“Forging our Quality of Life” Campaign

Our campaign is based in the concept of crafting, using the hands to create something valuable for ourselves and our families, friends and visitors. It was conceived in the course of our relationship with the community, looking for a common ground where we both Las Catalinas and the communities around us could share an organic, respectful and democratic vision of the future that we all wanted to develop as neighbors. It is an extension of our values and beliefs in communion with the things that the local communities value the most. This campaign has four parts, all working hand in hand with the local people:

1) Community Infrastructure Beautification and Enhancement

We know our strengths. One is a well developed base of technical and scientific knowledge in the fields of design, planning and construction, and we have made that available to help the local community. In our neighboring area we have identified infrastructure strategic needs (always presented by a host organization or group).  In 2009 we started working with the local Catholic Church in Potrero to create the first and only mosaic full façade in Costa Rica. Through the artwork of Ana Ovares, an avid young artist from Monteverde in Costa Rica, we helped create a mural representing the Creation manifest in the Potrero landscape.

This effort led to another joint venture including other individuals and organizations in Potrero Bay to recover an abandoned police station building and turn it into a community classroom. Thus in September 2010 the Potrero Kids club was finished and we participated sponsoring Ana`s work with a beautiful mosaic mural called “The Wisdom Tree”, which features the hands in clay of all school students from Potrero.  This is extremely beautiful and meaningful for the community.

In 2010, we also helped the Tempate Development Association with their efforts by donating the Air Conditioning for their brand new Community Classroom, which successfully inaugurated in August.

We are working with a local NGO called Opening Minds in putting together a community garden in the Community Hall and there are options of a new large scale beautification project in this Hall. Other community projects on the horizon that are necessary are a local health facility, a new lot and building for the school, the public road improvement and a bike route.

 

2) Community Environmental Health

The one initiative that has been proven successful from the beginning is our involvement in the National Blue Flag Program by being a participant in the Potrero and Penca beaches committee. In December 2010, we organized an electronic waste clean up campaign which encompassed Santa Cruz county and proved our capability to network on behalf of the environment. We are frequently contacted by local institutions including the Ministry of Health and the Municipalidad to perform dengue prevention campaigns.

Through these initiatives we have been able to perform over 30 beach clean ups a year, teach environmental education to school kids, their parents and community leaders. As recognition for this effort we have obtained the Blue Flag award for two years in a row for Penca beach.

Las Catalinas has being fundamental in the formation of the Local Emergency Committee in Potrero. Through our investment in transportation, staff, meeting facilities, and meals we have been able to support and motivate a group of community leaders that have created the first and only official group to prevent and manage an environmental or social crisis in our area, recognized by the Costa Rican government. This group is in training periodically.

 

3) Building Local Capacity through Education

Here at Las Catalinas we are convinced that education is the one of the key factors for a community striving for better living, therefore we have studied the local scenario and selected projects with strong potential for success in terms of values formation, skill development, community integration and outreach.

First we started with the local public Potrero School, which we have supported in many ways including frequent lectures, educational movie sessions, fieldtrips, beach clean ups, reforestation journeys and teachers’ training. Our high impact project in the community for 2011 and 2012 has been the Book Donation project. By doing a fundraiser we were able to donate along with Bahia del Sol Hotel and Opening Minds Foundation 1300 books for 258 students, not only for Potrero School but for Tempate, Bejuco de Tempate and Huacas Schools.  This has been a major success and motivation for students and their parents alike.

CEPIA (Culture, Education and Psychology for Infants and Adolescents http://www.cepiacostarica.org), is a Costarican non-profit organization that seeks to promote culture, health, sports and education for children and teenagers from low-income families in the coastal communities of Guanacaste. It offers these children and teenagers better opportunities through free cultural and educational activities, nutritional and psychological support as well as through collaborations with local schools and many organizations and public institutions.

CEPIA implements educational initiatives such as computer classes, English classes and professional trainings. CEPIA spearheaded the area’s first public library. The organization educates youth about rights, substance abuse and violence, while at the same time providing psychological guidance for children who live in unhealthy or abusive environments.

We have supported CEIPA’s activities in many ways throughout the years, but this year we have been invited to be a part of the Board of Directors of CEPIA, distinction that implies a major responsibility in the moment which the NGO has received the donation of a lot in Huacas and is embarking in a strategic project of building a Coastal Community Center.

Another good alliance, in a more local specific scale, we have made this year is with Opening Minds Foundation (www.abriendomentes.org), whose goal is to empower each community member with the knowledge and resources needed to achieve a better standard of living and promote economic stability. By supporting some of their actions such as field trips, environmental advisory and activities we are part of a great local initiative focus on the Potrero area that is making a major positive impact and is affecting over 100 students.

 

4)  Social Networking

Finally, our networking philosophy embraces the spirit of positive active participation in our “world”, thus being part of most of the local development and conservation initiatives is an important part of our work at Las Catalinas. With our constant effort we bring our expertise and good will to the following groups:

• Tempisque Conservation Area (ACT) Council
• Forest Fire National Prevention Commission
• Santa Cruz ZMT and main land Zoning Plan committees
• Diria Biological Corridor Committee
• Santa Cruz Development Associations
• National, Santa Cruz Coastal and Potrero Emergency Commissions