In January, I had the opportunity to spend eight days visiting our projects in Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Guatemala. This trip allowed me to see the impact we are having in the lives of these beautiful communities. I am pleased to say that your gifts are filling many lives with hope.
Guatemala
Pura Vida has been involved in several wonderful projects over the past year in Guatemala. In 2006, through your support, we funded the reconstruction of a school in Tzanchaj that was seriously affected by Hurricane Stan. As part of the reconstruction, we added a vital second level, allowing an additional 250 children to attend school. It was a true thrill to see the new classrooms filled with children eager to learn.
Santa Anita is a coffee coop in Guatemala where we purchase coffee. This gracious community is filled with extremely driven people. Projects at Santa Anita include an organic gardening initiative, the sale of their coffee at the local market, and an ecotourism program run by the women of the community. This program educates visitors on how coffee can be grown in harmony with the natural environment, while also empowering local women to participate in the financial success of Santa Anita. Recently, Pura Vida funded the purchase of a coffee processing machine that will cut several steps from the production process and give them more time to care for their families and crops, while also decreasing coffee loss by over 20%.
Through a dedicated investor/donor, Pura Vida has recently learned of an outstanding organization called Fotokids. This organization is running on a small budget but is having deep impact in the lives of extremely poor children in Guatemala. They use photography to connect with children, teaching them an artful skill, while at the same time, providing scholarships to get each child through school and beyond.
Costa Rica
Costa Rica is home of our founding partner, Funda Vida. It was a great joy to visit the soup kitchen of Linda Vista, witnessing the joy of many children being fed and the usefulness of the computer center that was filled with children learning vital skills. I heard story after story of the ways in which Funda Vida had transformed lives. Funda Vida operates in four neighborhoods throughout the inner-city of San Jose. The goal of this program is to change the destiny of thousands of adults by helping them as children.
Nicaragua
Pura Vida began working in Nicaragua this past year with a clean water initiative. We partnered with an outstanding organization called El Porvenir, an expert in clean water and sanitation issues specifically in Nicaragua. Through your generosity, we funded projects in five communities. I visited two of these communities and I was overwhelmed by the gratitude of the people. For example, the people of Nueva Espana are grateful for better health from clean water and the families of Cerro Colorado are thrilled with the cleanliness and empowerment that comes with having their own latrines. Simple things that we so easily take for granted are bringing so much joy to these communities of rural Nicaragua.
