Costa Rican Resource & Hogar Siembra

The most rewarding part about working in student travel trips to Costa Rica is the chance to give back. Most parents of young students want their kids to get the experience of rainforest and ziplines but they also would like to see their children take part in community work in a chance to give back to the the community. Costa Rican Resource has developed some excellent relationships with many different communities. One of the communities that makes for an emotional stop with every group is the Hogar Siembra which is a home for orphan girls. These girls from some of the most difficult backrounds you can imagine. Some come from very physical and sexual abusive cases.

When bringing groups to the home we usually just socialize, play games, and involve a cooking class. This past week we had a group that was working up to 6 months in advance to raise money for the orphanage. It was group from Ridgefield CT. When we visited the orphanage they presented the Director with $500's that was raised by the students from doing different fund-raisers at school. It was a very speical moment for the orphan girls to see how these visiting students have been working for them the last 6 months without even knowing them.

It is little actions like this that make a big difference. In working in student travel in Costa Rica we have the chance to see how much just a visit and a smile can make. It is also very encouraging for us to see groups put work into these visits to raise money months before they come on their trip.

Manuel Antonio Trip with Hogar Siembra

This Saturday was one of the best tours Ive done. When there is time off in Costa Rica there is an endless list of things to do. Personally I enjoy doing the same stuff as when Im working. Over the years Costa Rican Resource has developed a relationship with a group of abandoned kids in Alajuela. Some of the kids are orphans, others have parents in jail, and others have been victims of child abuse. When walking into there home called "Hogar Siembra" you see 30 bunkbeds all in the same room and not exactly smiles everywhere. When you take them out for the day they transform into the young fun loving kids we all were. We have taken the group ziplining, rafting, and this weekend we went to Manuel Antonio which is Costa Rica's most visited National Park. Out of the 30 girls that went ages 12 - 17 none of them have ever been to Manuel Antonio. We had one of our best guides Jheudy with the day off who joined us in making it an educational experience from start to finish. I have taken tons of groups to Manuel Antonio and these girls were the first group to walk through the park with notebooks and pens. It turns out the girls will be donig presentations on their trip to the park but the point is that they were really into learning which made us feel great. It was a day full of fun from start to finish. We had breakfast, lunch, and plenty of icecream after playing in the hot sun of Costa Rica's most beautiful beach. On the way back in the bus we were singing songs on the radio and the radio DJ mentioned the name of the girls home and about their trip to Manuel Antonio. They all screamed like they just one Latin Idol. Although I continue to learn about the beautiful natural things of Costa Rica it is always a nice reminder that the most beautiful part about Costa Rica is its people. To the girls at Hogar Siembra, Que Dios les Cuide Siempre!!! The next trip we will be taking the girls canyoning near the Arenal Volcano.