Since May 2023, Maranatha Volunteers International has been constructing a large school campus called Ciudad del Cielo (City of Heaven) in the Dominican Republic, and several structures are nearing completion. The school site is in North Santo Domingo. This area has more than 80 Adventist Churches, but no option for Adventist education. Ciudad del Cielo will meet this vital need.
“It requires many people to pull off a project of this scale,” said Maranatha Vice President of Projects Kyle Fiess. “Our in-country construction team has worked phenomenally. Volunteer groups laid blocks–rain or shine. And Maranatha donors have made everything possible by investing in this important school.”
The campus’ largest building is an Education and Evangelism Center (EEC), which houses an assembly space, surrounded by eight classrooms, two administration offices, and a set of bathrooms. To combat the Dominican Republic’s intense heat, the EEC was designed to have ventilation gaps running lengthwise on either side of the auditorium’s roof. Crews are currently installing metal screens across these gaps. Next they’ll add fans, air conditioning units, plumbing fixtures, windows, doors, and paint. Maranatha will also furnish the EEC with desks and chairs.
Progress on the campus’ five-classroom early childhood classroom block is running relatively parallel to that of the EEC. But crews are still finishing several major tasks on the large church, like sheetrock and tile installation. Maranatha will ship pews and an audiovisual system to complete this beautiful worship space.
Crews are also undertaking several projects for the campus’ exterior. They’re currently adding drainage ditches to control rainwater runoff. Soon they’ll pour a concrete basketball court, build a play area behind the kindergarten building, finish the perimeter wall, and add gates. Final touches like sidewalks and landscaping will tie the completed campus together.
This project is dedicated to Darrell Hardy, Maranatha’s late vice president of construction. It was one of the last major projects he worked on before passing away, unexpectedly, in November 2022. The campus’ dedication ceremony is scheduled for July 26, 2025.
Maranatha has a long history of working in the Dominican Republic. In 1980, after the destruction of Hurricane David, Maranatha constructed 160 houses here. In 1992, the Dominican Republic was the site of a watershed moment of growth for Maranatha, when the organization coordinated the construction of 25 churches over 70 days. Dubbed “Santo Domingo ’92,” it was the first time Maranatha concentrated on one place for multiple volunteer projects. Later efforts occurred in 2003 and 2013, and in 2022, Maranatha returned once more.