The Village Mountain Mission Project is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing assistance for families in the Dominican Republic living in poverty. For over a decade, we have organized high adventure, hands-on trips for groups who want to make a lasting difference for others, while having fun and learning about life in a developing country.
The Village Mountain Mission exists to bring HELP, HOPE, and LOVE to the people of the Dominican Republic. We bring HELP by building houses for those who are unable to live in their existing house due to extreme poverty. We bring HOPE by providing and teaching basic medical procedures for healthy living and wound care. We Bring LOVE by providing unconditional love to all peoples in the Dominican Republic.
After his retirement, the founder of the Village Mountain Mission, Bill Benson, began traveling through the Caribbean on a 55’ sailboat. During his and his wife’s travels, there was a hurricane in Honduras that they tried to help with. Unfortunately, the cargo ships that carried aid for the area were not letting anyone bring material ashore without paying, so they docked in Luperon Harbor in the Dominican Republic to regroup and weather out the rest of the storm. As they explored the surrounding areas, they came across a town called Pueblo Nuevo. Although he was told the town was dangerous, Bill visited the local colmado, or convenience store. As he sat there, surrounded by children playing, he fell in love.
After that, Bill continued to travel back to the DR to see the most remote places of the country. On one particular trek to the extreme Southwest along the Haitian border, he ended up in a village called Buena Vista, which is only accessible by foot. The town only exists because it is in close proximity to a local dump, which the people use to gather food and other useful materials. He had been looking at helping to replace palm frond roofs in Luperon, but here, the homes would need to be completely rebuilt. On the last house that he visited, the woman living there invited him in and offered him some berries. As he hesitantly took them and began to eat, he looked around. He realized that this woman had given him the only food that she had. After this, his conviction to begin work in the Dominican Republic grew even stronger.
This work evolved into the Village Mountain Mission that we know today. Over the years, the construction work that was done, evolved into construction, medical, and educational care. The mission has evolved to meet a need seen by someone who came down. We continue to look to help in the best way possible and answer as many prayers as possible.
