Category Archives: Quarterly Newsletter

Quarterly Newsletter

CRHF 2026 1ST QUARTER NEWSLETTER

1ST QUARTER 2026

As we move through the first months of 2026, the Costa Rican Humanitarian Foundation continues its mission of creating a better quality of life for at-risk populations. This quarter has been defined by renewal—both of our physical spaces and the health of the communities in Costa Rica we serve.

Food Security & Support

Our food program remains a 365-day commitment, providing over 2,000 people with nutritious meals every week.

Through our food program we continue to provide healthy diets to 30+ families which lasts them up to a week. We are receiving requests for emergency assistance for several reasons and can provide at least the very basics to support people in becoming independent.

Auto Mercado continues to provide for our team and beneficiaries through their food program.

Housing & Infrastructure

With the rain receding, we have turned our focus toward long-term stability and maintenance.

  • Renewing Our Spaces in La Carpio: After more than two decades of constant use, our centers are receiving much-needed care. We are thrilled to share that, thanks to Francisco’s efforts, we have secured a grant through the Swiss Embassy to renovate these vital community hubs.
  • Río Torres Project: While the immediate urgency of flooding has lessened with the dry weather, the risk for the community remains. We are continuing our advocacy and fundraising for the relocation initiative. A special shout-out to volunteer Cat Carol, whose story about the Río Torres challenges was recently featured in The Guardian.
  • Bunkbed Program: Thanks to the labor and financial support of visiting volunteers we were able to build and deliver 10 bunkbeds over the last few months. This included for the children of single mothers and grandparent guardians who foster their grandchildren.

Health & Health Education

This quarter, we welcomed medical professionals and students who assisted with general health checks for persons from Quitirrisi Indigenous Territory, La Carpio and neighboring communities.

  • Vision Care: While most of our youth are healthy, our recent screenings identified vision health as a primary challenge. We were excited to welcome our friends from Amigos Eye Care this month to provide specialized exams. Through joint efforts we provided exams and care for over 500+ beneficiaries.
  • General Health: Thanks to the visit of our friends from Valparaiso, we were also able to provide general health checks and dental care for 300+ beneficiaries in La Carpio.
  • Mental Health: In our Youth English & Counseling classes, we’ve shifted focus to “the language of the heart”—helping students identify and manage emotions to build long-term confidence and empathy.

Education & Sports

  • Montessori & Literacy: We have returned to our roots in indigenous and rural populations, emphasizing the importance of literature and reading comprehension. In La Carpio, our Montessori students celebrated their “First Day Back” by creating personalized pencil cases to claim ownership of their learning.
    Our three centers in La Carpio continue to serve youth in a variety of activities including tutoring, arts, nutritional support and more.
    We continue to share literacy programs with our indigenous friends including through “My Book is My Friend” program. This focuses on strengthening the public schhool programs through reading, critical thinking, creativity and arts.
  • Soccer Success: The Rescate soccer team is a mighty force this year! They recently debuted their cool new uniforms and are already showing great sportsmanship on the field. The U14 also won the championship, once again becoming top performers on a national level.
  • English & Pizza: Our Sunday English program, sponsored by our chiropractic friends, remains a favorite. Combining learning with community building (and pizza!) has proven to be the perfect formula for engagement.
  • Computer Lessons: We continue to strengthen our computer lab lessons in the Centro Modelo. Marisol has been leading this effort, showing youth the basics of Office Suite and comuter science. We also secured funding through the Swiss Embassy to open our second computer la building on the success and demand for the current program.
  • Volunteer Support: Volunteers from across the globe are coming to support our work in education and sports. Groups from University of Connecticut,
  • School Insertion Kits: With the beginning of classes, families face the challenge of purchasing all the scholastic materials the public system requires. We support these families by creating school instertion kits and easing the financial weight this time of year brings for single mother heads of house holds, foster parents and other vulnerable populations. We also did our yearly spring cleaning  and organized our centers, cleaning out any old materials and refreshing the space to prepare for the new cohort of youth.
  • National Theatre visit: A group of youth from our center were sponsored to visit the national theatre to watch a play. As part of our support in arts, we welcomed the invitation and the kids were very excited to go on this field trip.

SME’s and Capacity Building

  • SME’s: There have been several families and single women with children coming to our center looking for support. We assess the situation and address the most urgent needs first, including food, clothing and shelter. We simultaneously work to find economic opportunities including in women’s beauty and care, baking and other simple abnd profitable entrepreneurships. We continue toi support the beneficiaries through the process until they become fully independent and no longer rely on the CRHF services. Lately this includes many Venezuelan returnees and the constant flow of Nicaraguans.
  • Capacity building: We continue to work with our beneficiaries in improving capacitates including in teaching skills, basic education, computer skills among others to ensure they have the tools to integrate into a competitive labor market.

Volunteers & Right Action

Volunteers remain the heartbeat of the CRHF. This quarter, we’ve seen a wonderful exchange of friendship and service:

  • Team Tuesday Spotlight: We recently highlighted Harold, a collaborator of nearly ten years. His journey from painting a single wall to becoming a leader in our building projects embodies the spirit of our Model of Development.
  • Indigenous Groups Support: We continue to support our Huetar friends from the Quitirrisi indigenous territory. Through cultural visits and medical care, we continue to support the strengthening and enrichment of indigenous culture among local and international visitors. We also provided our longtime partner in the Cabecar Bajo Chirripó region with urgent healthcare due to a medical crisis he had recently. Flagler College was one of the groups who visited this quarter to learn from our Quitirrisi friends.
  • Spring Break Groups: This March, we welcomed groups like Ohio U. OUZ Social Work, who visited to learn about our spiral model of development while providing hands-on support in La Carpio. We also formed part of a panel on Study Abroad and volunteering at the Universidad Hispanoamericana for a group of Students from UNLV.
    We also hosted students from the Private School Blake from Minnesota who learned about the community model of development and did house visits to learn about the challenges and opportunities for the people of La Carpio.
    Allen-Stevenson School returned and provided the community of La Libertad support and days full of fun and educational activities for the youth.
    Numerous other organization and universities visited to provide essential services from health to education and housing infrastructure during the spring break season.
    We would like to send a heartfelt thank you for those of you who chose to support underserved communities during the spring break volunteer season.
  • Casa Quetzal: We continue to develop Casa Quetzal as a space to share experiences and knowledge on peace building and indigenous traditional knowledge. We also provide it as a space away from all the hustle and bustle to decompress and reflect on our work and impact in the world. 
  • Walking to La Carpio: Our chiropractic friends from Minnesota, Dr. Joe and family came up with a fun activity for the youth of their congregation. Walking the distance from Minnesota to La Carpio accumulated between the group of youth over several days. They have been learning about our beloved community and what a thoughtful gesture and way of continuing to support us after their time in CR.
  • Success Stories: We celebrate Alcides, a beloved collaborator who is currently learning to read at age 45 while fostering eight children. His determination is an inspiration to us all.
  • Boys Fishing Trip: Thanks to the thoughtful support of our donors, the boys who work all year-round hauling food boxes upstairs and so much more, were gifted a fishing boat trip which was well deserved after a very busy end of year.
  • Dr. Pat and Wife Ericka Water Project: Chiropractor Dr. Pat has become increasingly involved in support our community in La Carpio. He is working on installing a clean water system so the the community of La Libertad and Rio Torres will have access to continuous safe drinking water. This in addition to his continued support through his chiropractor services.
  • Dr. Joe, Nicole and Familia: Dr. Joe who also started providing chiropractor care for our community, and his wife Nicole working with youth, has become more involved over the opast year. Son Xander worked to save up to spend four months with us providing support to our beneficiaries and building bunkbeds.
  • Carla and Paul Niosi: Carla and Paul have been visiting once monthly to work with our collaborators to improve their physical health through craniolsacral therapy and other techniques. Carla has been working with youth on different creative activities.
  • Irene and Frederick: Visiting from Europe, Irene from Spain and Frederick from Germany spent a month of their free time in Costa Rica. Between La Carpio and indigenous communities, they provided vital support in improving our buildings and translating for medical volunteers, among other activities.
  • Cooper: Individual volunteer Cooper from Washington has been a great support over the past few months, focusing on youth development and remaining flexible and adaptable to the challenges of the day.
  • Jake: We bid farewell to Jake from Chicago who has been with us for an entire year! He was great support in different areas from interpreter to helping organize medical data. We tried to support him in his professional path, as he spent some of the time here applying for medical school successfully. We hope Jake great success in his future and know that he will be a great contribution to society.
  • Masitas: We received a generous donation of Masitas Playdough for our centers which we have always enjoyed working with. Thanks to this SME for giving back in form of CSR – Right Action.
  • La Carpio Clean-Up: CRHF was present during an activity organized by Greenwolf which consisted of cleaning the “Terminal” sector of La Carpio by the landfill. This was in collaboration with several other non-profits that work in the area including Casa Ilori, ASOCODECA and SIFIAIS, the Municipality of San Jose and the company that manages the landfill, EBI.

Looking Ahead

We spent a good part of this early year cleaning out closets and discarding boxes of receipts. It was a walk down memory lane looking at the 10’s of thousands of receipts for moneys spent on countless Right Action. We can’t help but be immensely grateful for all the hearts and souls who have come through the Foundation over the 30+ years of operation with the goal of making the world a better place.

Towards the end of the 1st quarter, we received notice that Francisco had successfully applied for a grant through the Swiss which will help improve our infrastructure, build collaborator morale and strengthen our programs in La Carpio into the foreseeable future.

We also published our 2025 Year End Report which can be found on our website. It’s always rewarding to look back at the year’s work and use it to plan into the future.

As we look toward the rest of 2026, we remain committed to our Model of Poverty Reduction. Whether it’s through the upcoming renovations in La Carpio or expanding our educational reach to indigenous and in coastal communities like Uvita, your support makes this work possible.

How You Can Help:

  • Donate: Your contributions provide bunk beds, school materials, and food security.
  • Partner: We welcome local and international companies to join our CSR initiatives.
  • Volunteer: Come experience “Right Action” firsthand.

Thank you for sharing our dream!

Quarterly Newsletter

CRHF 2025 4th Quarter Newsletter

Fourth Quarter

The fourth quarter was highlighted by graduations and holiday celebrations. Throughout this period, we continued our work across food security, housing, health, education, sports, and community development programs in Costa Rica.

Food

Our food program continues to provide nutritious meals to thousands of people across Costa Rica. Thanks to AutoMercado and our private donors who are making this essential program possible. We encourage anyone living in Costa Rica to consider supporting AutoMercado for your grocery needs.

As we continue to see an uptick in people living on the streets of San José, we continued to provide pop-up kitchens. These take place in areas known to be frequented by these populations. This increase is due in part to migratory restrictions being imposed by a number of countries. Costa Rica continues to stand shoulder to shoulder with those seeking refuge in an ever more uncertain world.

A large number of the people we support on the streets are Venezuelan returnees who are in limbo while they try to figure out whether to head home or stay in Costa Rica until they can find more adequate and secure futures. We are also supporting Venezuelans who come to La Carpio looking for our support. Many single women with children are arriving looking for ways to eat, make money, and become independent.

Our hot meal program for the families of Río Torres continued to run strong through the end of the year. One of the areas in La Carpio with the highest indices of poverty, we are trying to find a permanent solution for their housing, which is under constant threat from landslides and river flooding.

Casa Ilori, located in La Carpio and one of the organizations we have had many collaborations with, also benefits from our food program. We provide the youth they work with daily meals, offering the nutrition needed to grow healthy and develop academic skills in more ideal environments.

Housing

During the end of the year and the beginning of the new school year, single mothers must incur significant expenses for school materials and gifts for their children. To ensure families have a prosperous Christmas, we provide rent relief, mainly to single-mother heads of household who might otherwise not have the funds or would have to make difficult choices.

Río Torres continues to be our focus for the medium- and long-term housing project. We have an estimate of the cost to develop this program and are looking for funding. With the rain receding, the urgency lessens; however, the risk posed by landslides and flooding for the community of Río Torres is still very real.

Health and Health Education

During our visit to Amubri, we were able to provide comfort and assistance during the spay and neuter clinic put on by visiting veterinarians. We encourage and support these efforts in many communities, including La Carpio.

At the beginning of the fourth quarter, we had the visit of a group of medics and dentists in La Carpio who provided much-needed care. The beneficiaries were especially grateful for the dental work, as this is not a service that’s readily available for our populations.

Our dear friends of Quiropráctico La Carpio continue to support us and provide wonderful relief to aching bodies. They also visited with their son Zander this time, who worked construction to save up to come to Costa Rica and give back to La Carpio.

During the holiday season, we had a visit from our friends from the Democrats Abroad club. Carla, her husband, and their friends provided the amazing service of sacrocranial and massage therapy. Collaborators enjoyed these sessions as a treat for their hard work during the year.

Education

Indigenous

As we return to our roots of working with indigenous, coastal, and rural populations, we are sharing the importance of literature, reading comprehension, and analysis. During this period, we visited Amubri and worked with local teachers to implement Gail’s My Book Is My Friend program.

My Book Is My Friend is a program Gail has been working on as a lifelong project. Based on a set of children’s books she wrote throughout her time in Costa Rica, this program focuses on literature, art, reading comprehension, and the human–nature connection. The Cabécar community also benefited from this program. Both communities were ecstatic about the program, and some leaders even asked to take the program back to their communities. We welcome any support for this program.

We are slowly but surely moving forward with the renovation of the Family Well-Being Center and Library in Amubri. As you may know, it served as the home of two German priests beginning in the early 1950s. The structure remains in good condition, and we plan to use it as a cultural center for the community. The library will foster literature about, for and by indigenous populations. A local community member is interested in managing the library, and the community supports the effort, recognizing the importance of cultural preservation.

La Carpio

In La Carpio, our youth development programs continue to provide healthy and educational environments for children in the community. A highlight of our programs this year is our focus on sharing information about the world. In part, we do this so our youth become familiar with the beauty found in the diversity our planet has to offer. We particularly enjoy learning about Africa, where our sister organization, Wells Mountain Initiative, has its main operations.

Our computer classes are a complete success. We have graduated our first cohort, who learned typing skills and the Microsoft Suite, including how to make Excel charts and graphs. Marisol continues to lead this program, sponsored in part by EBI, the company that runs the local landfill.

Our Sunday English and Pizza program is also proving successful. Getting youth interested in spending their free time learning English has been a challenge over the years. Our Quiropráctico friends sponsored the pizza for this program, which seems to be key to getting youth to attend classes on a regular basis.

Both the youth in the English and computer classes enjoyed an outing at the end of the year to celebrate their dedication to completing and excelling in the classes. Through these programs, we are providing youth with tools required for an increasingly demanding skilled labor market.

A bright student from Blue Valley School who is hoping to transition to the United World College curriculum presented us with a project to provide youth with resources for achieving higher education. Mariana also carried out research on learning conditions for youth in La Carpio as an initial effort to improve conditions. She produced a website that youth can benefit from into the future: https://portaleducativo.info/.

Sports

Our sports program continues to thrive. We held our year-end celebrations for Liga Rescate La Carpio. We also celebrated the boys’ birthdays each month and provided families with a basic food basket to take home. Many participants are beginning to show interest in the computer and English programs as they transition from adolescence to adulthood. And of course as with every year, we were champions and sub-shampions in all categories.

SMEs, CSR, and Capacity Building

Angeli and Marisol continue to grow their skill sets in teaching and computing. As they take courses and learn through self-teaching, our youth benefit exponentially.

We continue to work with the Abuelas arts and crafts initiative, including improving and diversifying the products. Several individuals are providing valuable feedback to help make the products more marketable. Not only the Abuelas benefit, but many local artisans also benefit from these sales.

More local businesses have been contacting us about the possibility of supporting our work. This quarter, JIRON, a large mattress manufacturer, contacted us to donate face masks. We were also contacted by a shoemaker, and we look forward to sharing more about that collaboration soon. We always welcome support from local and international companies.

Empathy, Compassion, Right Action

As the apex of our Model of Development, we focus on highlighting the importance of empathy, compassion, and giving back through Right Action. In this phase of the model, we highlight the volunteers and supporters who make our work possible.

Volunteers

Stena returned to help us during our busy end-of-year celebrations.

Jake has been accepted into medical school and continues to support our programs. Recently, he created short biographies of collaborators to share on social media.

Shaye completed her four months with us, working closely with youth in La Carpio and stepping up when we most needed her. Fresh out of high school, she is paving the way as a leader in social causes.

Kay from New Jersey, who is studying in Costa Rica, also joined us during the end of the year and provided important support.

Louise (Luisa) from Canada joined us for a couple of weeks, working in youth development and supporting our many celebrations.

Troy University continues to support our health and health education program. Their visit provided important support to our populations in La Carpio.

Zander, the son of Quiropráctico La Carpio, also demonstrated strong leadership and empathy by saving up to make the trip to Costa Rica and support our work for several months.

Right Action

Through our Quiropráctico partners, youth in La Carpio had a virtual call with their counterparts in Minnesota. They are now pen pals and are looking forward to building lasting connections.

Colchones JIRON donated face masks, which we can use during health campaigns and periods of increased respiratory illness.

In the town of Grecia, the expatriate community lost one of its dear artist members. In his honor and at his request, they hosted a silent auction of some of his works, with the proceeds donated to the Foundation.

Every year since our beginning, we have provided marginalized youth with caring Christmas activities, including games, food, dessert, and presents. This year, we hosted nearly 2,000 youth. From La Carpio where our main projects, all the way out to sea to the indigenous community living on Isla Chira, BriBri and to Parrita, we shared gifts, food, fun, love and hope to the youth of Costa Rica.

Supporters

To our supporters—donors, volunteers, those cheering us on, praying for us, and following our social media—thank you from the entire team and beneficiaries of the Costa Rican Humanitarian Foundation. No matter how small or large your support is, know that you are making a difference.

Looking Forward to 2026

Volunteers

As we begin the volunteer high season and the year 2026, we have a number of hopes and dreams. We look forward to continuing to strengthen our support of indigenous populations. Through Casa Quetzal and My Book Is My Friend, we are shifting our focus toward cultural sharing, recuperation, and preservation. We want to ensure that the vital knowledge held by indigenous communities—including knowledge related to health, sustainability, and cosmovision—continues to benefit the world.

La Carpio

We hope to strengthen our La Carpio programs with a focus on care for seniors and preparing youth for higher education and the labor market. Despite a general uptick in crime in Costa Rica, especially in marginalized communities, La Carpio and its population have largely maintained their culture over time. We aim to continue providing youth with healthy environments and opportunities that support a peaceful community.

Coastal and Rural Communities

In our work with coastal communities, we look forward to defining the future of our program in Uvita. We decided that we must hire a local teacher who can begin youth development courses, including tutoring and before- and after-school care. We are beginning the process of recruiting someone to start the program in conjunction with the beginning of the public school year in mid-February 2026. We hope to expand this program with the support of visitors and local community members and that the community will both receive and join us in our efforts to improve local livelihoods.

Casa Quetzal

Casa Quetzal continues to develop organically. In 2026, we will be hosting our first large group at Casa Quetzal for a week, who will also be building an indigenous community center. This space will serve as a place for indigenous leaders from different groups to come together, share knowledge, and connect with visitors from across Costa Rica and around the world.

Call to Action

As the high season begins, we would like to invite visitors to Costa Rica to support our work by volunteering and providing goods and services. Our spring break and summer programs are a great way to get to know the country, its people, and to give back. These experiences are deeply rewarding and often remain lifelong memories.

Whether you are an individual, a group of friends, a family, or part of a university program, we welcome you to learn about our work, experience Costa Rica, and give back to the community.

As part of our four core values—cost efficiency and transparency—we work to ensure that the greatest possible portion of funds reaches those who need it most and creates the greatest impact. With this in mind, we would like to thank our recurring monthly and yearly donors. These donations provide stable income that allows us to strengthen programs and plan for medium- and long-term goals. We invite anyone interested in supporting our work to explore recurring donation options.

We now also offer the option to donate via cryptocurrency. Tax-deductible donations continue to be available through our sister organization, Wells Mountain Initiative, and PayPal remains a preferred option for recurring donations.

We’ll be publishing our 2025 Year End Report soon.

Conclusion

As we close the fourth quarter and reflect on the year, we are grateful for the continued commitment of our communities, partners, volunteers, and supporters. The work reflected in this report represents collective effort and shared values.

We look forward to continuing this work in the coming year and thank all those who walk alongside us in service, compassion, and Right Action.

Quarterly Newsletter, Volunteers

CRHF 2025 3rd Quarter Newsletter

Introduction

The 3rd quarter of 2025 continued to be an intense and meaningful period as we served vulnerable populations in Costa Rica and experienced a considerable uptick in migrant families seeking assistance from the Foundation.

In our last report, we highlighted those who make our work possible — volunteers, private donors, and funding partners. Thanks to them, our impact continues to reach thousands of individuals.

This report focuses on the work being done. We have been adapting our holistic development model across all Foundation functions — including accounting and reporting — to ensure transparency and clarity in how resources are allocated.

You may read more about our model at the link below:

CLICK HERE

As represented in the spiral image above, the model highlights the “rungs” necessary for individuals, families, communities, and nations to reach sustainability — not only materially, but emotionally and spiritually as well.

We are deeply grateful to all who make this journey possible. Thank you for sharing your resources, compassion, and belief in change. Together — we are the change.

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Volunteers

Volunteers are foundational to our work. The Costa Rican Humanitarian Foundation began with volunteers — people who recognized their privilege and felt a responsibility to share with empathy and compassion, leading to Right Action. During the rainy season the number of volunteer visitors decreases. We hope to inspire our visitors during the first semester of the year so that they will continue to support our work when they return home during the second half of the year.

A core part of our mission is to foster deeper awareness among visiting groups and individuals so they may make more informed decisions in their future personal and professional lives.

This quarter, we are delighted to highlight several volunteers:

                  •               Over the years, many visiting volunteers have gone on to become successful physicians. Some may remember Dr. Asa Tapley, formerly a volunteer. More recently, Anthoni, who volunteered here for a year, and we are glad to know he is now attending Rutgers Medical School.

Megan, one of our first volunteers in the early 90s, dreamed of becoming a neurosurgeon. After a tragic accident that caused nerve damage in her hand, she returned as a physical therapist and continues to serve with compassion and resilience.

More recently, we are fortunate enough to have volunteer Jake who applied his interest In medicine to help our Troy University group tabulate health data from 2013 and 2014 to determine quality of life. With the information we get we can work with the health staff at La Carpio.

                  •               Cat, a journalist from Wisconsin, spent a month with us, coordinating her stay to support the Michigan State University medical group. She provided essential translation services in La Carpio and later interviewed families in Río Torres. She is currently trying to do some follow up work for us. 

                  •               Shaye, from Chicago, returned after visiting previously with a volunteer group. She recently graduated high school and is teaching English, supporting administrative tasks, and inspiring others through her example. She has also created quite a support network back home — sharing messages of compassion, courage, and responsibility.

                  •               Dr. Joe, Nikola, and their son, along with Dr. Pat, continue to be some of our most committed supporters, returning consistently to help families and provide health services.

   •               Lars from Sweden also joined us during the last few months. He spend a couple weeks in La Carpio learning about our programs and getting his Spanish back to fluent. COnsidering his extensive volunteer experience in remote parts of Indonesia, we thought it of great support for him to also spend time with our indigenous friends in Amubri. He worked in education and on the new Library.

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Food & Water

Our Food Bank program, supported by Auto Mercado and additional partners, continues providing one of the most essential resources: nutrition.

Over 1,000 people per week benefit from this program. It is fully self-sustainable and has become one of our most successful social micro-enterprises — run by local collaborators from La Carpio.

We serve single-parent households, seniors, people with disabilities, and recently a growing number of refugee returnees.

Our distributions include fruits, vegetables, grains, proteins, and occasionally desserts. Beyond food, we are building healthy families, resilient communities, and long-term independence.

This quarter we also continued hosting pop-up soup kitchens for people living on the streets of San José — especially during cold rainy periods. This need has grown in connection with regional refugee challenges.

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Housing

The rainy season brings serious challenges — fires caused by electrical shorts, flooding, and landslides. We evaluate each case on site and ask families to collaborate in creating feasible, shared-responsibility solutions. Projects may include building retaining walls, structural reinforcement, improved drainage, and accessibility improvements.

A major emergency occurred in the Río Torres community, where families continue to face flooding and risk during heavy rains. We provided food, shelter, and safety — as formal emergency support from local institutions was unavailable.

A long-term solution requires relocating eight families. The estimated cost is $250,000 (approximately $30,000 per home). We currently have $45,000 pledged and are seeking sponsors to complete the project.

We also continue offering rent relief to families — particularly single mothers — facing temporary crises. Illness, medical expenses, and school-related challenges during the rainy season often disrupt already fragile budgets. Our food bank, education support, and wraparound assistance help break these cycles.

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Health

Our chiropractic partners from Minnesota continue returning to provide relief and care. Children have also built strong bonds with the family, engaging in fun and educational activities.

We have been working with partners at Troy University to digitize 20-year-old medical records from our former La Carpio clinic. This database — paired with new community health data — may reveal valuable long-term trends for public health research. 

We provided resources to ensure that our beneficiaries could have a healthy and happy rainy season wihc tends to bring the flu and other diseases.

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Health Education

We continue offering workshops on nutrition, disease prevention, hygiene, women’s health, and mental well-being.

A major challenge remains the culturally normalized heavy-carbohydrate diet (rice, beans, potatoes, pasta), particularly for individuals with diabetes and prediabetes.

Women’s support groups continue offering emotional support, education, and access to resources, especially for single mothers and refugees.

Our youth curriculum includes hygiene, healthy habits, emotional literacy, relationships, and self-advocacy skills.

We are also happy to announce that Amigos Eye Care has committed to visiting us again in 2026 to provide vital eye care for our populations. 

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Education

La Carpio

Our three centers — Montessori, Centro Modelo, and La Libertad — continue supporting children and adolescents in La Carpio.

                  •               Montessori Center serves ages 7–18 with English, tutoring, science, art, theater, and volunteer-led learning.

                  •               Centro Modelo continues graduating 4- and 5-year-olds every semester. Thanks to volunteers and Teacher Gloria, the newly organized space now reflects our updated educational model.

On the first floor, Teacher Marisol leads the new Centro Tecnológico La Carpio, featuring 8 computer stations and support from Universidad Latina. Enrollment is expected to reach 150 students per semester, offering skills in typing, digital literacy, Microsoft Office, and basic design.

                  •               La Libertad Center continues serving lunches and offering one of the few green community spaces — while providing safety and stability to families living in highly vulnerable areas.

Indigenous

We are also restarting work with indigenous communities in Talamanca — supporting adolescents, building classrooms, promoting literacy, and renovating a building into a community library and cultural learning space.

English Classes

We are expanding English programs to ensure graduating students have competitive employment skills — especially in tourism and call center sectors. Through “Pizza & English”, we motivate participation and demonstrate the practical value of language learning.

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SME & Capacity Building

We continue supporting women and refugee families returning from migration journeys with entrepreneurial tools rather than dependency. Micro-enterprises this quarter include pastry preparation, salon skills, knitting, assistant teaching training, and more.

We also worked with grandmothers (“abuelas”) to produce artisan items with volunteers — strengthening cultural pride, skills, and economic empowerment.

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Empathy, Compassion & Right Action

Our work is grounded in empathy — imagining life in another person’s circumstances — and compassion — acting to alleviate suffering.

We teach and model Right Action: small daily acts of responsibility and kindness that create meaningful ripple effects in the world.

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Call to Action

As we look ahead to 2026, we invite individuals and groups to join us during winter, spring, and summer break programs. Volunteers may stay from one day to six months — combining meaningful service with Costa Rica’s natural and cultural beauty.

Our recurring donors provide stability and allow us to plan long-term. As we approach our 30-year anniversary in 2027, we thank you for sustaining this mission, especially during a time of global cuts in humanitarian funding.

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Casa Quetzal

Casa Quetzal continues developing into a vibrant space for reflection, learning, and cultural exchange. Volunteers enjoy the land, fresh air, and shared meals.

A gravel road and a caretaker’s home have now been completed. We are thrilled to announce a confirmed group for 2026 that will help further develop the Center into a hub for indigenous knowledge, sustainability, and experiential learning. The JD Sheth Foundation, which works in Latin America and Africa, will be the first large group of 15 to stay with us at the center. They will be building an indigenous traditional hut for meetings and other activities. 

We invite individuals and groups interested in participating or supporting this project to reach out.

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Conclusion

As we continue forward on this shared journey, we know the world feels uncertain for many. During such times, we return to our foundations: family, culture, community, creativity, health, service, and faith in collective good.

We look forward to our end-of-year celebrations — including our annual Christmas gathering — and to welcoming a hopeful New Year.

Thank you for believing in and sharing our dream.

Quarterly Newsletter, Volunteers

CRHF 2025 2nd Quarter Newsletter

It has been a very busy 2025. Halfway through the year already, and we have a lot to tell! We would like to start by dedicating this newsletter to our supporters who continue to provide us with the resources to carry out our programs. During these very challenging times for everyone, your unfettered moral, financial, and volunteer support shows that you are the brave souls who rise above and provide a safety net during difficult moments. Thank you.

We’ve had a busy summer volunteer program!

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🌱 Annual Fundraiser Update

At the end of our 2025 1st quarter newsletter, we announced our annual fundraiser. Unfortunately, due to a number of factors, we canceled the event. We refunded ticket fees to those who purchased them, and we are grateful to the Marriott Hotel for waiving charges.

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📚 Youth Development & Education

We continued our work in youth development, providing tutoring and supplemental support that aligns with the public school curriculum, including English, math, science, history, art, and theater.

We were very excited to finally receive the computers for our computer lab! Donated by our dear friend Julio, we can now offer introductory classes in Word, Excel, and typing to our beneficiaries. This program, led by Marisol, is helping us expand our capacity-building operations. The computer lab is housed in the Centro Modelo building next to the police station.

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🎨 Volunteer Support & Improvements

Spring break brought a group of kind and caring volunteers to our centers in La Carpio. They helped with various tasks, including painting the Centro Modelo and the police station.

The Centro Modelo and all our centers received much care during this time. Spring cleaning brought a fresh look for our beneficiaries and volunteers to enjoy. We cleared out two storage closets, creating better spaces for Drs. Joe and Patrick and friends to carry out their chiropractic work.

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👵 Abuelas & Community Theatre

The abuelas continue to put on new and creative plays sharing their stories. These performances inspire and provide emotional support to the senior population of La Carpio.

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📲 Social Media Initiatives

Last year we featured Success Stories from the Field, highlighting how our work creates sustainable solutions. This year, we’ve launched a new series on Early Childhood Development, aiming to create a more educational and inspiring social media space. Don’t forget to like, share, and tag us!

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🛏 Bunk Bed Program

We continue to provide bunk beds through one of our critical needs programs. While demand is not what it was when we started 20+ years ago, we still find urgent situations in La Carpio and with new arrivals that require improved sleeping conditions. Thanks to all the volunteers who participate—a simple act can change a life.

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🫱 Volunteer Education & Partnerships

As part of our secondary mission, we work with volunteers to show them the realities we live every day and foster greater sensitivity to our beneficiary populations. We demonstrate our model of development and discuss the challenges faced by La Carpio, Costa Rica, and beyond.

We were excited to welcome for our summer volunteer program:
• Franz and Elizabeth, who brought us several volunteer groups this year that have greatly contributed to youth development. Their ongoing support has been vital in enriching the educational experiences of our children.
• A wonderful group of middle school volunteers from the European School. We thank them for their fundraising efforts, donations, and the work they did painting the computer lab and police station, as well as supporting youth development.
• Jacob, a pre-med individual volunteer, is sorting through years of medical records from our former clinic. His work helps preserve our legacy while gaining valuable insight for his medical career.
• Friends from Central Connecticut State University, who contributed to painting efforts and learned about our community.
• Texas Tech honors students, who shadowed our collaborators across food, shelter, health, education, and sports programs. They also gave a professional presentation to their fellow scholars about our main pillars of food, shelter, and health.

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💛 Health, Wellness, & Relief

Our health education program has been a key focus this quarter. Led by Gail and Steven, these sessions provide preventative healthcare education, teaching about:
• body systems and organ function
• healthy nutrition, including using smoothies for better health
• the benefits of honey and other nutritious foods
• hormones related to menopause and other health concerns

Steven creates helpful visuals, and together they answer participants’ questions to promote better health awareness.

Our visiting doctors program returned, and alongside it we distributed hygiene kits to reinforce the importance of self-care and prevention.

Our partnership with Visit.org resulted in the donation of 50 teddy bears, which have already been distributed to our regular students, and the hygiene kits that complemented our health outreach efforts.

Our elderly population especially benefited from the interaction with the yoga teachers from Lakshmi Rising, who helped them gently stretch dormant muscles, bringing comfort and vitality.

Our chiropractor friends Joe, Patrick and their spouses Nicolle and Ericka, have been a delight to host as part of our family volunteer program. They have supported youth development and the bunk bed program.

🪶 Casa Quetzal

We have some very exciting news coming for Casa Quetzal. We have been a bit quiet on this, but we continue to open our doors to the world from our Casa Quetzal Conference and Retreat Center.

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💬 A Final Word

Overall, we had a productive and inspiring spring 2025. We are deeply grateful for everyone who visited and supported us during these challenging times. We always aim to make visits mutually beneficial—enriching both visitors and our community.

Our programs support over 500 youth in La Carpio through education and sports, and we provide fresh fruits, vegetables and meats, home improvements, emergency medical care, seed money for small business enterprises, and emergency relief to over 500 people a week.

👉 Please consider supporting our work this year—whether through a donation or volunteering. Your help ensures we can continue addressing food security, safe housing, stronger health, quality education, sports, and emergency relief.

📧 Contact us at fundacionhumanitariacr@gmail.com to learn how you can help.
We offer tax-exempt donation options in both Costa Rica and the United States.

Thank you for your continued generosity and for shining your light when it’s needed most!

Costa Rican Humanitarian Foundation, Quarterly Newsletter, Volunteers

CRHF 2025 1st Quarter Newsletter

Costa Rican Humanitarian Foundation
2025 First Quarter Newsletter
Working together for a better world

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Volunteers

After a busy end to 2024, we bid farewell to our Amigos Eye Care friends. Thanks to their efforts, over 300 people received eye care. Before they left, we visited our indigenous friends in Quitirrisi to share knowledge and culture with our visitors from the Pacific Northwest.

In January, we welcomed a powerful group of young women from Rutgers University. They built and delivered bunk beds and participated in youth development and food bank programs. They also had the chance to learn about our Model of Development.

Gregerly, an individual research volunteer from Belgium, joined us to gather data for his thesis on disparities in development in Costa Rica. We were happy to connect him with local communities and share our insights. We look forward to sharing the results of his research.

Our January clean-up and reorganization efforts in the La Carpio centers were a success. Volunteers from the University of Connecticut, Global College and the Lakshmi Rising yoga group helped us clean, sort, and hold garage sales. Thanks to them, the centers are now bright, functional spaces for sharing, learning, and caring.

Long-time individual volunteer Stana returned once again and made a huge impact. Her background in education supported our local teachers, and her organizational efforts helped all the centers look their best!

Also with the creativity of full time volunteer Steven we gave regular classes on self help health care to children, adults and elderly.

With the local police station in La Carpio, we worked to raise morale. Alongside volunteers from Pepperdine and the yoga group, we painted the holding cell, practiced yoga, and held space for conversation and healing.

Fleur, a Belgian architecture student, visited to learn more about indigenous architecture. She supported many of our programs and also helped welcome a group to Casa Quetzal.

USC brought joy during a pre-Easter egg hunt, where children painted eggs and experienced the unique magic of a CRHF Easter Bunny celebration!

Lakshmi Rising continues to support us with yoga retreat groups that understand the importance of collective well-being. Ubuntu: I am because we are.

Our chiropractor family friends returned to provide much-appreciated services to our La Carpio populations. They treated 60 patients a day over 5 days, offering care, relief, and connection. We’ve begun building a relationship for ongoing follow-up support with patients they saw last year, and we’re excited to welcome them—and more of their family and friends—again in the coming months.

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Programs

Montessori & Environment

Our Montessori program continues to thrive—providing a nurturing space for children to learn and grow. This quarter, we focused on environmental education, nature care, and science activities like experiments and theatre.

La Libertad

We were thrilled to welcome back the Alan Stevenson School from NYC for the 14th year! They repaired a road, engaged with our youth, and donated a laptop and projector.

The Saturday Program welcomed two amazing local Tica volunteers, Adriana and Allona, who helped with activities and got to know La Carpio. Adriana previously volunteered as an interpreter for the Amigos Eye Care team.

Thanks to a donation of clay from Kattia, the children made beautiful creations—everything from butterflies to cups!

Uvita Family Wellbeing Center

We continue to be challenged by the Uvita Family Wellbeing Center, and we continue to find creative and innovative solutions. We have now partnered with a local woman who is working on securing all the official permits to open the center as an after-school program. We’ve agreed that at least 20% of the students will receive scholarships based on community need. With this approach, the woman will develop a small business, and we can continue to support the youth who need it most. We hope to resume collaboration with volunteer groups in the area in the coming years.

Sports League

Our sports league now serves 150 youth and remains one of the strongest in the country. In a community where kindness can be misunderstood as weakness, our youth now have strong, positive role models and a healthy outlet.

Bunk Beds, a New Car & Evolving Needs

Our bunk bed program continues on an as-needed basis. As La Carpio progresses, the needs are shifting from basics like food and housing to more complex initiatives—job training, capacity building, empathy, and right action.

Thanks to our generous supporters, we purchased several mattresses and now have a modern, fuel-efficient CRHF vehicle to help with deliveries.

Food Program

The Auto Mercado Food Program continues to run 365 days a year. In 2024, we provided over one million food rations, ranging from simple sandwiches to full baskets.

To thank Auto Mercado, we created a collage of gratitude from our beneficiaries.

Global Connections through Montessori

Our Montessori kids received a heartfelt surprise: 100 cards of love were created for children in the U.S. who lost their homes in hurricanes and fires. These cards will accompany stuffed animal comfort toys heading to Tennessee, North Carolina, and California.

And our kids received their own stuffed animals as a beautiful gesture of kindness returned.

Centro Modelo

With help from Lakshmi Rising, Stana, Global College, and others, we reorganized and beautified Centro Modelo. We also welcomed a new teacher, Gloria, who is stepping in as Marisol pursues her next adventure.

Computer Lab

Responding to evolving community needs, we’re launching a new tech education initiative. With ten donated refurbished computers on the way, we’ll offer weekly lessons in typing, Microsoft Office, and even basic website building.

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Indigenous Connections

In partnership with Bob, Noel, and others, we visited Amubri with book donations for Noemi—continuing a relationship that began with Gail’s Peace Corps work in 1979.

Fleur’s architecture journey continued with a visit to Leonel and Jenny of the Cabécar community. They are building an arts and crafts store with local redwood in front of the Lucas Drummond Cultural Center, which CRHF helped build in memory of Lucas.

We’re excited to support this initiative and look forward to sending visitors.

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Casa Quetzal

Casa Quetzal continues to evolve naturally. We’re preparing the land to welcome future groups, while focusing on sharing indigenous knowledge and collaborating with our Huetar neighbors.

During spring break, we hosted groups from Georgia State University and North Florida State University. They studied topics such as indigenous education, sustainability, and rights.

We’ve also welcomed individual volunteers like Fleur and Stana, all of whom agree: Casa Quetzal is a sacred space for reflection, healing, and community.

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Highlights & Happenings
• We finalized our 2024 Year-End Report and “2024 in Numbers”—check them out on our website clicking here.
• We joined the Women’s March on March 8th representing La Carpio.
• Gail participated in the Wells Mountain Initiative board meeting. WMI continues to support CRHF through 501(c)(3) fiscal sponsorship—without charging fees.

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Collaborators

Our incredible team continues to shine:
• Fatima and Angelica provide outstanding care and tutoring in Montessori.
• Doña Antonia keeps everyone well-fed with nutritious meals.
• The food bank crew—Ana, Harold, Milagro, Alcides, and a growing young team—are thriving in their micro-enterprise model.
• Our new Centro Modelo teacher is building her capacity while honoring the work Marisol left behind.
• The La Libertad program remains strong, offering after-school support and weekend activities.

Gail and Francisco continue to handle administration and fundraising.

Due to continued support of our major donors we continue to provide hunger preventión, rent relief, schooling, counseling and small business support for single mothers, special needs children, refugees, elderly and unemployed men.

Together, we honor our diverse backgrounds and beliefs in our shared mission to build a better world.

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Looking Ahead

Casa Quetzal is becoming the retreat and conference center Gail envisioned—offering a place to heal, grow, and collaborate.

We’re excited to keep growing in La Carpio and beyond. We’ll continue to support indigenous communities through education, health, culture, and economic opportunity.

Next month in May, we will be hosting our Annual Fundraiser Gala. We would like to invite everyone to join us on Sunday May 11th at the Hotel Marriott in San Antonio de Belen. The hotel has been a supporter of the CRHF from the days of the Street Kids program, where they offered many their first jobs in the kitchens and others.

Thank You for Sharing Our Dream! We can’t wait to see what the rest of 2025 brings.

Quarterly Newsletter

CRHF Fourth Quarter Newsletter

The last quarter CRHF newsletter of 2024 is full of activities and projects.

Our thrid quarterly CRHF Newsletter update highlighted numerous successes and our ongoing upward spiral model work. We focused on health, health education, general education, sports, hosting a family from France/UK, building bunk beds, and much more.

For the final quarter of 2024, we proudly inaugurated a health clinic created and managed by Francisco in collaboration with the local indigenous association, the Ministry of Employment, and the CCSS. This project was financed by the Swiss Embassy in Central America and the CCSS.
Read more about the clinic here.

We also unveiled the new CRHF HQ: Casa Quetzal Retreat and Conference Center, a developing project designed to host volunteers and beneficiaries while focusing on preventive health, health education, peace, and collaboration.
Read more about it here here.

Our food program continues to provide over 2,000 people with nutritious meals every week, laying the foundation for their independence. Additionally, we offer dietary and health education to beneficiaries through this program.
Learn more about it here.

In October, Gail was invited to be a keynote speaker at the Sustainability in a Global Environment Conference hosted by Troy University. She shared the stage with experts from PROCOMER, Universidad Fidélitas, and other distinguished professionals.

Children’s Programs

We resumed our monthly children’s program for the youth of Uvita. Looking ahead to 2025, we aim to expand this initiative and welcome volunteer teachers and donors to support its relaunch. The program, paused during the pandemic due to funding shortages, costs approximately $800 per month to operate.

In September, we celebrated Children’s Day with movies, popcorn, and snacks. Nearly 800 youth enjoyed a leisurely day.
See part of the celebration here.

Later in the month, we participated in Costa Rica’s Independence Day festivities on September 15th, which included dances, costumes, faroles, and a lively parade featuring thousands of youth from neighboring communities.
View highlights here.

Volunteer Contributions

In October, a group of volunteers from Ohio delivered a generous supply of school materials. The children expressed heartfelt gratitude, and the volunteers learned more about our Model of Poverty Reduction and community efforts.
See their visit here.

On October 12th, we celebrated Gail Nystrom’s 75th birthday with collaborators and youth from La Libertad. It was a joyous day filled with dancing, singing, and heartfelt moments.
See the celebration here.

We welcomed the Yoga Teachers from Lakshmi Rising lead by Liz. We have been working on strengthening the physical and mental health of our beneficiaries through different meditation, breathing and yoga techniques. This will be Lakshmi’s second season with the CRHF and we look forward to building this relationship into the future.

Other notable volunteer contributions included:
• Stephen, long-term individual volunteer, continues to support our regular activities, give english classes and invent creative ways to help educate youth.
• Hannah from West Virginia, having never left the states and who braved new experiences to work with youth development.
• Valeria, a psychology student, who provided mental health resources during her university service.
• Keren Hernández from the University of South Carolina, who conducted PhD research on food security among refugees.
Learn more about their contributions.
• Adriana and Ramon who came in during the holiday’s and provided interpretation for the Amigos optometrist medical crew.

We also hosted a multidisciplinary group through a partner organization. Their visit, centered on health and health education, included creative puppetry workshops to engage communities.
See more here.

Success Stories


• In November, we secured funding to provide a new home for a family of eight in La Carpio. Thanks to our donors, the younger children now have the opportunity to grow up in a healthier environment.
Read the full story.
• Alan, a beneficiary we have supported for years after a workplace accident, received a prosthetic leg and is walking independently again.
See his progress.
• We also bid our farewell and safe passage to our longtime collaborator Jairo. He has been with us for almsot a decade working in the foodbank and other activities. He is off to Spain supported by the IOM and the CRHF. We will be here to ensure he gets settled in safely. 
View more here.

Partnerships and Events

In late October we were invited to a NGO Fair hosted by ServiceNow focusing on CSR. We were able to showcase our work, alongside other NGOs, to the employees of the company. We are working on increasing our collaboration in the CSR field with the numerous offshore and local companies in Costa Rica.
View more here.

We hosted chiropractic care for nearly 300 beneficiaries with the help of new friends from Minnesota. Feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, and we look forward to their future visits.
Read more.

The year ended with our annual Christmas Parties, bringing joy to over 800 youth with gifts, snacks, and activities—made possible by our dedicated donors since 1997.

The Grupo Diplomatico de Costa Rica continues to support the CRHF in many ways with focus on education. They also visited Casa Quetzal Retreat and Conference Center where we hope to continue to host conferences on Peace and Collaboration.

Finally, for four days including on New Year’s Eve, Amigos Eyecare provided eye care, totalling nearly 1,000 beneficiaries in La Carpio for the year. They also conducted a reconnaissance visit to indigenous territories for future collaborations.
See their impact here.

Looking Ahead

We remain committed to improving lives in 2025 and beyond. Thank you to all our donors, volunteers, and partners who make this work possible. We continue to work with La Carpio, Rural, Coastal and Indigenous communities through our Poverty Reduction Model of Development. Thanks to all your efforts and support we are a force to reckoned with and are making significant improvements in the lives of our beneficiaries.

We will be publishing our full 2024 Year End Report in the coming weeks.

We now have

Thank you for sharing our dream!

Quarterly Newsletter

Reflecting on a Fruitful Summer: Our Journey and Achievements

After a couple of busy summer volunteer program months, we are finally taking some time to share the work we’ve accomplished. A special thanks goes out to the volunteers who joined us during their summer vacation, our donors, collaborators and everyone who continues to support our dream.

Following the 4th of July celebration in Bajamar, we collaborated with a group of special education teachers who provided training and learned about our educational models in the centers in La Carpio.

We also hosted the same organization from Bajamar, bringing a total of 70 adolescents over two days to La Carpio. This experience took us back to the pre-pandemic days when we would host up to 200 volunteers in a single day across the country. Those were good times, and it’s heartening to see things looking up again.

We were particularly excited to host the MSU Medical Student group as part of our Health Education program. This partnership, which we’ve been working on since last year, holds great promise for becoming a long-term collaboration.

Through the health campaign program, we provided medical consultations, referrals, and treatments to over 300 patients over four days. Extensive testing and diagnosis were carried out, with most patients treated on-site. We continue to follow up with those who have more severe ailments.

A special thanks to the local medical and pharmaceutical team who supervised the program; Dr. Hellen; Susy; the La Bomba Pharmacy for the very reasonable pricing; to Sabrina, who managed the complex logistics and planning for the MSU team; and to individual volunteer interpreters Stena, Steven, Kelcy and Family, and Irene and her daughter.

Steven, our permanent individual volunteer continued to present healthy lifestyle workshops. The latest was about the importance of regular medical testing for women, regardless of their age.

Stena also taught math related skills to all our teachers, providing them with the skills and materials needed to continue.

We also had the pleasure of hosting the French/British volunteer family—Kelcy, JD, Elliot, and Chloe—for a week at our new volunteer homestay. They engaged in youth development, served as interpreters, and immersed themselves in the culture of La Carpio. They also joined the sports league over the weekend for a match. What a fantastic way to spend a summer vacation with family! They are now off to explore the jungles and beaches of Costa Rica.

As a side note – recently, one of the football teams of the Recate Sports League won 17-2 against the Saprissa Team – one of the top teams in Costa Rica.

Last week, to close out the volunteer summer program, a group from Troy University visited us. They worked on youth development, built a bunk bed, and learned about our PREMDEV initiatives and La Carpio.

We are also thrilled to announce that we successfully delivered all the materials for the new clinic in Alto Chirripo to the worksite. This was made possible through the hard work and precise logistical planning of Regional CCSS Director Vinicio and a team of local indigenous workers. The walls, roof, piping, and foundation are now complete. Thanks to the Swiss Embassy for partially to sponsoring this effort.

Our faithful supporter, Howard, also visited us providing the collaborators much deserved days off, R&R and leisurely activities.

All of this progress has been made while our regular programs continue to thrive in La Carpio, Uvita, Cabecar, and BriBri.

And all of this as we make the transition into our amazing new headquarters in Ciudad Colon…”Casa Quetzal” will be our orientation, eco-camp, women’s retreat center and peaceful place for volunteers and collaborators. Keep following our posts and reading our blog posts for more details on this very soon.

Thank you to everyone who has supported us along the way. We’re excited to keep moving forward together!