The Dominican Women’s Development Center (affectionately named by participants as “El Centro”/ The Center) was founded in 1988 by a group of nine women who identified the need to create an organization in the Washington Heights/Inwood community that would help organize women to seek solutions to the problems affecting them in their daily lives, and provide culturally competent social services.

The Center understands the importance of developing mechanisms in which women (13 and older), particularly Latinas, are able to address the need for women to work together in creating empowered and proactive communities. In a holistic process, The Center exalts, promotes and protects the principles of collective work, feminism, social justice, gender equality and spirituality through active faith.