Click Here for full version of the Annual Report<\/a>Download<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n
Annual Report 2020 Introduction <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n As with every other living and non-organic entity on the earth, our foundation was\nprofoundly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic in ways that were both positive and\nchallenging. When the year began, we, like everyone else, had no notion as to how\nwe would evolve over the days and months to follow.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n The year began like any other. We ran our summer camp in La Carpio for the\nchildren, proceeded with our sports program and looked forward to the presence of\nmany volunteers during the coming times. Our food distribution program continued as\nit had previously, with donations of food seven days a week from Auto Mercado to\nmany families.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n When news of a virus began to spread, we realized that things may have to change. As\nalways, we were aggressive, creative and flexible as we determined how to maintain\nour organization so that it could continue to serve the people of Costa Rica.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n Immediately, our government acted and shut down the whole country for weeks. We\nreceived special permission to continue the food distribution with Auto Mercado.\nThanks to our quick action and Auto Mercado corporate policies of protection for its\nemployees, we began to use face masks, thoroughly and regularly wash our hands, use\nalcohol-based hand sanitizers, and keep social distance from others. It was instinctive\nand immediate \u2013 we must have had an inkling that our survival and that of all the\npeople we serve was at stake.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n For many weeks, we were often the only car on the road. We carried the permission\nletter in our vans and wore face masks at all times. When stopped by the transit\npolice, we simply showed our letter, and instead of penalizing us, they congratulated\nus for the work we were doing. At the time, I thought nothing of this. Looking back\nnow, I realize how blessed we were to be able to continue serving our community.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n In our centers, we halted all direct contact with the children. However, our teachers\ndevised a system of contact through WhatsApp and kept in contact with all the\nchildren we serve. The Ministry of Education of Costa Rica quickly developed at\nhome study guides for students so they could continue their classwork and advance\nthrough their school year. Since none of our students have a home computer, our\nliaison work with them through the telephone was essential.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n Our sports coach lives in the community and was therefore able to meet with the boys\nin a careful and controlled way and was available to individuals on a daily basis.\nAlthough he could not train with them for several months, he did keep up with them,\nespecially keeping track of who was grieving or needing food.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n We were able to host two volunteer groups this year. In January, a group from\nAdelphi came to work with us and, as luck would have it, they were nurses. I had an\nimpactful experience just before they came here in which I held the hand of a man\nwho had just been hit by a car as he passed away. During this moment, I had a\nstrange rush of experiences. It was night, with a full beautiful moon and I sang a song\nto him, \u201cStand by Me\u201d. I felt his body leave and surround me. So as part of my\norientation seminar with them, I said these words, \u201cYou may not understand it well\nnow, but sooner or later, you will be accompanying someone on their final minutes as\na human body. Your actions, words, and self care will be essential to the evolution of\nthe human condition because you will have the power to comfort and console them,\nto ease their fear and pain…. or to leave them to their own devices as you tend to the\nmore physical part of their transition. Do not be afraid to take on this sacred\ndiligence. It is as important as any other task you will have.\u201d This song became our\ngo to words of encouragement and reminder of our true role.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n The final group of the year was in March with the ex-combatants from Canada. They\nwere able to complete the construction of the house they had started the previous year\nand refresh our bond as partners in our poverty alleviation program. I was once again\nreminded of how the scars of war are not just physical.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then, as the cancellations began, the future of our organization became shaky. But,\nwe knew that we would prevail and went fearlessly forward. Our donor, Gary Kaplan\nasked, \u201cWhat are the bare bones that you need financially??\u201d \u201cA way to pay our\nteachers, our soccer coach and the rent on the building we use,\u201d I answered. So, he\nstepped up and sponsored all four of these things every month. And so, each of our\nprograms evolved and became stronger during the year.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n When the Ministry of Health required stay at home orders for the whole country, we\naggressively and creatively found ways to keep our programs going while meeting\nthe government requisites. We immediately began required mask use, hand washing,\nsanitization, and social distancing. We modeled it and taught it to everyone.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n This image of our spiral model of development stayed with us throughout the year.\nEverything we did was measured by our loyalty to this idea. Life is a spiral, we are\nall part of it and if we just keep checking our activities to make sure we are moving\nalong in this spiral, we will remain steady. This particular image was developed by\none of our virtual volunteers from the University of Michigan who, with their regular\ncalls, helped us to feel connected to the outside world. Virtual volunteers…what a\nconcept.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n Food First\n<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Our Auto Mercado program grew to become survival for thousands of people a\nmonth. Through the donation of the food, we accomplished the following:\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n We worked every single day, seven days a week. As the weeks went by, we grew from a small group of collaborators struggling to survive the situation themselves, to a thriving small business enterprise. People who could and were willing provided us a donation of $5 per food basket or bag.<\/p> We now have two paid drivers and myself as a volunteer, two coordinators of fruits and vegetables, one coordinator of bread distribution, one coordinator of chicken and dessert distribution and three volunteers with food basket delivery. We have a full time cook and a full time cleaning person, each earning enough to pay their rent and utilities. The van drivers earn enough to cover their gas and car maintenance. It is a completely self sustaining program. We have developed a simple but effective accounting system that can be used and understood even by our non-reader coordinators. We model courteous and calm behavior to all who come to us for food and are hypervigilant about the protocols for health and hygiene. As a year end activity, we went to Auto Mercado, serenaded them, and presented the workers with a small gift of appreciation. There are no words grand enough to describe how much they have done for so many people and in such a respectful and protected way. They \u201cstood by us\u201d every single day of the year. So, we serenaded them with that song. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Housing\n<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Our families were living in a low-income situation to begin with. When they lost their\njobs due to the pandemic, housing became even more difficult. In addition, refugees\nfrom Nicaragua were not used to paying rent, since most of them had a small plot of\nland on which to build their small shack and survive.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n We helped to ease the housing situation for many people. We gave small stipends to\nthose who were in arrears on their payments, upgraded houses with leaky roofs and\nwalls that were falling down, bought a house for a single mother with seven children,\nand gave rent relief to people who were at risk for eviction.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n Health Care\n<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Next door to our center in La Carpio, there is a Christian clinic. We coordinated with\nthem to help pay for doctor consultants when needed. We also donated medication to\nthem when we were able. They see approximately 30 people a day.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n Health Education\n<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n We promoted and taught people about how to take care of their own health. While\nwaiting to receive their food, we used the opportunity to teach about healthy eating,\nhygiene and self-care. We distributed toothbrushes and soap, modeled extreme health\nmeasures, promoted the use of vapor breathing with any number of combinations of\nthings \u2014cinnamon, garlic, ginger, anise, aloe, mint, eucalyptus. I did this three times\na day and talked about it with visitors. Daily routines, like frequent showering and\nwearing clean clothes and masks were discussed. We also shared our fears and gave\neach other confidence.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n Education\n<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Through the creativity of our teachers, we were able to provide and support education\nfor 700 children. We did special events during the year like mask-making workshops,\ncelebration of Independence Day through the WhatsApp group, celebration of the Day\nof the Afro, Caribbean Day of the Special Needs Child, and a talent show.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n We provided sessions on grief counseling for children who lost loved ones either due\nto illness, COVID, or violence. Our message was clear and simple…the loss hurts,\naccept the pain, be together, and the loved one will always be with you. We\ndistributed stuffed animals to comfort children who were grieving.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n Rainy Day boxes \u2014boxes with activities to do at home\u2014 were given to over 500\nchildren. These boxes helped children rediscover their creativity while being stuck at\nhome.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n Small group tutoring sessions allowed the children to complete their Ministry of\nEducation objectives and all our kids were passed to the next grade level. Several\nreceived diplomas for their studies.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n We continued with our Montessori program with individual children, and we were\nable to continue to learn about this important educational system.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sports\n<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Pedro, our soccer coach, became increasingly important during this year. He was\navailable to the early 100 youth in the sports league and counseled the boys through\ntheir fears, doubts and grieving process. He re-initiated the training program with\nsmall groups at the soccer field we have created. The boys kept the area clean and\nwere able to use this facility without any problems. As the government began to lift\nmore restrictions, Pedro took them in his newly acquired van to different soccer fields\nin the area. We have converted the downstairs part of our Model Education Center\ninto an office and meeting space for Pedro and the boys.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n Small Business Enterprises\n<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n We were able to help set up 40 small businesses so that people could become\nfinancially independent. This included sale of recycled items, tortilla making, sales of\ncorn on the cob, hot soup, other food, masks, and care of the bed ridden elderly.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n We found that with a very small investment, people are able to create, market and sell\nproducts they have made.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n Our sewing ladies lost their contract with Caf\u00e9 Britt since the souvenir shops were\nclosed. But, we have developed a wonderful sewing project which we think will be\nself-sustaining. A volunteer, Brenda Hicks, has created beautiful, functional, hygienic\nmasks and has taught the women how to make them. So, we will be meeting with\nlocal hotels and businesses to see if they will buy from us both for their souvenir\nshops and their own employees.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n Empathy, Compassion and Dignity\n<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n As we went through the year, we counseled hundreds of people who were suffering.\nWe walked a mile in their shoes, showed them a glimmer of hope and helped them to\novercome their fear of so many things. Many tears were shed in my office as men,\nelderly, single mothers, frightened children, and grieving relatives came to me. My\nphilosophy was to listen with the heart, respond with the mind, and act with the hands.\nI always gave them a practical component…what to do to ease your situation.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n Our refugee program met once a week throughout the year and the sessions with them\nhelped them to get through their dark days and be able to think more clearly.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n In our weekly sessions, we always did an art project. We have produced a bilingual\nbook about the refugee situation, a play about their experiences, and a Museum of\nPoverty. This museum will be a virtual interactive experience of what it is like to live\nin the state of refugees.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n I continue to sponsor two boys in prison. The twice daily phone calls from them help\nthem to process their fear, illness \u2014they both got COVID-19\u2014 and mostly\nloneliness. No visitors have been allowed in the prison for more than a year. I cannot\neven go to leave things for them since I am now an adulto mayor.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n We participated in the process of mourning for two women who were killed by their\nhusbands during this year and are brainstorming techniques for women to warn each\nother about potentially dangerous situations.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n As the year progressed, fear grew, anxiety was lurking everywhere and peoples\u2019 dark\nside emerged. Our team stuck together and dealt with both our own and others’ dark\nnights of the soul. And, as has been predicted, we are seeing the light of God in\neveryone. Our patience and interconnectedness has seen us through. Not one of our\ncollaborators or their families fell ill. I was in perfect physical health all year long\nexcept for two times when exhaustion overcame me, and I needed to take a few days\noff. I have an incredible doctor who knows me well and when I called him with a\nhoarse voice he said, \u201cNo Carpio. No car. No telephone. No visitors. Stay home in\nyour bed. Take these pills. No hospital.\u201d I knew it wasn\u2019t COVID-19, but the fear is\nalways there, so I took the test and passed. I was as good as new after only three days.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n Administrative\n<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n As can be imagined, this was a challenging year administratively and financially.\nHowever, we were incredibly moved and grateful for the hundreds of small donations\nthat came through for us. Strangely enough, I was never without funding to do what\nwas needed at any given moment. The expenses of the organization \u2014car, phone,\ninternet, rent\u2014 were met. Because we had no volunteers, our income was cut to\nnearly zero. But, we did not have any grand construction projects and no hotel, bus, or\npark entrance fees either. We had the gift of time. Although we were busy with\nprograms and local community support, we did not have to organize schedules and\nactivities for volunteers. So I was able to organize, reflect on, and review all the past\nyears\u2019 activities, paperwork, systems, and to think through the future of our\norganization. It was a miracle that our organization survived and actually thrived as a\nresult of this situation.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n Year End Activities\n<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n How to celebrate a Christmas season in a pandemic without putting any of our\nbeloved participants at risk? We began making our list of beneficiaries in October just\nin case it wouldn\u2019t be possible to celebrate Christmas. In early November, we called\nthe place we have had our Christmas event every year and were told that they were\nclosed. We tried many other places to no avail. So, we decided to create a festive\nenvironment in La Carpio itself. Since the children were used to being in our centers,\nknowing about protocols and that our staff is always careful, we decided to have a\nparty for every subgroup at our own centers. Once again, Gary Kaplan and his\nassistant Natasha came through for us and created a wonderful event complete with\ngifts, candy, food, a clown show, superheroes, singing and even a Santa parade\nthrough the streets. To respect the amount of people allowed in a space at a given\ntime, we actually did eight separate events. Our group gave a thank you presentation\nto the volunteers and Gary himself completed a rendition of \u201cStand by Me\u201d, a gift for\neveryone and some heartfelt words.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n The greatest celebration of all was when Gary hosted all the soccer boys at his\nproperty on the beach. It was a dream come true for all these boys to be at the beach,\nin the pool, playing soccer in the large yard and eating all they wanted for one whole\nday. It was so good for them to live for one day…what may be possible for them in\ntheir lives. You never know.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n Special Projects\n<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n With a grant from the Swiss government, we were able to rebuild the bridge over the\nChirripo River where the Cabecar communities live. Ths grant was applied for and\nreceived by my son, Francisco, who just finished his Master’s degree at the University\nof Peace. We worked in conjunction with the local indigenous association to\ncompletely revamp the bridge.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n With yet another grant created by Francisco, we got the funds to upgrade or build five\ndifferent clinics in the Cabecar Reserve and will now be working on the creation of\nthree aqueducts. We gave out basic food baskets and masks to the indigenous people\nliving on the reserve.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n The construction of a house on the finca for use as a camp, retreat center, or\ntemporary housing solution for homeless was another extra project this year. We\nwere able to provide a place to stay for two families without a home.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n Peace Pilgrim project promotes the teachings of the Peace Pilgrim who is a woman\nwho criss-crossed the United States for 25,000 miles teaching people about how to\nlive in peace with themselves and the world around them. This project is creating a\nsafe space for a statue of Peace to be displayed in a beautiful garden with plants, trees\nand rocks from the Rio Chirripo. We hope to publish a book written by Peace and to\ncreate a pamphlet explaining her work in both English and Spanish. We thank our\nlong time friend Jean Patterson and family for the funding for this project which is on\nhold for the moment until the pandemic slows down.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n Dreams for 2021\n<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe can plan…but only circumstances will guide us.\u201d\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n We face the year 2021 with great hope and light, understanding, empathy and compassion for all of the earth…nature, each other and ourselves. \nWith gratitude beyond words to all of you who supported our mission, our goals, our activities and our challenges during this most unusual year. Thank you for loving these wonderful people as much as we do.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" 2020 Year-End ReportFUNDACION HUMANITARIA COSTARRICENSECEDULA JURIDICA: 3-006-204046.Gail D. Nystrom, MA Ed.Executive DirectorApartado: 458 Santa Ana Centro,San Jos\u00e9, Costa RicaTelefono: (506) 8390-4192E-mail: fundacionhumanitariacr@gmail.com Annual Report 2020 \u201cThe year that was. The year that wasn\u2019t\u201d Introduction As with every other living and non-organic entity on the earth, our foundation was profoundly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic in … Continue reading year end report 2020<\/span>
\u201cThe year that was. The year that wasn\u2019t\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.crhf.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Sprial.jpg\")
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