Summer Volunteer and Adventure Costa Rica

Location: San Jose , Costa Rica Start/End point: San Jose
Food: Local meals (3 times a day)
Room: Host family
Date: 4 weeks (June 25 – July 21, 2012)
Program fee: $2269 for 4 weeks (including 5 Days of Travel)

Arrival: Welcome to Costa Rica !

Upon arrival in Costa Rica , you are greeted by a local IFRE representative at the San Jose airport. After a short orientation, you be transported to your accommodations and settle in with your host family. The second day begins with your “regular” routine including Spanish lessons and your volunteer experience. Over the next three weeks, you will work as a volunteer and acquire a comfortable, useful level of Spanish fluency – enriching your adventure abroad.

Day 1: Orientation and Language Introduction

Meet with IFRE local in-country staff. Participate in a general question/answer session and learn about program itinerary, general information about history, culture, tradition and other topics (health, safety). Receive briefing on language program then spend free time in afternoon exploring nearby areas.

Days 22-23: Volunteer Work (22 days)

Many families in Costa Rica are affected by severe poverty and health care industry challenges. Family members may die at an early age or there is simply not enough money to support complete families. These challenges and more result in an enormous number of orphans without any support, who often ending up as street children at a very early age.

As a volunteer, you will help in a street children and orphan center, caring for and providing vital support for these children ranging in ages up to teenagers . Many children have come from cases of extreme poverty or abuse and are struggling to trust adults and overcome physical or mental limitations created by abuse and neglect. These children are dealing with traumatic issues of poverty, abuse, drugs, prostitution and so much more. Volunteers in these projects provide support and crucial assistance to orphans and local street children as they entertain hopes of a wonderful future. Orphaned teenagers need support re-entering society rather than return to living on the streets, and these centers provide important programs to help them do so.

For the next three weeks, volunteers will rotate through different orphanages located in and around San Jose . Volunteers will be subdivided in many small groups. IFRE will place 2-5 volunteers in one orphanage depending upon the number of children. Orphanage project volunteers teach English (3-4 hours a day) in the orphanage or schools (when the children attend school during the day). You will share life-skills and teach about matters of personal hygiene and sanitation – helping them learn to brush their teeth, showering, etc. Volunteers offer unique support to infant orphans – helping to feed infants children, change their diapers and/or bathe them.

During the “off-time” which is usually in the evenings, volunteers plan fun activities – organize games, drawing lessons, singing, dancing, and other creative, educational and extracurricular activities. It is also time to help with homework, monitor their academic progress and make sure that the children complete the next day's homework assignments. If teaching at a school during the daytime does not interest you, you can offer to take care of the children who stay at the orphanage (who cannot yet go to school). General operations need volunteer support as well: food distribution, kitchen, garden, cleaning and various administrative duties.

Spanish lessons will occur during volunteer free time and the schedule will be finalized at orientation.

Days 24-28: Explore Costa Rica

Day 24: Visit San Jose

It is time to explore. First up is a half-day excursion to view highlights of San Jose : The National Museum, the National Theatre, San Jose 's famous Central Market and the Metropolitan Cathedral. Occasionally, weather will cause a replacement in plans with a cultural evening in Old Town including dinner and traditional Costa Rican dance and folklore shows.

Day 25: Calypso Catamaran Cruise

Day 26: Poas Volcano National Park

The full-day land tour begins with a private transport to Poas Volcano National Park and awesome main attraction of Cost Rica. With an enormous volcano in the background, volunteers will enjoy a cup of authentic Costa Rican coffee and a tropical breakfast. A beautiful meal as you enjoy the view of one of the largest volcano craters in the world! After breakfast, we will take a brief hike to the Botos Lagoon – a dormant volcano crater.

Later this day volunteers will venturing into the Caribbean zone with a stop to discover La Paz Waterfall Gardens . A short hike through this nature park to Magia Blanca Falls leaves volunteers prepared to enjoy the world's largest enclosed butterfly observatory. There are two more waterfalls on the agenda after lunch, including the La Paz Waterfall. Private transport delivers volunteers to Puerto Viejo to enjoy a relaxing boat ride on the Sarapiqui River . The banks are teeming with wildlife including monkeys, crocodiles, and numerous bird species. The return trip to San Jose travels through the rainforest of Braulio Carrillo National Park – one of Costa Rica 's most important jungle reserves.

Days 27-28: Punta Leona

Punta Leona entertains volunteers for the final three (3) days and two (2) nights. This unspoiled beach on the Pacific coast is not a regular tourist destination due to its remote location (in comparison to the beaches of Manuel Antonio and Jaco). Punta Leona is known for its nature, wildlife and overall biodiversity, but the beaches are remarkable as well! The local reserve is home to the Scarlet Macaw as well as other birds such as Quail and Toucans. There are three excellent hiking trails, great for bird watching and exploration.

Program fee includes:

• Airport pickup
• Accommodations (shared) in hostel, host family, tourist hotel
• Local meals three times a day
• Local transportation (primarily local buses)
• Entry fees
• Insurance
• Service of leader for entire project period

Program fee does not include:

• First night of hotel or hostel stay (participant will pay $20.00 USD directly to the host)

This program itinerary is merely a proposed sample and may be altered to meet the needs of the volunteers and changes in field conditions. This proposed itinerary will be finalized during orientation in Costa Rica.