The first day all the volunteers went on a tour of the neighborhood and it was a huge reality check when we saw some of the kids living situations. Compared to their behavior at the center it was pretty unbelievable.
Project Overview
- Region: Latin America
- Program: Volunteer Costa Rica
- Location: San Ramon
- Base Price: $643 for 1 Weeks
- Price for Extra Weeks: $154
- Groups & Family: Yes
- Language Required: Basic Spanish
- Minimum Duration: 1 Week
- Minimum Age: 18 Years
- Accommodation Type: Dorm
- Meals Included: 2 Meals
- Start Dates: Friday, Every 2 weeks
- Airport Pick-up: Included in price
- Travel Insurance Included: Yes
What's not included: Flight, Visa Costs, In-country Transportation
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Project Start Dates, Dutations and Fees
Project Details
Project Overview: The community where this project is situated is the poorest of all San Ramon suburbs. Poverty here is an epidemic that continues to hold back each new generation of children from building a better life for themselves. Many cannot afford to provide their children with adequate care, schooling, and home tutoring. Most parents are illiterate, and substance abuse is a common problem. As such, it is common for homes not to have any books and learning materials.
You'll be working in a community center that acts as a pillar of support for these underprivileged families, lending a hand through friendly supervision of children and education. Reading is the greatest difficulty for many of the children who attend the community center, so many of the educational activities focus on bringing children up to their grade level in reading skills and comprehension. You'll give these children the tools to rise above their current conditions, securing a better job and more opportunities for success when they become adults.
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What will I be doing? Your work will be diverse, at a facility that acts as a daycare, after school club, and community center. Main duties include supervision of the children, helping them with learning skills such as pre-reading; reading comprehension and fluency; playing sports such as basketball and football; and caring for them during their recreational periods. You'll also play and organize various activities with the children.
Where will I be volunteering? You will be based in San Ramon, Alajuela. San Ramon is one of the larger Central Valley coffee towns and is set in a scenic basin enclosed by rolling mountains. It is a very traditional, unique and close knit town. National Geographic Magazine referred to San Ramon as having the best climate in the world.
San Ramon is about an hour drive north of the capital San Jose. It has the central Pacific Coast beaches located a couple of hours to the west and is located just south of Costa Rica's cloud forest belt and west of Lake Arenal.
San Ramon central location makes it an ideal base for travel around Costa Rica. Apart from its weather and central location, the people of San Ramon are some of the friendliest people you will meet in Costa Rica. They are genuinely welcoming to travelers, and are eager to make everyone feel welcome. The town has campuses of the 3 main Costa Rican universities; this ensures that San Ramon has a vibrant social life.
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What will be my schedule? The project schedule requires that you work 4 days a week, Monday to Thursday, for a maximum of 6 hours per day. Your time will be split between the morning and afternoon shifts.
Read This Project's Testimonials
Below are testimonials of previous volunteers on this project. Click though to their full reports where you can view their video reports, photos and you can also contact them directly by email to ask about their experiences with us in Costa Rica.
The first day all the volunteers went on a tour of the neighborhood and it was a huge reality check when we saw some of the kids living situations. Compared to their behavior at the center it was pretty unbelievable.
My experience in the community center in Bajo Tejares was amazing. On the first day we got there we went to our home stay. We stayed with the most amazing person ever. She is now our Costa Rican grandma. We went to see the dorm, and meet the other volunteers. They were so nice. We thought it was awkward at first but it was awesome.
Macie T. - Age 10
Read Macie's Full Volunteer Story
Impossible not to love and cherish the complete experience. One week is certainly not enough!!!!
Augie A. - Age 42
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I chose UVolunteer for several different reasons. The first time I did an internet search and uVolunteer had programs in areas that I wanted to volunteer. It had a price tag that I could afford and set up homestays. The homestay aspect was important to me , since one of the reasons I wanted to volunteer in a Latin American country was to practice my Spanish.
Jennifer . - Age 15
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On our first day we were given a tour of beautiful San Ramon, perfect weather, even better people, and a tight nit community made us all feel welcome. The fruit market is a must see, with produce I have never heard of in my life including dragonfruit, and guanabana ( a watermelon looking fruit that it white instead of pink, slightly creamy, and ten times as sweet).
Eric Z. - Age 22
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Applying to the program was a simple step-by-step process. I planned my month long trip to Costa Rica only two weeks before I boarded the plane. Ligia and Alicia made it simple for me to get organized and told me exactly what I needed to bring. I decided to spend three of my weeks in Costa Rica volunteering and spend the last week exploring the country on my own.
Zev P. - Age 22
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I was lucky enough to go zip lining the second day I arrived and it was an experience I know I will never forget! I was very excited to start working and going to the Community Education Project in Bajo Tijares the first day was a bit of a culture shock for me and it really impacted me because I was never familiar with people living like that.
Anita H. - Age 18
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Yet I didn't really know what to expect. When we were walking out of the airport I saw a bunch of people advertising the taxis, and I wondered how we would ever find the uVolunteer staff - but then they popped out of the crowd and called us by our names.
Chelsea E. - Age 16
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The kids are wonderful, fun, always smiling, and I hope we helped them to have fun and enjoy a few days with us.
Dustin E. - Age 50
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Our initial experience with uVolunteer was excellent. The website is informative and well maintained. When I called for further information about our trip to Costa Rica, the Enrollment Officer was extremely helpful.
Celeste R. - Age 53
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This whole trip has been amazing. We arrived at the same time as many other new volunteers. Everyone at the dorm is fantastic and it has been great to get to know them.
Katherine C. - Age 18
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My main reason for booking this trip to Costa Rica was to keep up with my Spanish. I didn't realize that I would gain so much more than just a bigger vocabulary.
Sarah C. - Age 21
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This week has been a life changing experience for me. I came to Costa Rica not really knowing what to expect, but has exceeded all my expectations for the better.
Jenna T. - Age 19
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I want to start off by saying my trip to Costa Rica was everything I had hoped and more.
Nicole B. - Age 21
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When I first arrived in Costa Rica I was expecting the week to be spent spending time with the local kids, helping them with homework and playing with them in order to keep them out of trouble.
Samantha B. - Age 21
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My experience here with uVolunteer has been absolutely fantastic.
Sean D. - Age 19
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The accommodations are great, the food that Dona Isabel cooks is always delicious, and she always keeps the house very clean and neat.
Emily C. - Age 20
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I have learned that your clothes, car and possessions mean nothing really. What matters are your relationship and how you impact others. It is so evident in the culture here and I feel blessed to be taking that back with me.