Mission & Volunteer In Costa Rica.

 

How to help the Poor Childrens at the Public Schools & Commitment  to the Community!

Children from poverty-stricken families require school supplies, uniforms, and shoes in order to attend public school in Costa Rica.

For all Costa Rican students, school begins in February, and we want them to have a great start to their year. Sadly, many children will arrive on the first day without the supplies they need, especially those who are less fortunate. 

 

Challenge

Approximately 10% of Costa Rican families live in extreme poverty. 

the majority of these are parented by single mothers or guardians. Many of these women are non-documented Nicaraguan immigrants and therefore not eligible for government assistance to buy the school supplies, uniforms, and shoes necessary for their children to take advantage of the free public education system. Survey results indicate that 20% of these households have children aged 7-10 who are not in school.

 

Long-Term Impact

Education offers an opportunity for children to escape a lifetime of poverty, drugs, gang violence, and crime. Many of these single mother or abandoned families would not be able to keep their children in school without help. Rather than expand the number of students in this program, it is more important to provide continuing annual assistance until the students in the program can graduate high school, go to work, and begin to break the cycle of poverty within these families.

Yes, that’s right! Since 1869, Costa Rican citizens are obligated to receive education by law, so generally, education is FREE! Costa Rica has a literacy rate of 96%, one of the highest in all Latin American countries.