Sorting clothes & painting outside classrooms

The school &

the community

Many hands make light green work

A beautiful house for the community

Guadalupe children join in the fun, too!

Completed desks with happy kids

Parksiders of all ages work together

                 Parkside has begun a relationship with several communities in Costa Rica.  Our most recent trip (January ‘08) introduced 19 Parksider’s to the beautiful people  and their needs in two locations of this lush country.  We will continue our support of the Costa Rican schools and plan to return for another service trip in June of ‘09.

Osa Peninsula

                 The tiny village of Guadalupe does not even appear on the map of Costa Rica, but can be found nestled in the south central portion of the Peninsula near the entrance of Corcovado National Park, a preserve of primary rain forest.  The simple lives of the indigenous Guyami people and local Ticos blend seamlessly with the South Pacific paradise.  Their children, however, are in need of support to attend school.  Costly uniforms are required throughout Costa Rica and teacher’s supplies are scarce.  Parkside  purchased 47 uniforms for Guadalupe children, built crude but necessary desks, painted a women’s coop house, and maintains a reserve account for the teachers to purchase classroom supplies.

Costa Rica Service Work

No matter who you are or where you are on your journey, you’re welcome here!

Alajuelita

Overlooking the richest suburb in Costa Rica’s capitol, San Jose, Alajuelita is a community of over 12,500 Nicaraguan refugees and Costa Ricans, consisting primarily of single women and their children.  The Tejarcillos burro contains a school,  which serves over 1500 students per day in three shifts including a simple meal of rice, beans and a bit of sour cream. This meal is often the only food the children will have in a day.  The needs of this school are immense.   Parksiders took down 8 duffles of clothing and painted the outside of 4 classrooms.  Being the first service group to offer our humble skills to the school, we were greatly appreciated by this struggling community.