Nun Receives Award for Humanitarian Contributions

Nun Receives Award for Humanitarian Contributions
Boca Chica, Santo Domingo Este, 2/9/2012

Silvia Denisse Pichardo received a check for US$10,000 to benefit the organization she heads.

The Ivy Inter-American Foundation recognized Dominican nun Silvia Denisse Pichardo, who heads the “Caminante Proyecto Educativo”organization and the“Centro de Capacitación y Producción Progresando,” in the Municipality of Boca Chica, by presenting her the Las Americas Humanitarian Award…

The Ivy Inter-American Foundation recognized Dominican nun Silvia Denisse Pichardo, who heads the “Caminante Proyecto Educativo” organization and the “Centro de Capacitación y Producción Progresando,” in the Municipality of Boca Chica, by presenting her the Las Americas Humanitarian Award for the social work she has carried out for more than 17 years ìndefending the rights of children and adolescents in her community.

The award was presented to Pichardo by Joachin Funk, who represents the foundation in Washington, D.C. He stated that the institution he leads has been presenting these awards since 1996 in recognition of the work carried out by various Latin American organizations. The nun also received a check in the amount of US$10,000.

Upon accepting the award, the nun, who belongs to the secular orderAltagraciana, said that it represented a stimulus for her and all the children who must learn that through honest work major changes may be achieved in the world.

“It is now time to thank the Office of the First Lady because, as a result of a strategic agreement she made with a Madrid-based community project, our facilities have been remodeled and a conference room and several classrooms where we can teach our courseswere built. All these make ours a better place, to be used to benefit the people in the community,” the nun added.

Silvia Denisse Pichardo started her work with the Caminante education project (Caminante Proyecto Educativo) in 1994, after she conducted a diagnostics study for an institution of the Catholic Church through which she came aware about the domestic abuse and violence, and the risks of commercial sex exploitation that the Boca Chica children and adolescents were exposed to.

Caminante Proyecto Educativo is a non-profit non-governmental organization that has a Christian orientation and which supports activities and initiatives that benefit all the country’s children, adolescents, and young adults. It currently operates at the facilities of the Centro de Capacitación y Producción Progresando in Boca Chica.