Costa Rica Community Projects

Global Volunteers' unique philosophy of service ensures your work projects help advance the host community's current development vision and goals. Our long-term commitment to work in partnership on sustained community development projects enables you, in just a short time, to serve as a critical link in a chain of lasting community enhancements. While most of the work projects are labor-based and require light to heavy effort, volunteers of all ages can contribute. For instance, you might help repair or paint a community center or lay tile in a community health care center. Some childcare-related and tutoring assistance is also sometimes requested. These projects are very "family friendly," and because of the congenial Costa Rican culture, children as young as age six are welcome at the work site. Some teams have also worked directly with students in a special education classroom. While we may not be able to advise you in advance what your individual assignments will be, we can provide you a general sense of what the work projects will be for your team as a whole.

Global Volunteers works with the residents and community leaders of the local villages of Cebadilla and Canitas to help build and renovate community structures such as schools, health clinics, meeting halls and sports facilities. We're committed to continuing to support the special needs classroom in Santa Elena Primary School. This particular classroom struggles to stay open as government cutbacks target the programs with lower attendance. Volunteers also serve El Colegio, the high school in Santa Elena, to renovate and improve the facilities available for the students, including support to the Santa Elena Reserve managed by the Colegio. Additional projects are planned with the development association of San Rafael, including the primary school, secondary school, community center, and Coffee Cooperative in the Santa Elena area.

There are special times of the year when you can participate in community-wide celebrations as part of the work project. For instances, during the Christmas season, and some days before New Year's, the national "fiestas patronales," is celebrated. Families gather to display nativity scenes at their homes and to celebrate the "posadas," a custom where children, playing shepards, go house to house and sing Christmas carols, re-enacting the journey of Mary and Joseph. Musicians perform traditional carols while residents feast on traditional meals. Throughout the year, national holidays inform volunteers of historical customs and traditions. Please inquire about joining a service program over these holidays.