VOLUNTEERS LEARN, HAVE FUN AND CONTRIBUTE

Students from the European School helped out filling bags in the nursery

They learned about environmental protection, animal welfare, and organic agriculture

After a hard day of work, they enjoyed had some river fun!

Famer's Market-- Social and Economic Justice in action

Our dynamic volunteer, Glendy Barrantes (left) is not afraid to literally get her hands dirty to make this farmer's market a reality

Our super-talented local artist, David Villalobos helps make our beautiful banner

voila! 

Here is David again at the fair... he was doing body paints (like temporary tatoos) using a ticture he made from la ocal plant seed

Greivin Badilla is also a local artists whose art we display at the Center and who joins us at the Farmer's market some times

Dany Villalobos is a student at the University of Costa Rica, but when he can, he escapes the city to come join us at the market.  Here he is helping some children squeeze sugar cane juice

Part of the idea behind the market was to provide a source of healthy fun for all on the normally uneventful and dull weekends in this rural economically depressed area

While their parents work, children create their own games

But parents play too... at the end of every Saturday market event, they play Bingo.  Each person who has a stand donates a small item to be donated at the Bingo.  The money collected from Bingo is used to pay for part of the live music.  Each stand also donates the equivalent of $2 to pay for the music.  The Center provides the space freely to all and we hold a meeting every Wednesday where many issues are discussed prior the each fair

We can no feed every animal, but we run spaying clinics so there are fewer unwanted animals people can not afford to feed.  We subsidize the care of animals whose owners are empoverished.

This young female pup ended up losing her eye, but at least she got vet care and got spayed

We don't have any special facilites.  Our amazing vet who comes from Monteverde works miracles with what there is.  Each clinic is an education and a labor of pure LOVE for his fellow beings.  He is truly an unsang hero.

Some times we run the clinics on the other side of the river to make it easier for people in neighboring towns to have access.. this man has his kitty in a animal feed sack and then a box to prevent it from scaping.  Animal carriers are hard to come by, but the important thing is that people have a willingness to be kind

This man owns a butterfly garden.  The new initiave to bring sustainable rural tourism to this area allowed him to earn enough money to be able to pay the small fee the vet charges.  He brought his female kitty

Some people come by horse, bike, ATV or motorcycle... this is a sign times are changing... people are making the effort instead of finding excuses

Olga Villalobos is one of our biggest supporters in that she is always talking to her neighbors about the need to spay.  She is also one of the few people who spends the money to provide flea and tick prevention

It is important that children get involved, and this young man will appreciate and care for his dog even more now because he had to work hard to get him neutered

During windy season, entire nests fall out of trees and people often keep the parakeets in cages for the rest of their lives.  They feed them things that are not natural, so the birds never learn to eat what they will find in nature.  The one in this picture had just finished a guayaba meal and was eyeing my plate... he is a lucky one.  It was brough to us and we taught him to eat everything... but...what a mess!

Here it is with its sibling, learning to negotiate branches... and one day, they took off.  FREE at last!

More pictures of the San Antonio and Los Angeles schools Christmas party

Los Angeles school and their teacher

San Antonio School and their teacher

The hospital personnel provided presents for each one of the children

And a lovely meal

which included CAKE, yum!

A mix of excitement, curiosity and caution as many children had never before interacted or seen some of the animals at the Center such as the emus

Many pictures were taken while each child took a turn riding Loui, our donkey

Safe from our geese inside the fenced tree nursery area

The zipline is MINI, but the fun it provided was MEGA

Our well... they all wanted to see inside

and each took a try at watering the nursery trees the old fashion way... not as easy as it looks, but fun.  It was a lovely day thanks to some hospital personnel families who decided to get together to do a wonderful thing

Social and Economic Justice, Environmental Protection and Animal Wellfare are married at the Center

Everything is possible... Most parents and kids in this community and the surrounding areas watch the large buses going to Monteverde to take people ziplining year after year and most have never even seen a zipline much less ride on one... our tiny zipline is a source of free fun for the at the Center

Children come to the various activities at the Center and get curious about planting a garden... environmental education happens in a gentle way

The Center opens its doors freely to good causes.  This was a Christmas party for two schools in the area who received it as a gift from the hospital personnel in San Jose... working together, the hospital and the Center, the children had a day they might never forget

Water from our well is used to water the trees in the nursery...it is an opportunity to discuss the need to plant trees to make sure we always have water to drink, to grow food, etc.  Deforestation is a major issue in this area.

Where there is a will there is a way... this young man is a policeman in a neighboring town.  He helps the neighbors by transporting their animals for the spaying clinics we hold at the Center.  He is an example of the impact one sinlge human being can make in the lives of his fellow sentient beings. 

What once was an economic development center, was closed down for the last 35 years to be reborn as a Center where economic and social justice, the health of all sentient beings and the health of our planet weigh in as heavy as making a profit.

At the farmer's market, neighbors sell and trade their goods... it is the beginning of many good things to come for our town

Maruja makes organic food coloring from her Achiote trees and sells it at the Farmer's market which takes place at the Center every Saturday from noon till 5 p.m.

Glendy Barrantes, a student from the University of Costa Rica has been a great help at our Center... here she is tending to our Medicinal Plant Garden... We need more dedicated volunteers, either to help onsite or remotely... almost every skill can be put to good use at the Center.  Please contact us if you feel a will to help, we will work with your specific desires and needs.

VOLUNTEER WITH US!!

Come volunteer with us!!!

Come for the day or come to stay...

All volunteer activities are preambled by a talk about the different aspects of sustainability in the context of the rural setting.  The specific activities will depend on the season (e.g. filling bags vs. planting) and the current needs of the Center and community (e.g. painting, labeling plants, designing,  animal husbandry, development of evaluation instruments, etc.) .  They will also depend on your interests.  We can also use remote volunteers for our (in the works) virtual environmental information center and to help us with social media, web design, etc.

Here are the different projects at the Center.  You can volunteer at one or several:

· Tree Nursery (Fundacion Conservacionista Costarricense)

· River Monitoring/ Environmental Protection

· Social and Economic Justice– Ongoing Farmer’s market: Pilot Community-Based Project

· Medicinal & Ornamental Plants

· Restoration of the Historic Building

· Vegetable garden

· Landscaping

· Animal Husbandry

· Rural Tourism Project (Neotropic Foundation)

· Local Library Project (small donations program)

· Other projects under way: biodigestor, gray water treatment, virtual communications & research (biodiversity inventories, monitoring water shed)

email us at: sdccostarica@gmail.com