KSU student video from Dominican Republic

By Melody Gustafson
SALEM –This video was created by KSU-Salem advertising major Brianne Paumier, who visited the Dominican Republic last summer.

Paumier decided to visit that country because the Klein family with whom she has a friendship lives there and operates the Christian Dominican Medical Mission. Accompanying her on the trip were Youngstown State University student Katie Winn, Malone University graduate Rebecca Cornell, and KSU student Ben Pecchia.

The quality of medical care is practically nonexistent in the small country and the American missionaries devote their lives to helping the needy people and live among them in squalor. Churches from all over the United States donate supplies with which to give care.

Brianne is participating in an honors Spanish program at KSU because she learned first hand that a strong back round is a crucial tool for communicating in other countries. “I studied Spanish in high school and it is so useful there, so I decided to learn more,” she said.

The honors program requires that she complete an additional 45 hours of extra coursework in addition to the regular language classes. The trip, however, was not a part of her commitment to the class; it was something she decided to do on her own.

While Brianne was there, she stayed in a rural setting, spending time playing with the shoeless children, many of whom manifest a myriad of birth defects. Brianne explained that this is most likely the result of a lack of nutrition and prenatal care.

The country residents do not have running water and must fetch it from a spring or stream for cooking and washing. Nor do they enjoy other simple amenities that American citizens take for granted, including electricity, air conditioning, and public school. In some parts of some cities, these simple “delights” are available, but according to Brianne, their quality is below par with those of the U.S.

Brianne had the misfortune of witnessing a demonstration against the allegedly tyrannical government by disgruntled citizens who accuse President Leonel Fernandez of corrupting the results of the national vote to ensure he remains in office. He has been the acting president since 2004.

When a riot such as this is quelled, according to Brianne, at least one person is always killed by the authorities, as a matter of course, and left in the street as an example to other dissenters. The people are left to care for the body and the mess that is left behind. There is footage of the aftermath in the segment shown here.

The short film also displays the beauty of the landscape and the culture of the indigenous people. Brianne has included the sound of their speech and music, and footage of their living conditions.