students and young volunteers with youth and communities in the Dominican Republic.

Rather than traditional volunteering, DIY International promotes learning, cultural exchange and collaboration. International and Dominican participants work side by side, sharing perspectives and developing solutions to real community challenges. Interactive training in leadership, teamwork, sustainability, service and global citizenship is combined with hands-on community action.

Learn from the communityParticipants first get to know the community, its people, strengths and challenges, working alongside local youth and leaders. The goal is not to arrive with predetermined solutions, but to listen, learn and work together.

From learning to actionParticipants then join a real project, such as our Rainwater Harvesting Project, installing rainwater systems with families who lack reliable water. The community becomes their classroom.

Understanding how social projects become possible

Using real Servicio Para la Paz projects, participants see how a community need becomes an actionable project, and learn the fundamentals of fundraising and resource mobilization: how nonprofits build relationships with donors, partners, universities and companies to turn ideas into action.

1. Community need2. Define the problem3. Design a solution4. Basic budget5. Communicate the initiative6. Build partnerships7. Mobilize resources

A two-way experience

International participants contribute their time, ideas and experiences; Dominican youth and community leaders contribute their knowledge, culture and understanding of their own communities. Both sides learn, lead and serve together, building leadership, teamwork, intercultural understanding and social responsibility.

Our goal

That participants return home not simply saying "I volunteered in the Dominican Republic," but instead:

I learned with a community, worked alongside local young leaders, understood how social change is built, and discovered how I can create impact in my own community.

Learn. Lead. Mobilize. Serve. Transform.

Different cultures. Shared challenges. Local solutions. Global leaders.

Your group is in good hands

Safety and support

Staff with you 24/7Our local team accompanies every group, day and night.

US emergency lineFamilies can reach Service For Peace in the US at any time.

24-hour doctorA doctor is available to the group day and night, throughout the program.

Medical careA designated clinic in Santo Domingo, a first-aid kit on site and travel medical insurance.

From the airport onOur team meets you at arrivals with a Servicio Para la Paz sign.

20 years of volunteers

International volunteers per year. Peak: 90 in 2016. In 2021, during the pandemic, 13 volunteers joined our virtual program; in-person groups returned in 2022 with 11 volunteers from Appalachian State University (ASU).

Plan your program

Bring your university, club or group

Tell us who you are, when you would like to travel and which program interests you. Alejandro Cabrera, our International Programs Coordinator, will reply with dates, a sample itinerary and a fee estimate.

acabrera@serviceforpeace.org

Or call or WhatsApp: +1 (809) 856-0536

Include in your email

Your institution or club
Program: LLUVIA, YUMARE, Study Abroad or DIY International
Preferred dates
Approximate group size

Our other programs

Community LeadershipSee projects Access to Safe WaterSee projects VolunteerSee projects

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Promoting sustainable development that transforms communities and individuals through community service.

United States

1744 Dixwell Avenue, Ste 4492
Hamden, CT 06514
ophillips@serviceforpeace.org
+1 (203) 339-5767

Dominican Republic

Edificio La Isla, Calle Pdte. González
Santo Domingo 10124
info@servicioparalapaz.org
+1 (809) 383-6062