Great Progress in Costa Rica

Last year, the Collette Foundation began a partnership with CEPIA Foundation (Culture, Education, and Psychology for Infants and Adolescents) in Costa Rica. We are assisting their after-school program by helping to fund their efforts to improve the quality of life for children through health and education.

The need there is immense. The education standards in Costa Rica are very low – the children only have 3 to 4 hours of school a day and do not have access to art classes. In regard to nutrition and health, a staggering 21% of children between age 5 and 12 are overweight or obese in Costa Rica!

They currently have more than 600 children enrolled in a variety of after-school sports activities and educational workshops at CEPIA.  Over the last year, a large portion of these children participated in much needed weekly physical activities including soccer, surfing, swimming, yoga, or dance. Some of the younger children were able to attend classes with their parents to learn about healthy living and nutrition.

Many of these children are able to attend a weekly English program and have academic tutoring and reading support. The younger children have started using tablets for the first time to learn basic technological skills and learn letters and numbers through play. Most of the children have the opportunity to partake in art classes, to increase their creativity and express themselves in new ways.

This program is very robust, with many opportunities to enhance the lives of the children of Costa Rica, and we are excited about the impact we can make together in the years to come.