Who am I ?

My name is Clémence, I'm 17 years old and I'm a student in 1st grade. I am the eldest of a family of 3 children.

Having lived in Ghana and New Zealand, I have developed a taste for discovering people and their country.

Autonomous and resourceful, I give lessons (English and tennis) and do baby-sittings, in my spare time, to finance my projects.

Why this project?

During my schooling in New Zealand (4.5 years) and Ghana (1.5 years), I was very aware of sustainable development and helping children.

During my research on the Internet about the mission that I wanted to do in the summer of 2018, I discovered a mission of Projects Abroad, in Costa Rica bringing together these two aspects. This four-week project immediately appealed to me.

It is initially a project of eco-volunteering and community (July 15 - 29), it is an immersion in the Costa Rican rainforest of Barra Honda.

Whether it's fauna or flora, the dry tropical forest of Barra Honda offers a biodiversity unique in the world. Thus, this experience would allow me to participate in various actions to preserve the environment.

Many programs to protect this Costa Rican national park are planned. Below, an overview of some of them:

scientific studies and projects of biodiversity:

· The installation of photo traps

· Reforestation projects

environmental studies:

· Climatological studies

· GPS mapping

infrastructure construction:

· Maintenance of trails, caves and firewalls

· General maintenance of the reserve

The second mission (July 30 - August 12) is a mission to help children in kindergartens and nurseries: a discovery of the disadvantaged suburbs of San José.

Below is an overview of some of the activities we will do: share knowledge, know-how and skills:

· Teach the basic rules of life (hygiene, discipline ..)

· Care for young children (helps to get ready in the morning ...)

· Reading, writing and arithmetic lessons, to participate in the awakening of children:

· Organisation of games, sports activities

· Create painting workshops

· Schedule concerts

Finally Costa Rica attracted me because it's been studying Spanish and the Hispanic culture for 4 years. Nevertheless, I know little about the South American continent; Accommodation in a host family will allow me to fully immerse myself in the local community (missions in the suburbs of San José). Furthermore, working with other volunteers from around the world will make this experience unique and unforgettable!

It is therefore an ideal opportunity to give one's time, to help while speaking Spanish and to discover the Costa Rican culture.

Discovering Costa Rica?

Costa Rica is a small Spanish-speaking country in Central America, a biological corridor linking North America and South America. It has 5 million inhabitants, including 2 million in the capital San José and its suburbs. Despite its attractiveness related to tourism, 21% of the population lives below the poverty line (less than $ 2 a day).

Costa Rica has an incredible biosphere with 6% of the world's biodiversity, including 10% of bird species (Costa Rica represents only 0.03% of the land area). This diversity can be explained by the geographical location of the country. Thus, to protect and grow this extraordinary richness, more than 25% of the territory is occupied by national parks and reserves and the government is about to definitively stop deforestation.

Projects Abroad?

I did a lot of research with organizations before choosing Projects Abroad, one of the few that offers missions to miners around the world. In addition, a friend mine went a month to Nepal with Projects Abroad in Nepal and he told me a lot about his missions. At that time, the idea of going to do humanitarian work was already making inroads. And that's how I decided to live a similar experience.

Project Abroad is an organization that offers, since 1992, voluntary humanitarian missions in 30 different countries. These programs require a sophisticated management and administration system which you can imagine, has a cost. It is an independent and private organization that does not receive grants so volunteers' contributions are the only ones that allow the projects to exist and to be realized.

A unique experience…

This project is not just a trip but a mission to Costa Rica during which I will participate in the protection of the Costa Rican forest and take care of children in disadvantaged suburbs. This is a possible team project thanks to my sponsors. I am aware of the luck that I will have if I go to live this adventure and therefore, it seems normal to me share it to the maximum.

So, back to France, I will continue giving my time. I will be happy to share my experience with all those who will have supported me materially and through their thoughts. I already have some ideas in mind: to make a presentation to schoolchildren, to publish a press review in a newspaper, to make a film and to exhibit the photos taken during my trip ...

(pictures and photos are on the french page)

Mission éco-volontariat/humanitaire Costa Rica 2018

The publications