The Cause
During our stay in Costa Rica, we will be volunteering with El Puente (The Bridge) for about a half day on the 18th. No one is obligated to participate, but everyone is welcome to join. In addition to providing our time, we encourage everyone to bring down an item from their wishlist. There are some exceedingly inexpensive items on there. It's not just the cost of the items, but a lot of things are not easy to come by in this somewhat remote area.
This is important to us. The BriBri are the indigenous people of Costa Rica. Let's be succinct: Like many indigenous poeples of the "new world" (think Native American Indians, Central and South American natives, and Aborigines), they were conquered by Europeans. Their way of life has been disrupted and much of their land taken. As blessed as we are with wealth (whether we realize or admit it or not), the responsibility to help rests on our shoulders. It's ok. It's simple. Without really sacrificing anything, we can offer them supplies and our time and assistance.
The Project: Faustina's Garden
We are going to build a garden for Faustina. In the photo to the right, she is sitting in the chair, talking to Tashia, one of the volunteers. Faustina is 101 years young, and we are going to create a garden for her. Nearby, there is a botanical garden where we will each purchase a plant for her garden. We will also get a garden hose at the nearby hardware store. They have all the tools we will need to do the work. This project will be a lot of fun, and simple enough that anyone can lend a hand. Of course it will involve is getting a little dirty, so be sure to dress appropriately!
The Wishlist
They have a number of VERY inexpensive and small items on their wishlist. These are all things that would be easy to pick up and bring down. You may not want to add more to your already full luggage, but just think... it'll leave more room for souvenirs on the way home!
We just got updated wishlist:
- White uniform shirts
- Navy pants
- Navy shoes
- Navy socks
- Colored pencils (not regular pencils; they have plenty)
- Other coloring tools (crayons, etc)
- Rulers
- Red pens (papermate)
- Backpacks!
- Calculators
- English/Spanish dictionaries
And here is the previous wishlist selection:
- Teaspoons and Tablespoons: mismatched leftovers in your drawer, or check Goodwill
- Epson C63 printer ink (possibly never sold in the US; get it if you can!)
- Terry cloth dish towels (on your next Target run)
- Children's DVDs: got any extras, anything the kids outgrew?
- Children's books: used bookstores / garage sales
- Ponchos: Anywhere! They're cheap and super tiny
- Compact Umbrellas: again, cheap and tiny
- Coloring books and crayons: take the crayons carry-on so they don't melt
- Children's underwear, bathing suits, socks: New, for the love of God. :)
- Flashlights and batteries: May I suggest LED flashlights - batteries last MUCH longer
- Shower curtains: thick, one-color curtains can be used as tarps
- Plastic buckets (like many things can be gotten in San Jose)
The Work
Kia has been communicating with the director. A project will be setup for us when they have an idea how many people will be participating. They are VERY excited to have a group coming to help! The most recent update is that they will have a better idea of what to expect in the new year. Kia called on Dec 29, but it's apparently a very hectic time for them right now. We'll keep you posted!