Costa Rica: Literacy Day Could Become More

Image by Raymond Yee via FlickrI have been working in developing countries for years now and always making education a major part of what we do. We deal with bringing US students down to Central America and getting them involved with the culture in rural areas. One of the first questions asked is what is the literacy rate of the country they are visiting? Well Costa Rica is right up there with some of the top countries at 96%.

It turns out that on celebrating literacy day we have to ask ourselves how long will reading and writing be enough to celebrate. Just to read and write in a few years might not be worth celebrating. It seems weird to say and of course we will always need to be able to read and write as part of basic education but it seems that learning basic technology is going to be a part of the literacy question for countries in the years to come. We brought our first student group to visit a rural school where we finally got computers and students on Facebook. It was quite amazing to see US students teach the rural kids how to open their accounts.

I would not doubt in the near future that a stat is given to countries such as Costa Rica to rate their literacy on technology for kids. Its a far way from being where it needs to be but just talking about it is a good start for now. Happy Literacy Day!

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Rainforest Radio

Image via Wikipedia Down on the Osa Peninsula, where it is hot and humid, a new AM radio station has come on the air. It sits high above the rinforest and broadcats a casual message. People call in and the broadcaster describes the wildlife as it passes by. People in the villages around the station love having their own media. They call in and interact. The real message of the rainforest radio is to take care of the environment. That is the main message, and it is one that the people of this area believe in, but it is also a message for visitors to take home with them.

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Ticos Don't Want a Gold Mine !

Image via Wikipedia Up by the Nicaraguan border in Costa Rica, a Canadian company works the Crucitas gold mine. The problem is that 80% of the Costa Rican people are against the gold mine. Why? It is an open mining project, and it is wreaking havoc on the environment, and don’t forget this is a very ecologically conscious country. They are proud of their natural beauty. The gold mine is destroying trees, scattering wildlife and making a general mess. The previous president Oscar Arias permitted the mining. Now people want the sitting president, Laura Chinchilla, to stop it.

Opponents of the gold mine are pushing the president to close the mine. Protesters walked from San Jose, the capitol, to the gold mine by the Nicaraguan border. In good conditions this is a five hour drive. To walk it is quite a feat. In mid-July the group handed Chinchilla a written request to close the mine. Chinchilla said in a press conference that she would “analyze” the decree. It was later decided to leave the future of the mine in the hands of the Judicial branch of government. They will decide on the legality of the decree issued by former president Arias, permitting the mine.

This shows three things about Costa Rica. One, they are really serious about the environment. Two, this is a true democracy, where people can disagree, protest and demand. Three, Costa Rica is truly a land of peace. Everything is done without fighting, mayhem and most of the time without raised voices.