View larger map

Hope for a Family program serves Costa Rica’s most vulnerable

Costa Rica’s varied topography and bio-diversity have made it an eco-tourism paradise. It is a country of economic contrasts: posh shopping malls and crowded slums, luxury hotels and thatch-roofed villages. Tourism and development benefit some, and leave others struggling to survive.

The San Jose project staff helps families cope with the problems that accompany poverty, such as domestic violence, unemployment, crime, overcrowding and drugs. Staff members are trusted friends because they live in the communities they serve. They regularly visit families like Allison and her mother (above), and learn their history, dreams and hopes. When there is a death or accident, CFCA staff members are available day and night to comfort families. Regular community meetings are facilitated by staff, and offer families a forum to discuss problems and share ideas for coping with their daily challenges.

School supplies are a blessing

When families become part of the Hope for a Family sponsorship program, feelings of isolation disappear. They receive help with the seemingly small items they may struggle to afford, items such as school supplies. If children don't have school supplies, they can feel ostracized.

For example, Johana, 13, and her three siblings loved to go to school even though the beginning of the school year was full of anguish because they did not have uniforms or good shoes. Her parents could only afford part of their school supplies. Things changed when she became sponsored.

"I had the opportunity, for the first time in my life, to have one notebook for each school subject and to attend school with new shoes and uniforms," Johana said. "I have never lived anything like it."

Eco-tourism offers livelihood

The Hope for a Family program affirms the value of indigenous cultures. The program empowers members of indigenous communities to make choices so they can retain their cultural identity and participate proudly in all aspects of life.

The Guatusos community in northern Costa Rica serves the indigenous Maleku people, one of five remaining tribes in the country. Hope for a Family sponsorship is helping Maleku families develop activities related to eco-tourism so they can become a self-sustaining community. Young adults in the community serve as leaders and help administer the Hope for a Family program.

Not just a job

Leticia delivering mail in Desamparados

A dedicated, tireless social worker, Leticia loves working with the families served by CFCA in Costa Rica despite dangers such as walking through high-crime areas. "We feel that what we do is not just a job; it is a mission in our lives," she said.

CFCA social workers in Costa Rica are often described as "a second family" for sponsored members.

Read a letter from the San José project coordinator.

Become a sponsor

You can now select your sponsored friend on our Walk2gether site.
View photos and read profiles of children, youth and aging who are waiting for a sponsor.

Sources:

World Factbook