Mission Trips
to Samaná,
Dominican Republic

At Advocates of Love, we strive to promote Christ’s love in action. We are committed to the well-rounded development of the children in our care. Our main goals focus on physical, emotional, educational and spiritual well-being. The expectation of our volunteers is that they promote themselves in a way that reflects in a spirit of unity with Advocates of Love and build upon the four goals of this ministry. Physical: Here are some examples you might choose; playing a game of basketball or baseball with the children, leading a class in personal hygiene or promoting healthy eating. Emotional: Some ways to help build up the students would be by playing a board game and encouraging cooperation, using positive reinforcement like, “Hey those are great colors you choose in that picture” , “I like the way you shared your treat” , “Excellent job cleaning up the art supplies!” or giving a side hug. Educational: Help improve skills by reading a book, teaching English, baking cookies with the students, or another instructional activity. Spiritual: Build into the student’s life by leading in a praise song time, teaching a Bible lesson, praying before a meal or helping at a VBS program during school break. Our top priority is making sure these vulnerable children are kept safe as they learn skills. The following guidelines will be enforced going forward. We appreciate your cooperation in the following expectations. No Phones with children - We ask that you consider leaving your phone in your car if it is too difficult for you to say no. This is for the safety of the children and it is also for your protection. Respect - We expect that all volunteers show respect to the employees of Advocates of Love; this includes guards,Tias, office staff and American staff. Please, keep your opinions positive towards all workers especially in front of the children. We are fostering an environment of respect with all the students and staff and would like your help in this area. Supervision - Please make sure you are not alone with a child. This protects the children from inappropriate activity and protects you from being accused of anything. Time - We expect events to begin on the time planned - please be courteous and communicate if you are running late. The time scheduled will be held for 20 minutes and after that the event will be canceled unless prior arrangements have been made. Confidentiality - Please do not discuss private or observed behavior with other people as we want to build up those we serve. Always be in training mode - If you notice a behavior that needs correcting (ie. student not responding to directions, or trash not cleaned up) please encourage the student to follow through with good behavior. Please & Thank you - We recognize that you might want to give a gift to the students. Please expect a “Thank you”. We are working hard to make sure these kids don’t just expect hand-outs. Let us know if one of the students acted entitled and didn’t say thanks. Donations and Gifts - If a donation or gift is given, it is given with “no strings attached”. Regardless of the value of the donation, no privileges are to be expected in exchange for the donation. Any donation that would involve any kind of physical change to the facilities needs explicit written permission from the Advocates of Love Board of Directors. Side Hugs are permitted however no kissing or other forms of inappropriate affection will be tolerated at all. No sitting on laps. Please allow children to show affection on their terms. You should never request a hug from a child. Privacy - Children’s dorms are private spaces for them, visitors are not allowed in these areas. Scheduling - If you would like to schedule an event, please contact the Advocates of Love office. A weekly event needs the approval of Rafaelina and a weekend event needs the approval from the weekend team (Michael & Jennifer). Trips and offsite events - All off site events need to have appropriate supervision based on the size of the group. Our policy insists on at least 2 employees for every group or more if needed. We appreciate your willingness to serve the children at Advocates of Love. Thank you for your time, talent and financial resources that you give to this ministry. Please know that the above recommendations are to help the students, our staff and to protect you as well. This policy will be reviewed yearly, and changes may occur as we deem necessary.