Barahona, Dominican Republic

Creating Vias
out of poverty.

Vias RD creates ways forward for youth in Barahona through education, athletics, mentorship, and opportunity. Sports may open the door through the Baseball Via and Girls Softball Via, but education is where the future is built.

Vias RD is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

What Is Vias RD?

Vias means ways.
We create ways forward.

In Spanish, vías means ways, routes, or paths. We chose the name because every young person starts from a different place. Some enter through education. Others through baseball, softball, mentorship, or future opportunities still being built.

Explore The Vias

Four ways into the mission.

Each Via plays a different role in the larger Vias RD ecosystem. Together, they create pathways toward education, mentorship, and opportunity.

Education Via students learning
📚

Foundation

Education Via

Tutoring, English classes, STEM workshops, technology access, mentorship, and the future Vias Learning Center.

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Baseball Via Los Piratas del Sur

Active Program

Baseball Via

Education-first baseball through Los Piratas del Sur, where players train, compete, and stay connected to school.

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Girls Softball Via
🥎

Funding Needed

Girls Softball Via

Creating opportunities for girls through safe athletics, mentorship, leadership, and education support.

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Vias Baseball Camps
🏕

Mission Experience

Vias Baseball Camps

A future sustainability engine connecting players, families, and coaches directly to the mission in Barahona.

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Barahona, Dominican Republic

Why Barahona?

A beautiful community with real barriers to opportunity.

Barahona is full of talent, resilience, family, culture, and potential. It is also a place where many young people face limited access to educational support, safe structured programs, technology, mentorship, and future pathways.

Vias RD exists to create consistent, local, relationship-based support for students and families who deserve more access to opportunity. Learn more about Vias RD or see how you can support the mission.

We are not dropping in.
We are building with the community.

Vias Learning Center vision

Our First Major Build

Help us build the Vias Learning Center.

The Learning Center will be a public-facing community education space where students can receive tutoring, English classes, STEM workshops, technology access, mentorship, and life-skills support through the Education Via.

Academic tutoring and homework help
English classes and STEM workshops
Technology access and digital skills
Mentorship, leadership, and life skills
Explore The Education Via

Impact In Action

This is already happening.

The larger vision is still being built, but the work is already alive in Barahona through students, families, coaches, and community relationships.

Baseball Via player

Baseball

Student-athletes training while staying connected to school.

Education Via students

Education

A future Learning Center that serves athletes and non-athletes.

Girls Softball Via

Softball

A funded future where girls have safe access to sports and support.

Barahona community

Community

Barahona is the first place where the Vias model is being built.

Watch & Listen

Stories from Barahona

Real voices from families, athletes, and supporters connected to the Vias RD mission.

Parents in Barahona

Families share what Vias RD has meant for their children and their future.

Meredith Wells

A former NCAA softball player shares why opportunity and mentorship matter.

Alyssa Lavdis

A former NCAA softball player explains why education-first programs matter.

Long-Term Vision

Build deeply.
Then build again.

Vias RD’s immediate focus is Barahona. We believe meaningful impact happens through long-term relationships, local leadership, and sustained investment in one community at a time.

Once the model is strong, the vision is to partner with additional Dominican communities and adapt the Vias model to local needs while keeping education, mentorship, athletics, and opportunity at the center. To talk about partnership, contact Vias RD.

Explore The Model

Today

Build In Barahona

Next

Strengthen The Model

Future

Serve More Communities

Help Create More Vias

Every gift helps a young person find a way forward.

Your support helps fund education, athletics, mentorship, tutoring, English classes, STEM workshops, equipment, and the future Vias Learning Center in Barahona.

Donate Now

Latest Posts

Follow Along

Every follow, share, and comment helps more people discover Vias RD and keeps more kids connected to school, mentorship, and opportunity.

Follow the story from Barahona and help us reach the next donor, sponsor, volunteer, or camp family.

📸

@viasRD / @straleyproject

Instagram

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Help The Mission Travel

Your share can introduce one more person to the students in Barahona.

Social media helps us reach new donors, sponsors, camp families, and volunteers. When you follow or share Vias RD, you help the story move further than we could take it alone.

Relevant Resources

Education, youth development, and sports opportunity.

Vias RD works at the intersection of education, athletics, mentorship, and community development. These external resources provide helpful context around youth development, learning, and sport.

FAQ

Questions people ask.

A quick guide to Vias RD, our programs, and how your support helps students in Barahona.

What is Vias RD?

Vias RD is a nonprofit initiative creating ways forward for youth in Barahona, Dominican Republic through education, athletics, mentorship, and opportunity.

What does “Vias” mean?

“Vias” means ways, routes, or paths. Vias RD creates ways out of poverty through education, athletics, mentorship, and opportunity.

Where does Vias RD work?

Vias RD works in Barahona, Dominican Republic, supporting youth and families through local relationships and community-based programs.

What is the Education Via?

The Education Via is Vias RD’s community education initiative. Through the future Vias Learning Center, students will have access to tutoring, English classes, STEM workshops, technology, mentorship, and life-skills support.

Do students have to play sports to receive support?

No. Baseball and softball are important entry points, but the Vias Learning Center is being built as a community resource for students in Barahona, including youth who do not play sports.

What is the Baseball Via?

The Baseball Via is Vias RD’s education-first baseball program in Barahona. Through Los Piratas del Sur, student-athletes train and compete while remaining enrolled in school and accountable academically.

Is the Girls Softball Via active?

The Girls Softball Via is a planned program waiting on funding. The vision is to create safe access to softball, mentorship, leadership development, and education support for girls in Barahona.

Are donations tax deductible?

Vias RD is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Donations may be tax-deductible as allowed by law.