Costa Rica rural community support fund

March 8 is the International Women's Day.  It is a global day creating awareness about the importance of social, economic, cultural and political improvements for women, as well as their achievements and contributions.  The day also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity.

International Women's Day (IWD) has been observed since in the early 1900's - a time of great expansion and turbulence in the industrialized world that saw booming population growth and in the midst of all these changes women starting to claim for equal rights. 

At the Corcovado Foundation we celebrate and encourage women because we believe in their power, their importance as mothers, as workers, and leaders. Every day in rural communities, where our organization works, we see the power and the commitment of women:   The money received by a woman is almost always immediately invested on direct family needs.   Women often lead their families by example with such matters as healthy diets, recycling and many other important issues.

As part of the Osa Community Support Fund, the foundation has invested in women’s development by providing funding for materials, equipment and training for new economic activities. Last year, we provided support to La Esperanza Women Group in Rancho Quemado. This group of women works with fique art crafts such as bags, mats and other products.  Fique has been used for many centuries to make all kinds of things such as ropes and sandals.  These women are not only rediscovering an ancient craft and culture, but also they are bringing extra income to their families. This is only one of the many groups our organization has supported through the Osa Community Fund.

Hundreds of people in Osa Peninsula has benefitted from the Osa Community Fund.  This fund is fed with donations from people like you, sitting at home and wondering how to make the world a better place, without having to embark in a mission trip or a volunteer program. Your donations will be match by the Interamerican Foundation one to one, and our organization will not charge a single coin for selecting, supporting and overseeing worthy projects that will change the life of many people in the Osa Peninsula.

In the past our organization allocated more than $22,000 USD in donations to a dozen of small projects in communities such as Rancho Quemado, El Progreso, Agujitas and La Tarde, in the Osa Peninsula.  But there are many more needs to be covered and very limited funding. There are schools that need roofs, rivers without bridges that challenge brave children on their way to school, water systems to be built, and more.

The Corcovado Foundation is a nonprofit organization that promotes sustainable use of natural resources as a way to alleviate the pressure that exists on the priceless natural resources of the Osa Peninsula.  The Corcovado Foundation is responsible for the administration of the funds and the monitoring of the projects without adding any additional cost.  Therefore, every dollar collected goes directly to support community projects.