Costa Rica Care for Vulnerable Children

General Info

You will be working with a government organised programme, helping to care for children in and around San Ramón who have been orphaned or whose parents are unable to look after them during the day. The centres are short-staffed and your assistance is needed to give the young ones some much-needed love and attention and the local ‘tías’ a break.

You’ll be caring for children up to twelve years of age, assisting at whichever centre is most in need at the time. The activities that you will be able to get involved in will vary between the homes and care centres, your tasks may include:

• Taking care of the children
• Teaching English
• Organising recreational/teaching activities
• Playing games and activities with the children
• Helping them with school duties
• Feeding the children
• Helping the babysitters with daily activities to give the ‘tías’ more time for their other duties
• Helping the ‘tías’ with the upkeep of the house when the children are at school

What’s Included in the Programme

Airport pick-up from San José International Airport
Accommodation – Backpackers hostel during orientation and host family throughout programme
Orientation
One way public transport to your home-stay
Three meals per day whilst living with a home-stay family
Laundry once a week
Full support and assistance from our local co-ordinators throughout your project
24-hour support number and contact for emergencies

What’s Not Included in the Programme

Flights
Visas
Travel insurance
Extra activities
Alcoholic beverages/extra snacks
Personal expenditure

Benefits:

From £799 for 4 weeks, includes accommodation, some food, transfers, support and back up in-country and 24/7 emergency contact numbers. Before you leave full comprehensive information is provided through an Online Accounts and our expert travel advisers are always available to give help and advice.

Requirements:

Having an intermediate level of Spanish is very important and experience of working with children is preferred but not essential. This means you need to be a creative self-starter who enjoys working with children, as well as possess flexibility, perseverance and tolerance. You also need to be able to handle difficult situations as children come from very difficult backgrounds.