President Danilo Medina handed over the Medal of Merit of the Dominican Woman today at the palace to Dr. Mercedes de Canalda, Chair of the Board of Alianza NGO and President and founder of the Dominican Association for the Advancement of Women, Inc. (ADOPEM NGO).
Mercedes de Canalda served as Chair of the Board of of Alianza NGO from 2011 to 2015 and is being recognized for her excellent work. Doctor Canalda is the current President and a founding member of the Asociación Dominicana para el Desarrollo de la Mujer, Inc. (ADOPEM NGO), which she created in 1982 along with a group of professional women concerned about the condition of poverty in which a lot of women and their families lived, with the aim of improving the quality of life of women by providing loans and training.
Through ADOPEM NGO a set of programs and projects with a socio-economic impact have been created (reflected in activities and field work) in areas and sectors that are vulnerable and hard to reach.
Doctor Canalda has chaired the Board of Women’s World Banking, New York and has been a representative of the National Social Security Board. She has been recognized by the Inter-American Development Bank as “Female pioneer in Microfinance” for her outstanding work.
In the award ceremony, President Medina praised 12 other outstanding women on the occasion of International Women’s Day.
Medal of Merit of the Dominican Woman is established in Decree 18-15 and is awarded as recognition of efforts made and to distinguish individuals in different fields of social involvement in society.
Along with the Head of State were the first lady, Cándida Montilla of Medina; the Vice President, Margarita Cedeño de Fernández; the Minister of Women, Alejandrina Germán, the Minister of Women, and the ministers of the Presidency, Gustavo Montalvo and Administrative Secretary to the President., José Ramón Peralta.
In addition to the Senator of Santo Domingo province and the President of the Senate, Cristina Lizardo Mézquita; the legal adviser of the Executive, César Pina Toribio.