Empowering the Next Generation: Girls and Women in Sports at Vias RD

At Vias RD, we believe the field is for everyone — regardless of where you live or what sport you play. In Barahona, Dominican Republic, where baseball has historically been seen as a boys' game, the data is telling a different story. Three girls have registered for our program despite the fact that we don't have a dedicated girls' program yet. That's not a footnote. That's proof of demand.

Why Girls' Athletics Matter in the Dominican Republic

For girls in Barahona, access to safe, structured athletic programs is even more limited than it is for boys. The baseball pipeline — whatever its flaws — at least exists for boys. For girls, the pathways are far fewer. Sports programs that serve girls provide more than athletic development: they provide mentorship, safe spaces, community, and the kind of confidence that carries into the classroom and beyond.

According to UNICEF Dominican Republic, girls in rural Dominican communities face compounding barriers to education and opportunity. Athletic programs that prioritize education alongside sport are one of the most effective tools available for keeping girls engaged and in school.

The Girls Softball Via

The Girls Softball Via is Vias RD's answer to the demand we're already seeing. The vision is the same as the Baseball Via: free participation, education-first accountability, real coaching, and a commitment letter that puts school ahead of everything else. Safe athletics, mentorship, leadership development, and academic support for girls in Barahona.

We haven't launched a full girls program yet — but those three registered girls are our reminder that we need to. They showed up without a program waiting for them. That takes courage. We owe them something real in return.

What We're Building Toward

The Girls Softball Via will eventually serve girls across the same age divisions as the Baseball Via, with its own coaching staff, equipment, and accountability structure. It will feed into the same Education Via and the future Vias Learning Center, where tutoring, English instruction, and academic support will be available to all students regardless of which Via they enter through.

Women and girls in sports aren't a side note to Vias RD's mission. They're a core part of where this is going. See our impact, read stories from Barahona, or support the mission.

Three girls registered without a program. Imagine what they'll do when they have one.