An Orphanage Outreach trip is an excellent alternative break experience for high school teams. Your trip with Orphanage Outreach is primarily a service-learning trip. Your team will be involved in providing opportunities to orphaned, abandoned, and disadvantaged children. They may be teaching English in a local grade school, tutoring orphanage children, or building needed facilities. Many high school students have told us their week with Orphanage Outreach was the most impactful week of their life.

This trip is great as a general service trip, an alternative senior class trip, or a focused experience for Spanish students. One student told us she learned more Spanish teaching in a Dominican school for a week than she did during a two month summer abroad program in Spain! But students who don't speak any Spanish will have an equally rewarding experience.

In addition to the service, you will also have an opportunity to explore a part of the island for additional cultural experiences--perhaps visiting a rice processing plant, significant historical locations, the Haiti/Dominican farmer's market, or a national park beach.

Some very valuable experiences get packed into a one or two week alternative break.

If you haven't led a team to a developing country before (and even if you have), you will appreciate the "turn key" approach we take. We will purchase the insurance, meet you at the airport, arrange the meals, housing, ground transportation, and projects. You'll still be busy, but it will be time well spent working with and supporting your team members, not managing basic logistics.

Your team's safety and health are our number one priority. Our large team of American and Canadian staff living and working with you in the Dominican Republic will make sure you have a safe and rewarding experience. 

The Orphanage Outreach program is very affordable. For teams of 10 or more who sign up by the early sign-up deadline, the program fee for the week is just $500 U.S.  This includes your housing, all meals, ground transportation, and insurance. Airfare is additional.  

Organized High School Teams That Have Joined Us INclude:

• Academy of Sacred Heart, MI
• Agnes Irwin School, PA
• Balmoral School, MB, Canada
• Barrie School, MD
• Bryn Mawr School, MD
• Castilleja School, CA
• Collegiate School, NY
• Colorado Academy, CO
• Elgin Academy, IL
• Episcopal High School, VA
• Green Valley Mountain School, VT
• Heathwood Hall Episcopal School, SC
• High Mowing School, NH
• La Jolla Country Day School, CA
• Lampeter-Strasburg Interact Club, PA
• Lawrenceville School, NJ
• Marymount School, CA
• North Country School, NY
• Oldfields School, MD
• Overlake School, WA
• Packer Collegiate Institute, NY
• Peddie School, NJ
• Queen Margaret's School, BC, Canada
• St. Thomas Aquinis School, ON,Canada
• St. John's-Ravenscourt School, MB, Canada
• St. Margaret's School, VA
• St. Mark's Episcopal School, MA
• St. Michael's University School, BC, Canada
• Saints Peter and Paul School, IL
• Taft School, CT
• Trumansburg High School, NY
• Waldorf School, MA
• West Town School, PA

School Articles/Videos

• Taft School Article
• Episcopal High School Article
• St. Michael's University School Article
• St. John's-Ravenscourt Video
• La Jolla Country Day School Video

High School Trip Resources

• High School Power Point Presentation
• High School PDF Presentation
• High School Brochure
• High School Flyer/Fact Sheet

Episcopal High School Honors Orphanage Outreach

Episcopal High School of Alexandria, Virginia honored Orphanage Outreach Founder and Executive Director Tom Eklund with the Allen C. Phillips 2007 "Integrity in Action" recognition award. Other receipients of the award have included Dana Reeve, Senator John McCain, Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi, Teach for America Founder Wendy Kopp, Children's Defense Fund Founder and President Marian Wright Edelman, and ABC News Anchor Bob Woodruff.