Costa Rica rural community support fund

Did you know that your donation became 10 times its worth? It is like a philanthropic stock market, that brings good things to the communities. I know this sounds like crazy math! I am sure that you never received a math class in which the teacher said 1=10. But once I show you how your dollar was multiplied by 10, you will understand.

As you know, the goal of the Osa Community Support Fund (FACOSA) is to provide small funding to local communities in order to help them improve their quality of living and answer some of their most basic needs such as clean water access and providing a minimum income for local families.  

Every dollar that the Corcovado Foundation raises for FACOSA (Osa Community Fund), the Interamerican Foundation matches 1 to 1. The communities that receive the funding also need to make a matching contribution in kind.

In June 2013, for the second time the Corcovado Foundation, through FACOSA disbursed around $12,000 USD to 5 different projects in 2 different communities.   Here is a good example of our “awesome math”: The Developing Association of Rancho Quemado (ADI), one of the beneficiaries of The Osa Community Fund, received $3,000 in order to light up the sports field in their home town. In a community where the only recreational activities are hunting or drinking alcohol, exercise is not only good for their bodies, but for their families and surrounding ecosystems.  

The project cost around $20,000 USD ($10,000 USD in materials and $10,000 USD in labor).   You and people like you donated $1500 and the Interamerican Foundation (IAF) matched your donation. With $3,000 USD in hand, they went to the Municipality of Osa, which donated $6,000 dollars more. The community now only needed $1,000 USD to complete the $10,000 usd needed for materials, so they had a festival and raised the rest of the money. The community from Rancho Quemado took your donation, now worth five times its initial value and presented it to the Costarrican Institute of Electricity who committed to do all the labor, since the community had raised the rest of the money for materials.   Your $1 donation became $10 USD. Your dollar empowered them to knock on doors and raise money. Your dollar was the spark that started the great fire of development.

According to Jessica Roldan, one of the members of the ADI “The donation received from the Osa Community Fund, also helped us to leave a legacy of hope to our children and community, who are growing up with the vision of creating opportunities in hand with the conservation of the environment that surrounds them"

The electrification of the field will take place in May and the community is planning a big celebration!  It is amazing how a little bit of support will push communities forward.   Pushing forward and having small successes empowers new leaders, strengthens communities and make people believe in themselves and their neighbors.  Thank you for your donation!