In the year 2000, 54% of the population of the Dominican Republic lived under the so called "line of poverty”, while by 2003, the conditions had deteriorated so as to reach 62% of the population.  These percentages represent a total of approximately 6 million people living under the line of poverty, and some 3 million of these, living below the level of extreme poverty.  In the rural areas of the Dominican Republic, poverty is rampant, and it is more severe in the densely populated peri-urban areas.  A study from the national planning office (ONAPLAN) reveals that 60% of the families in these areas are critically poor.  The majority of the poor families in the country make a living out of subsistence agriculture, agricultural piecework, basic agriculture, and seasonal activities, temporary work, free zone work, family remittances from abroad, or subsistence micro enterprises.  Recent events that have impacted the economy (2002 to 2004) in the Dominican Republic have had a negative impact over the level and quality of life in the country.  Unemployment and underemployment are enormous, and the purchasing capacity has deteriorated significantly.  These tendencies have helped to create a specter of unsatisfied social needs in the areas of health, ecology, and living conditions.  While families look for alternative ways of generating income to satisfy their basic needs, many work to establish "micro enterprises".  1 -- PNUD , Dominican Republic, 2005; 2 -- the ONAPLAN study defines poor families based on a series of crucial variables that include conditions of life, access to services, educational levels of the family, and sources of income .