SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - Every spring for the past few years, Dane Mason has travelled to the Caribbean island nation of Dominican Republic and every time he returns to Yellowknife, he leaves behind a humanitarian project completed.

From left, Erica Wall of Inuvik, Dane Mason of Yellowknife, Elan Jury of Manitoba, Aaron Flindall of Nova Scotia, Candace Seddon of Inuvik and Chafic Khouri of Yellowknife stand with a house they built in Agua Negra, Dominican Republic in five days this year. The group returned from their humanitarian trip to the Dominican Republic in mid-April. - photo courtesy of Dane Mason

This year, the crew, made up of Mason and Chafic Khouri of Yellowknife, two volunteers from Inuvik, one from Manitoba and one from Nova Scotia, spent time in the community of Agua Negra from the last week in March until mid-April.

During their most recent trip, the team constructed a concrete home for a single mother and her family, paid for by a $5,000 donation from the Yellowknife Rotary Club. And with $6,000 fundraised in Inuvik, the team was able to raise the foundation of a second home above flood levels, pay the tuition for three children to go to school for a year, purchase supplies for an orphanage and buy a backup power system for the medical clinic which the group helped construct during last year's visit.

The team, although organized independently, worked with a non-profit missionary organization called Servant’s Heart.

"One of the things we were able to do was we got to see the house we built last year. We went in, visited with the family. It was definitely a nice feeling," said Mason.

Mason said the days consisted of waking at about 8 a.m. and working on the day's project until supper.

"We went through a fair bit of water," he said.

Mason said making a difference in people's lives is reason enough for hi mto take part in the project.

"It's nice to see the change being built. You're making a difference right on ground level. You have a family and they need something and you're able to go and give it to them," he said.

"You get (the Canadians and the Dominicans) working together, doing manual labour and they start to bridge a lot of gaps and come up with their own ways of communicating. After you leave you get people who come back and they have a new world perspective."

Chafic Khouri of Yellowknife joined in for the experience this year. He said the trip to a more desolate region of the country – near the border with earthquake-ravished Haiti -- and seeing where fundraised monies go firsthand has given him a new perspective on charitable activities.

"It's an experience that teaches you about a bigger picture," said Khouri.

"It brings down that point that people want to help each other and help themselves. It's amazing to see how the community helps itself when the resources are there. We went with six people. By the end of it, we had about 20 people working there everyday, community members, neighbours, doing it without no expectation of pay."

Khouri said if he can't go down to the Dominican Republic with the group again next year, that doesn't mean he won't donate to the cause.

Mason said he hopes he can round up a big enough team, made up of close to 25 people, to take on a bigger project.

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