James Okina and Isaac King are co-founders of No Existe. No Existe is Spanish for doesn’t exist, which refers to the reality of street children in society today. Although children are the most vulnerable population in society, street children are, more often than not, ignored and resigned to fate. To the average person these children do not exist, they are invisible, lost within the system.
James Okina met Isaac King during his first year in the social entrepreneurship program at the Watson Institute at Lynn University. Their goal was to spend 10 days over spring break in the Dominican Republic for research purposes and to go in-depth in learning, understanding and documenting the problem of street children within the context of the Dominican Republic. The purpose of their research was to combine an intense investigation of the entire landscape of street children and the collection of their personal stories that would give first-hand insight to map out the system and structural situations.
Okina and King arrived on March 2, 2019, and over the period of 8 days, they spoke to over 60 people, on and off camera. Traveling by road, cable car, motorcycle and by foot, their journey took them from the Northern city of Santiago to the capital city of Santo Domingo.
At the epicenter of Okina and King's trip were the moments shared with Street Children. The stories and plights of the Haitian and Dominican children they met left in them a deep and burning desire to commit to this problem and create deep and long lasting change in our world.
Okina and King's research report was presented at the Oxford University Said Business School in June 2019 and the documentary based on their research is scheduled to be released in 2021. No Existe has also metamorphosed into a campaign with three main objectives: Influence Policies, Raise Awareness & Galvanize community action.
Press about the Okina, King and No Existe:-
Street Children: A Focus on Dominican Republic (Research Report)
James Okina, Isaac King, Salma Moran, and Wainright Acquoi
Over 150 million children are living in the streets across the world today (UNICEF, 2006). The Dominican Republic which is case in point is one of the many countries where children’s rights are not being protected, and the public welfare of children is not a priority, particularly in the case of street children, thereby increasing children’s encounter with challenges and exposure to risks. The lack of sufficient data creates a conundrum reflecting how bad this situation currently is, but growing concerns have proven how detrimental the challenge is to both children and the future of the country. Despite these alarming global statistics and deteriorating situations, this problem is still a fairly uncharted territory; this challenge leaves policymakers, governance systems, and communities both responsible and at risk as street children are as vulnerable as they are a threat. This study attempts to assess the current challenges associated with street children in the Dominican Republic, the working plans that are already addressing this challenge, and the areas needed for intervention.
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Street Children: A Focus on Dominican Republic (The Visual Map)
James Okina, Isaac King, Salma Moran, and Wainright Acquoi
This study attempts to assess the current challenges associated with street children in the Dominican Republic, the working plans that are already addressing this challenge, and the areas needed for intervention.
