Harry Gomez

English Teacher

La Romana, Dominican Republic

Harry Gomez teaches English to students enrolled in the Survival Skills program in the Dominican Republic. He was born in the capital city of Santo Domingo and was raised in La Romana by his mother, a pediatrician, and his father, a retired admiral in the Dominican Republic Navy. He came to America to earn his college degree in software programming, which formed the basis of his career for more than 10 years in the video game, entertainment, tourism and healthcare industries. Having the ability to speak English opened many doors for him in the Dominican Republic, and in 2014 he began teaching English to businesspeople working for international companies in La Romana.

Harry says he began learning English as a small child by watching Sesame Street and The Electric Company on TV. His parents, neither of them native English speakers, enrolled him in English-speaking schools. They also brought him to the United States when he was in the third grade while his father took a year-long course at the National Defense College in Washington, D.C.

He now teaches English to his corporate clients during the week and teaches the students enrolled in our Survival Skills program on Sunday mornings. By learning English, these students are preparing themselves for a secure and successful life after they age out of the orphanage.

“Knowing English will give these kids a boost when they start looking for a job,” Harry said. “What I am teaching these young people can help them get ahead in life and offer a better outcome to their futures. With these classes, these kids believe they have a chance to live beyond the orphanage with the tools that they need provided by people that care about them. Just Hope gives them hope.”

Current Programs

Survival Skills in Dominican Republic
La Romana, Dominican Republic

Most Recent Updates

January
12
2018

Harry helps Survival Skills students unlock new opportunities in the Dominican Republic

  • Harry teaching English to Survival Skills student
    Harry is teaching his student how to answer questions in English.
  • Joanna and Harry teaching Survival Skills
    Joanna and Harry are teaching Survival Skills students English and life skills to help them unlock more opportunities in the Dominican Republic.
  • Harry teaching classroom English language.
    Harry teaches his students how to communicate in English.
What do you get when you take Sesame Street, a background in software programming and someone who wants to help others? You get a great teacher! See how Survival Skills teacher Harry Gomez is using his experience and knowledge of the English language to help his students unlock new opportunities in the Dominican Republic. Click here to read more...
December
20
2016

Cooking practice

The students in the Dominican Republic practiced cooking as part of their Survival Skills training. They learned to cook five basic menus, and it looks like they had a good time in the process!
December
13
2016

Grocery shopping field trip

Meal planning, nutrition, grocery shopping and budgeting are critical skills our students learn in the Survival Skills program. The students in the Dominican Republic recently completed a grocery shopping trip to get food to cook the following week. They practiced planning a healthy meal that fit their budget and shopping for the ingredients.
December
1
2016

Survival Skills Program Launched in Dominican Republic

We are excited to announce the launching of our survival skills program in the Dominican Republic! Using what we've learned from our program in Panama, we have made changes to the curriculum and application process. We look forward to bringing you stories about this new group of young people, and we ask for your prayers as we get them fully launched. Read more about the launch here.

Give A Hand Up

The hand up you provide could be the turning point for an individual who has expressed a genuine desire to improve his or her circumstances.