Description

Volunteering abroad on a Care Project in Costa Rica will be a challenge, but ultimately rewarding as you see the positive impact you make from the moment you arrive. You do not require any qualifications to do international volunteer work and you do not need to have had previous experience. If you have energy, enthusiasm and compassion then it does not matter whether you are 17 or 76. Gap year students, career breakers or retired volunteers are all welcome.

As Costa Rica is a relatively prosperous Central American country with a developing tourist industry and a reasonably good standard of living, there is a huge potential for economic growth. However, there is always a need for extra assistance at many of the kindergartens, day care centers and special needs centers.

International Volunteer Work with Children who have Special Needs with Projects Abroad

Our Care projects are based in and around the city of Liberia, in the north west of Costa Rica. The placements are spread throughout the town and are normally within walking distance or a short bus ride of your host family.

We work with children and adults who are disabled and have special needs. Our volunteers work in centers that help to make a difference and in kindergartens with children aged from about 2 to 6 years old. You could be working alongside local staff in a special education center for babies, children and adults with disabilities like Down syndrome. The working day usually runs from 7 or 8am to early in the afternoon, but your specific timetable will be decided with your supervisor upon your arrival.

Your Role as a Care Volunteer in Costa Rica

There is a great deal you can do to contribute to the much needed care and support of children on your volunteer Care placement. You can help with day-to-day practical tasks and important life skills, ensuring that the young children have been washed and fed as well as helping them with reading, writing and arithmetic.

With older children and adults, you can make a real difference just by offering your friendship. This is also the perfect opportunity to put any skills you have to good use. Suggestions for various games and activities will always be well received. From finger painting to soccer, the time you dedicate will help to add fun and enjoyment to people's lives. Anyone with skills in art or music could put these to use by suggesting activities to the staff who will be glad to make room for your ideas. The options available are limited only by your imagination!

In the kindergartens, volunteers focus on basic education and help teach numbers and the alphabet. Songs, games and sports are also popular activities to help with. The children will also welcome any new ideas that you may have for drama activities, putting on a concert, or arranging a sports day.

The majority of the care centers and kindergartens in Costa Rica have a vacation from mid December until mid February as well as a shorter vacation period in July. Volunteers are able to travel or enjoy the festivities with their host family over the Christmas period, then from the second week of January we organize a variety of vacation programs. These may include painting a care center, coaching sports or working with a smaller number of children at the care centers who still attend during the vacation period.

All volunteers on Teaching, Care, Sports, Journalism or Spanish placements in Costa Rica have the opportunity to add a 7-Day Conservation Project to the end of their main placement. For more information visit our 7-Day Costa Rica Conservation Project page.

Highlights

For your accommodation, you'll live with a Spanish speaking host-family, which is great environment for developing and improving your language skills. All the families involved are extremely supportive of the projects carried out by Projects Abroad and are eager to experience an inter-cultural exchange and learn about the lives of volunteers.

Costa Rica is Central America's jewel. It's an oasis of calm among its turbulent neighbors and an ecotourism heaven, making it one of the best places to experience the tropics with minimal impact. It's also mostly coastline, both Caribbean and Pacific, which means great surfing, beaches galore and a climate built for laziness.

This program offers you the opportunity to become fully immersed in the culture in a manner which even the most hardened of backpackers could never hope to do.

Qualifications

none

Languages

• English
• Spanish

Cost in US$:

Please go to our website for prices.

Cost Includes:

• Food
• Housing
• In-country orientation/Training
• In-country staff support
• Medical insurance
• Medical services
• Pre-departure orientation/Training
• Registration fees
• Travel while in host country
• Written materials abroad
• Written materials pre-departure

Program Fees Include:

The price of each placement includes all your food and accommodation, transfers to and from the airport, full travel and medical insurance plus support and 24 hour back-up from both our staff based around the world.

Experience Required

no

Volunteer Types

Typical Volunteer

open minded with a desire to travel

Age Range

16-80

This Program is open to

Worldwide Participants. This Program is also open to Couples and Individuals.

Typical Living Arrangements

• Home-stays

Participants Travel

Independently or in Groups

Typically Participants Work

Independently or in Groups

Application Process Involves

• Letters of Reference
• Written Application

Typically The Application Process Time is

10 days

Post Services Include

• Exit Debriefing Abroad
• Re-Entry Debriefing at Home

Projects Abroad's Mission Statement

As part of the global economy, Projects Abroad helps create local employment wherever we send volunteers. Employing local staff overseas and using their talents and knowledge is important to us. This local knowledge and support enables the organization to channel the skills of the volunteers from more affluent countries to regions around the world where they are needed. Volunteers also learn from their placements and the people they meet, and they gain experience in a chosen field. In the 21st century, we believe this mutual respect is what cultural exchange is all about.

Year Founded

1992