On 21 May, Queen Letizia officially started her co-operation trip to the Dominican Republic and Haiti after arriving the night before in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, where she spent the first two days of her journey.
© Casa de S.M el Rey
The visit began in Monte Plata where the Spanish Co-operation has launched a water distribution project. She visited the La Nueva Esperanza neighbourhood where members of the committee explained to her how the plan worked and how it was helping this poor area getting water.
© Casa de S.M el Rey
Queen Letizia then traveled back to Santo Domingo where she met the President and the First Lady at the Presidential Palace and took part in an official lunch. Afterwards, the Queen and the First Lady visited the Centre for Comprehensive Care for Disability (CAID) in which the First Lady is very involved. The CAID is dedicated to the care of children with intellectual disabilities.
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Queen Letizia also took part in a working meeting with representatives of the Technical Cooperation Office in the Dominican Republic, Spanish non-governmental organisations and international organisations present in the country. After the meeting, the 30th anniversary of the presence of Spanish Co-operation in the nation was celebrated.
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On 22 May, Queen Letizia visited the organic banana cooperative Cooprobata in Azua to learn about the production and packaging of organic bananas. She also observed the agricultural activities there and held a meeting with a group of women who prepare cookies with banana surplus flour.
© Casa de S.M el Rey
Several universities have also collaborated with the project to improve the product value chain. In addition to the cultivation, treatment, and packaging of the fruit, the cooperative manufactures and markets derivative products, such as biscuits, and cookies, which also has the collaboration of international organisations, such as the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations.
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The Queen learned about the programme on prevention of adolescent pregnancy and early weddings set up in Bani. This was the last event of the trip to the Dominican Republic as Queen Letizia then departed from Santo Domingo to Port-Au-Prince, Haiti, where she spent the rest of the day.
© Casa de S.M el Rey
She was received by the First Lady before presiding over a working meeting in the Technical Cooperation Office of Haiti, which was attended by representatives of Spanish Co-operation, NGOs, and international organisations.
© Casa de S.M el Rey
Queen Letizia will spend one more day in Haiti before returning to Madrid. This is Queen Letizia’s third co-operation trip since becoming Queen of Spain in 2014 as she visited Honduras and Salvador in 2015 and Senegal in 2017.
