Mission Batey
A project by S.E.E. Difference
Mission Batey was the very first charitable project I undertook, and it served as the catalyst for the creation of SEE Difference. While studying abroad in the Dominican Republic in 2017, I was exposed to a type of rural community called Bateyes — small communities facing extreme hardship, often without access to essential resources like clean water, healthcare, stable housing, or a reliable food source.
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After my study abroad program ended, I stayed in the country for two additional weeks, immersing myself in the community, getting to know the residents, and their struggles on an intimate level. My plan was simple. Spend time in the community, understand their hardships, document their reality on film, and use that footage to launch a fundraiser—then return the following year with the funds. Little did I know, this project would birth an organization, and change the trajectory of my life, forever.
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- Tate Weaver, Executive Director, SEE Difference​
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April 18th, 2018
"Mission Batey" was launched by Tate Weaver in April of 2018 with the following GoFundMe video:
in short, a batey is a type of rural community in the Dominican Republic, originally built to house Haitian migrant workers brought in to cut sugarcane. In the 1990s, the demand for raw cane sugar declined as high fructose corn syrup became the dominant sweetener. With less need for labor, many sugarcane fields were burned, effectively pushing workers out. However, strict immigration laws prevented many from returning to Haiti, and they were also denied a path to Dominican citizenship. Many refer to these individuals as the forgotten people.
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September 2nd, 2018
On September 1, 2018, Tate flew into Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic. Working alongside his project partner, Clarens Descorias—a Haitian man living in the Dominican Republic—they identified the individuals most in need and selected them to receive new homes. All materials were purchased locally, and a caravan of delivery trucks brought in the supplies. Concrete mix, sand, steel rebar, wooden 2x4s, cinder blocks, and galvanized steel panels were purchased in bulk to start the project.
Load #2 (sand)
Load #3 (sand, concrete)
Load #5 (wood, galvanized steel)
Load #7 (wood, galvanized steel)
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September 6th, 2018
Within a few days, Tate and Clarens had facilitated the transport of nearly all building supplies, aside from a few minor items, like specialized cuts of lumber, which Clarens can be seen ordering here.
Once all of the raw materials were transported to Batey Baraguana, work began. Tate and Clarens contracted batey residents to build the homes, thereby providing work and income as a secondary benefit of the project.
Batey resident Foge can be seen here building walls to section off the inside of a recipients new home.
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September 10th, 2018
Young Kevin, helping out.
Adding finishing touches on a home exterior.
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September 14th, 2018
By this point we were almost two weeks into the project. As we documented our work and posted on our socials, interest grew, and new donations flooded in. With the influx of funding, we were able to serve more people, and build and/or repair more homes than originally expected. Here a Batey Baraguana resident can be seen employed by the project to fix the roof of Fanette Celicourt, a Mission Batey recipient.
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September 16th, 2018
After 14 days, countless hours, and generous donations from kind patrons around the world, Mission Batey 2018 came to a close. In total, we built one home from the ground up, made significant repairs to four others, funded electrical service for the community, and provided food for every child. This project left Tate with not only a deep sense of fulfillment but also a newfound sense of purpose.
Shortly after, he returned home to Portland, Oregon, and officially incorporated SEE Difference. Seven years later, while we remain committed to providing adequate shelter, we have broadened our mission to include equitable access to education and a commitment to fostering a healthy environment for all.
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Testimony of Faniel Liberál, Mission Batey Recipient.
