International Volunteer HQ's partner NGO in Costa Rica requires volunteers now! IVHQ has a wide range of volunteering opportunities available in turtle conservation, teaching English, childcare work, healthcare and construction and renovation work in Costa Rica.

Costa Rica Volunteer Placement Descriptions

* Teaching English
Teaching English to low-income communities in San Jose and surrounding areas is a rewarding project. Children, teenagers and young adults are very excited to practice their pronunciation and conversation skills with native speakers. Costa Rica is increasingly becoming the tourism capital of Central America, meaning English is a prerequisite for all people looking to make a career in the tourism industry and get ab ove the poverty line. Volunteers will work in local schools, orphanages and community centers. Work varies but generally consists of providing tutoring to local students, setting up small workshops, assisting local teachers and organizing educational games and activities. NB Volunteers DO NOT need to be a qualified or experienced teacher.

* Childcare Work
Costa Rica on the back of strong resources, a stable Government and increasing tourism is becoming one of the more affluent countries in Central America. However this is causing problems whereby citizens from neighboring countries (such as Nicaragua) are immigrating into Costa Rica, causing an increase in unemployment, homelessness and poverty. The aim of our childcare program is to provide individual attention and assistance to children from difficult backgrounds in Costa Rica. Many children at the projects we work with do not receive the level of affection and education that they deserve, and volunteers therefore play an important role in working alongside local staff to improve the educational, emotional, and hygiene conditions of the children. Volunteers will work in orphanages, community centers, daycare centers, schools, soup kitchens and kindergartens. Work varies but generally consists of providing individual attention, sharing affection with children, paying with children, organizing games and activities, educating children regarding hygiene and assisting with home work.

* Turtle Conservation
At the turtle project, volunteers assist a Costa Rican biologist with their work at the beach. Volunteers help with studies and protection work of the sea turtles and with the sustainable egg harvesting programs residents. Volunteers live in one of three beach locations around Costa Rica and must be prepared to work hard. Living conditions are basic and volunteers work shifts (days and nights). Volunteer activities vary at different times of the year but general work includes; beach patrols, building greenhouses to keep eggs away from predators, beach cleaning, count and tag sea turtles, locating nesting females and work with local staff to harvest eggs.

* Construction and Renovation
One of the ways we provide support to the different projects we work with is through our construction and renovation projects. Many projects are under-funded and run-down, and are in need of renovation work. Volunteers usually work alongside a local construction worker who provides them with direction and motivation. Volunteers work on a variety of buildings such as schools, orphanages, community centers and clinics. Volunteer work varies but generally consists of renovating buildings, re-painting community centers, building required infrastructure such as orphanages and landscaping/gardening. You are not required to have experience with construction work but having good energy levels, a reasonable level of fitness and good dedication will go a long way to ensuring you get the most out of your volunteer project.

* Healthcare
The healthcare system in Costa Rica is relatively well developed. However, the projects we work with always appreciate the extra assistance that volunteers bring through supporting local nurses and doctors. Our projects work with a number of local institutions such as The Red Cross, hospice, ambulance services and AIDS home. It is important that healthcare volunteers have realistic expectations with regard to the activities that they will get involved in. Medical students should understand that independence in medical projects will always be determined by:

- level of training and demonstrated expertise
- Spanish level
- age
- personality and ability to take initiative
- duration of program

NB: All healthcare volunteers must bring evidence of their level of education, their white coat and their stethoscope.