I know I just posted a garden update recently, but we have done so much work over the last couple of weeks, that I couldn't wait to get you another update and more pictures!

Co-founder Isaac Garcia has been working really hard with volunteers Jared, Stefania and Rita, as well as foundation employees Jose and Luis and two representatives of the La Flor ecological committee, Manuel and Argentina.

In just a short two weeks, tons of weeds have been pulled, paths created, fence installed, walls painted, new flowers and trees planted and the breathtaking view has been revived.

The volunteers generously donated nearly $70 in plants, while we (the Casa Milagro Foundation / Tropical Adventures) donated paint, flowers, palm trees, tools and the fencing material.

We really hope that between the active town members and future volunteers, we can add more paint, flowers and trees, as well as keep the garden maintained really well. Thanks to all who helped!

The El Yaz Elementary School is one of the schools we work with as part of our La Flor project. Because we didn't have enough volunteers this week, Isaac, the Director of our Central Valley projects, went to the 4th grade to teach so we wouldn't miss any classes. While there, he asked them to do an art project explaining to future volunteers why they wanted to learn English.

Click here to see the photo album where you can see adorable pictures of the kids holding up pieces of paper on which they drew pictures and wrote explanations to potential future volunteers the reasons why they really want to learn English.

Answers varied from their wanting to learn English so they could teach their brother's and sister's to their wanting to understand the lyrics of songs. But the most common answer was that they wanted to be able to find a good job when they grew up.

We really find that nearly all the kids we work with are excited about learning and they take their time with us very seriously. As a matter-of-fact, nearly all of the kids continue to attend classes even during their vacations.

Open letter to Rob Meyer, Go Budget Travel.com:

Dear Mr. Meyer:

It was very interesting this morning waking up and reading your article questioning the business ethics of organizations such as ours and to hear you suggest the money our clients pay don’t to our communities. At first I laughed, but the more I thought about it, the more I wanted to respond to you.

I really can’t speak for other organizations. But I can give you my perspective as Executive Director of the non-profit Casa Milagro Foundation in Costa Rica.

We run a so-called voluntourism company, Tropical Adventures, in which we offer volunteer and tour opportunities to those with the desire to help and experience Costa Rica.

We started out by doing a six-month analysis of certain impoverished areas of the country. And we continue to perform analyses each year. This comprises difficult travel and meetings with untold numbers of communities and individuals. It was a beautiful process of “listening” and sharing from a compassionate perspective. We wanted to know what real needs were present and how we could be of assistance if we had some warm bodies in the form of volunteers to help.

The truth is, not all communities are even ready to accept volunteer help. It was a tough job narrowing down to just a handful of projects from our long list of serious needs.

Another thing we found was that tourism in Costa Rica, the number one industry here, had many negative effects on the people in the country. As a natural by-product of many visitors spending time and money in the country, inflation has run rampant. Because wages move at a snail’s pace, Costa Ricans get priced out of homes and can’t afford basics such as food.

Therefore, from the beginning, our objectives have been threefold:

1. Convert would-be tourists from inadvertently exploiting the country to volunteers who could make long-lasting, positive and eco-friendly impacts on the country and people.
   
2. Provide the volunteers with life-changing, positive experiences, so instead of returning home with just vacation photos, they can return having learned much more about the world and about themselves.
   
3. Use the money we are able to generate to keep inside the communities we’re trying to help.

As you mention in your article, some of the extra cost goes towards our providing in-country support personnel, as well as organizing the trip itself. What you left out was the cost of the wide range of other services, some of which include:

• Airport transportation
• Project Training
• Medical Insurance
• Free use of Cell Phone
• Orientation costs
• Assistance with Planning Excursions and Activities
• Free Guided Tours
• 24-hour in-country emergency service

Again, I can’t speak for any other organizations, but as a non-profit heavily invested in the welfare of our communities, we run at a loss (though we expect to be self-sustaining by 2009). We are very proud to say that the money we take in stays in the community.

Your article honestly makes it sound like 10-50% of the volunteer payment goes towards the community, whereas the balance goes into the pockets of these organizations. For us, what money is left over after these expenses are paid goes towards donations we give to keep our projects running, research, employee salaries and basic administrative costs. Besides a few costs such as advertising that is done around the world to attract volunteers, all of the money we receive stays in Costa Rica.

Apart from all of this, you didn’t take into consideration that the majority of individuals, communities and non-profit organizations in Costa Rica who are in most need of help do not speak English. So if a person has an interest in helping those in need here, how will they actually:

1. Identify who actually needs help and what kind of help they need?
2. Communicate with these groups about all the details?
3. Best prepare themselves for the trip and their time here?

Tropical Adventures and other such organizations handle all the details from A to Z.

You also suggested in your article that people take their money and donate it directly to local projects. In a perfect world, that is a great idea. However in Latin America (and elsewhere in the world), sadly, the majority of donated cash ends up in the pockets of individuals who either steal the money outright or have no experience in properly managing those funds. I’ve seen untold numbers of instances when people, organizations and countries donate money directly to communities where said money disappears without a trace. This is neither fair to the donor, nor to the communities.

I do have to agree with you there are many companies in the industry who do nothing but market voluntour programs and match them with other non-profit organizations. It’s a shame to see that money not going directly into the communities where the help is needed.

Therefore, I always suggest individuals considering an international volunteer program to consider the following questions before making their final purchase:

• Does the volunteer organization operate as a non-profit, or are they merely a tour operator?
• Does the organization respond in a timely and friendly way to your requests for information?
• Are they willing to let you speak with past volunteers to get an idea of what their experiences have been like?
• What kind of services does the organization have in place in case of an emergency?
• Is the organization from the country they are supporting?
• What is their refund policy?
• Will they customize your volunteer experience so you can get the most out of your time there?
• Does the organization accommodate any special needs you have (physically or dietary-related)?
• Are they set up to support family or teen volunteering?
• Are the employees hired from the communities in which they serve, or do they bring people in from other countries?
• Do the employees of the organization also participate in the volunteer work?
• Are you supported once you arrive, or are you just "dropped off" to fend for yourself?

I just thought you and your readers deserved a different perspective.

Sincerely yours,

Scott Pralinsky
Executive Director
Casa Milagro Foundation

Maria,

Here is the new version of the file...

Thanks!

Download Final_Info_packet.pdf

Manuel Antonio is one of my favorite spots in Costa Rica. I love how the jungle comes right down to the ocean.The Manuel Antonio National Park is the 2nd most visited park in Costa Rica after Monteverde. But even though it's a popular tourist destination, it's managed to keep much of its charm.

If you were to only visit one place in Costa Rica, Manuel Antonio should be it. You really have the ability to see and experience a little of everything in this one area. Besides it's natural beauty, you can take advantage of many different types of tours, such as kayaking, scuba diving, hiking, swimming, ATV, river rafting, canopy / zip-line, horseback riding, rappelling, fishing and so much more.

If you'd like to see Manuel Antonio, please consider letting us help you book your vacation. 100% of all commissions go directly to our non-profit Casa Milagro Foundation. Just contact us for more info.

The weather has been beautiful lately and we currently have 4 volunteers working in La Flor. In addition to teaching English at the schools and to adults at night, all of them have been pitching in to help bring our garden back to life.

This community garden has been crying for attention for a long time. Now we finally have some people to give it the love it needs. We've been out there every day for the last week cleaning it up. This coming week we'll paint the wall and plant new flowers.

It's hard to believe that such a small space can take this much work! If you have great landscaping and gardening skills, we have no lack of projects to satisfy your needs. As Bob Barker would say, "Come on down!"

The Hone Creek Elementary School was our first project location way back when. So we have a soft spot in our hearts for this place. When they told us they needed a new roof (among many more urgent needs), we got to work on raising some awareness and money to help them out.

Then Helping Hands Costa Rica came to our rescue. This is a new group that has started up with great momentum and is lead by no other than the magnificent, bright and energetic Evangeline Mathura. Helping Hands announced recently that they will commit to raising enough funds (approximately $4,000) to replace the roof at the Hone Creek School.

Many thanks goes out to Evangeline and all the wonderful people who are part of this group. If anyone would like more information about other needs that the school and communities we work with have, please don't hesitate to contact me. I'd love to speak with you about it.

Every Wednesday, all the volunteers in the Puerto Viejo area gather at 9:30am for our weekly beach cleaning. It's one of my favorite activities, not only because it helps the environment and maintains clean & safe areas, but also because it brings all our volunteers together.

We only work for a couple of hours, because it really is hard work. And now that we've been at it for a few months, people from town are noticing -- and joining us! I really love to see that. Though, I have to admit, I think the reason they join us is to be closer to the pretty girls. Hey! Whatever works.

We usually start in one area and work our way down the beach and paths that follow the ocean. It's nice to be out in the sun and having fun at the same time. Each week we try to hit a different area. I'm thinking we'll put up some signs similar to the adopt-a-highway signs they have in the US, letting people know that the area is being cared for by our group. We'll also include info on the sign as to how locals can help (when / where).

It's amazing the kind of crap we find out there: shoes, clothes, millions of straws, plastic bags, bottles, potato chip bags, broken glass, and lots of smelly stuff.

We are separating everything into their appropriate recyclable categories and bringing them to the ATEC office in the middle of town where they have a recycling center. On average we collect about 20 large garbage bags each week. It's really hard to keep up with the trash!

It's a bit dangerous at times. Besides the fire ants, broken glass and smelly stuff, we also have to watch out for the poisonous caterpillars. They are colorful, but if they bite you, you'll get tingly and then lose feeling in your body. It's happened more than once, and we've had to rush the person to the clinic. Thankfully, it's not dangerous if treated.

Anyone who wants to help is welcome. Or, if you can't make it, feel free to donate money to buy the volunteers and local folks who help out some water or snacks. It sure makes it more tolerable picking through all this trash when there is something nice waiting for us at the other end!

We recently had a family here volunteering with us: Jamie and her 2 children, Maya and Gabe. Volunteering as a family is a wonderful experience. And the children in Costa Rica love to meet kids from around the world.

While the Malik's were here, Gabe discovered a tiny, baby animal in the driveway of our volunteer center. None of us really had any idea what it was. The poor thing looked like it had fallen out of the trees and was in pretty bad shape. Maya was very concerned about this and decided to stay behind to care for the animal. We were all pretty convinced this fuzzy little thing was a baby kinkajou.

Maya kept watch and even fed the animal some milk. It finally started coming to life and then began playing with Maya. It was really cute! The next day I took our new buddy to the Sloth Rescue Center, Aviarios del Caribe. Everyone got all excited, started taking pictures and looking up info in books.

In the end, it ended up being a opossum. Who would have thought? They told me that opossums make great pets. Maybe so. But I decided to leave our new friend in their capable hands. You never know what you're going to run into here!

Many thanks to the Mailk family, especially Maya and Gabe for finding and caring for the opossum!

I just got a copy of this video from my friend, Colin, of Banana Azul Guesthouse. It's not a very professional video, but it does show some shots at the beginning of one of the hostels we use when our own hostel is full. It also shows a short interview with a Bribri shaman and a traditional indigenous home.