In Costa Rica there is a lack of equity regarding the quality of education in the country's capital and the provinces where 23% of households are considered to be in poverty and 6.3% are in extreme poverty.

In coastal regions such as the province of Guanacaste, this percentage has decreased somewhat as a result of tourism (20% of households in poverty). However, in practice, this slight reduction is not an accurate reflection of actual the quality of life of the inhabitants or of available services. Over 40% of households considered in poverty are suffering from unemployment; 25% of them do not reach minimum wage; and 35% do not have public health coverage.

The gap between poor and non-poor households is most visible in the low school attendance rates of youth between 13 and 17 years old. In addition, many women and girls continue to be victims of aggression and domestic violence

The project is working to bridge this school and social gap, providing children with extra-curricular support to help them recover from these deficiencies.

The Extracurricular Classes Program (recreational, sports, artistic, educational, cultural activities) serves as an opportunity for underprivileged children to access recreation, free association and participation in topics and activities that interest them, in order to create positive changes in their lives. The program also aims to increase their physical and emotional health and help them to feel safe and protected by their group.

Goals 

• Empower and enable children from rural and underserviced communities through reinforcing extra-curricular (after-school) educational programs in a safe and nurturing environment;
• Provide services and support to victims of abuse and violence.

Activities

• Girls’ clubs: through this 42-week program girls aged 8-13, learn to increase self-confidence and self-esteem, create a sense of belonging to a safe group of friends, talk about gender violence, and learn about healthy life habits and the importance of education and financial management.
• Sports teams: through the sports program the children and teenagers learn technical skills, as well as teamwork, discipline, perseverance and trust. Sports improves physical and mental wellbeing. Children increase their self-esteem by progressing in sports.
• Arts program: Art and music classes provide children with opportunities to develop talent, to listen carefully to each other and create bonding and trust. Children increase their self-esteem by progressing in the arts. Arts can help heal trauma and improve mental wellbeing.
• Yoga and mindfulness program: this 9-month program for kids aged 7-9 aims to increase healthy and balanced life habits, to enhance environmental awareness and to improve self-esteem and social-emotional skills, through yoga, meditation, mindfulness and project-based learning for environmental education and consciousness.

Key Performance Indicators to be reached (KPIs)

• Up to 900 underprivileged children and teenagers participating in weekly after-school classes;
• Identifying victims of abuse and violence for them to receive integral support.
• Children from underprivileged backgrounds reporting an increase in their wellbeing: increase of their self-confidence and self-esteem, create a sense of belonging to a safe group of friends, heal personal challenges and trauma and maintain or increase their physical health, learn new technical skills, and have environmental awareness;

Myriad Canada is working with CEPIA on this project, a non-profit organization that promotes cultural development, educational and labor opportunities, physical and mental health, social cohesion and participation of children, teenagers, their families, and adults from poor backgrounds in Costa Rica to improve their quality of life.

Myriad Canada’s role is to carry out charitable activities across the globe in accordance with its charitable purposes. We control and monitor the use of funds and the progress of charitable activities to ensure that donations made to Myriad Canada have the greatest impact in accordance with donors’ expressed wishes. As a member of the Myriad Alliance with offices in Canada, the US, Europe, Asia and Australia, Myriad Canada has a vast international network and extensive practical expertise.