New Hope Volunteers

Since 1998, More than 18000 happy volunteers


Work with Underprivileged Children (Puntarenas)

Work with underprivileged children in Atenas & Puntarenas, Costa Rica
  • Share your passion and love with children
  • Work with local grassroots to inspire disadvantaged children
  • Live with a local family and explore day-to-day Costa Rican life
  • Connect with nature’s best in Costa Rica in your downtime

The children of Costa Rica need your help! Volunteer in Costa Rica and have the opportunity to change the lives of disadvantaged children for the better. New Hope partners up with local grassroots programs to provide assistance to children who live in poverty. The project is an after-school program that provides resources for children to have a good education. Often, schools in the rural parts are unable to offer the same prospects that more affluent schools can offer. You will be providing support to these initiatives and being a source of inspiration for the children. In your downtime, you’ll be able to explore the exotic nature of Costa Rica!

Volunteers’ Responsibilities

As a volunteer in Costa Rica, you will be working with children from impoverished backgrounds at an after-school program. You may also work with volunteers or assistants at the center. Depending on your individual interests and skills, and on the needs of the local staff, your daily activities involve, but are not limited to:

  • Teaching basic English, Math, Science, Physical Education, or other subjects of interest
  • Helping the children with homework
  • Creating a fun, safe and all-inclusive environment
  • Provide care, love and attention to children
  • Providing daily care to the children such as preparing meals and watching over them
  • Help them with their homework
  • Participate in playtime activities
  • Educating on personal hygiene, and safety rules and precautions
  • Developing stimulating new ideas to interest the children to learn
  • Organizing and leading extracurricular activities such as games, sports, art, music, dancing, story-telling, drama lessons, etc.
  • Assisting the local staff with administrative duties, promoting fundraising activities, and helping to plan events and excursions for the children
How You Can Make a Difference

The children living in poverty in Costa Rica are at high risk of dropping out of school, behavioral problems or turning towards crime. Due to limited resources, their schools are not able to provide them with the essential skills and knowledge that a more affluent school is able to, leading the children to a life of unequal opportunities. There are initiatives to provide support for these children through an after-school program. Your role as a volunteer is to help out at the program, through teaching English, or other subjects. You will also be able to ignite interest in the children, and motivate them to work towards a better future.

Skills and Qualifications

There are no specific qualifications needed to join the underprivileged children project beyond a fluency in English and a basic/intermediate fluency in Spanish. If you cannot speak Spanish, we recommend enrolling in our Spanish language program. Volunteers should also be enthusiastic, reliable, flexible, patient and strive to be good role models for the children. Experience working with street children is considered a plus. Volunteers must also respect the locals and the host organizations, along with their rules and projects.

Project Location

The project is located in Puntarenas. Puntarenas is a port city and a major tourist area in Costa Rica. It boasts a coastline full of unspoiled islands, pristine beaches, and beautiful natural landscapes. At the peninsula, stunning natural beach areas such as Tambor, Santa Teresa and Montezuma can be found. This area also hosts the Cabo Blanco Absolute Nature Reserve, San Lucan, Chira, Tortuga and Coco Islands. The Monteverde area, located north of Puntarenas, has both national and international significance because of its conservation efforts and the laidback lifestyles which revolve around nature. The primary attraction is the Monteverde Biological Reserve, although there are many other attractions such as mesmerizing nature sites, picturesque trails, hanging bridges, as well as butterfly and frog exhibits.

 

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