It is only 32 days and counting until our first Christmas Project. The lights and decorations are starting to go up all around Costa Rica and we are working really hard to ensure all the events are a day to remember for all the community members who will be taking part. We want to make sure we put a smile on the face of everyone who attends – children and adults alike. This year is set to be much bigger than last year and we are in much need of donations in the form of supplies (decorations, arts and crafts and gifts for the children) and money to buy these supplies and yummy food and drinks for everyone. Please contact us if you would like to get involved in any way – we greatly appreciate every tiny amount of help that we receive.
This year we would like to be able to invite all the children from Cocles School in Puerto Viejo to come to the Puerto Viejo Christmas Party. Cocles is a beautiful location – set back away from the beach and the lapping waves of the Caribbean Sea. It sounds idyllic but the reality is that the school is so understaffed that pupils are only able to attend school for around 3 hours per day. In Costa Rica, lack of schooling has a very negative effect on the long-term career prospects and money-earning potential of many of the children. Many children do not continue in school after 6th Grade as they go to work to gain extra income for their family household or they lack the ambition to continue with school studies.
Our goal and the goal of our volunteers at Cocles, as well as teaching English, is to mentor and act as role models to the children to encourage them to be interested in their studies and enable them to want to continue learning after they finish primary education. Being able to speak English is a skill that greatly enhances career prospects in Costa Rica and without our volunteers, the students at the school would receive no English tuition at all. English classes simply do not take place when there are no volunteers at the school.
Today our Director, Isaac Garcia, is in Puerto Viejo to meet with the school head teacher to find out if we can invite all the school children. It would be wonderful to see all the children there and we hope they will enjoy the fun and be inspired by the efforts of ourselves and our volunteers. Following that meeting, Isaac has a big meeting with the Puerto Viejo Development Association Board. This consists of 15 community leaders from the Puerto Viejo area. Amongst other things, he will be presenting the plans for the Puerto Viejo school Summer Camp and discussing with the board the possibility of having the event in the town cultural center which is larger than last year's venue and will allow us to invite more children from the community. Isaac will also be visiting some local business in the area, including some of the main hotels and restaurants, many of which are run by foreign ex-pats. We are hoping many of them would like to donate to our two events in Puerto Viejo and help us out with materials for the events.
Also over the Christmas period, we are very much looking forward to welcoming a group of students from the Central Michigan University. As well as participating in our Christmas Projects, they will also be staying at the beautiful Camaronal Reserve and taking part in our Turtle Conservation Project there. This project is particularly understaffed and in much need of volunteers to help protect the endangered sea-turtles from becoming extinct by ensuring their eggs are laid in a safe place and do not get poached. This area is quite rustic and very remote but all the volunteers we have had there have had a wonderful time and usually wish they'd stayed longer. You can read what some of our past volunteers have written about their experiences at Camaronal here.
Our friends from Michigan will get to fall asleep to the sound of the lapping waves, experience the rugged beauty of the area, see live turtles laying there eggs and above all – work with some amazingly friendly, dedicated and knowledgeable people. In particular with this project, we are very grateful to Danilo Gabb, our friend and indigenous leader who runs the Indigenous Cultural Center in Bambu over on the opposite side of Costa Rica who will be lending us enough tents to host everyone from Michigan. We are so lucky to have such great friends who are willing to help us and our friends on other projects out!
As always, please contact us if you would like any further information on our projects, what we do or to see how you can help.
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Pura Vida,
Sarah