The cyclical nature of the Domincan Republic´s sugar manufacturing industry requires that employees work an average of four months out of the year approximately 18-20 hours per day in the refineries (Bateyes). The majority of these employees are male Haitian immigrants who live and work in the refineries with their families. These men are primarily involved in planting, cutting, loading, weighing and transporting sugar cane to the mills. The other six months of the year known as ¨time outs or slacks;¨ the workers go in search of employment outside of the refineries which tends to be scarce and difficult to obtain for undocumented workers, leaving most of them without a source of income. As a result, their spouses take on the primary bread winner responsibility. However, the work that is available to these women is substandard, specifically these women may face discrimination, deportation, far below average wages, and physical and/or mental abuse.

The Socio-Cultural Movement for Haitian Workers (MOSCTHA) was created to help alleviate some of the burdens that Haitain immigrants face in the Dominican Republic sugar refineries. The Movement´s goal was to create jobs for these workers, specifically providing them land so they can farm and sell their own produce with the hope of becoming self-sufficient. MOSCTHA currently provides workers year round support which consists of training, agricultural materials, and coaching in animal husbandry and farming. Approximately 600 workers are enrolled in the program who have made a commitment to share the knowledge and skills they have learned with others. Specifically, they are required to teach the skills they have acquired with one other sugar refinery worker. MOSCTHA Bateye’s aim is to ultimately expand these projects to other impoverished refinery communities creating a sense of hope where there is none.