Volunteer Abroad in Costa Rica, international experience in teaching, care, conservation and Spanish-language placements

Volunteer Abroad on a Care Project in Costa Rica

Volunteering abroad on a Care Project in Costa Rica will be a challenge, but ultimately rewarding as you make a positive impact while getting to know this beautiful country. You do not require any qualifications to do international volunteer work and you do not need to have had previous experience. If you have energy, enthusiasm, and compassion then it does not matter whether you are 17 or 76. Gap year students, career breakers, or retired volunteers are all welcome.

Costa Rica is a relatively prosperous Central American country with a developing tourist industry and a reasonably good standard of living - there is a huge potential for economic growth. However, there is always a need for extra assistance at many of the kindergartens, care centers, and special needs centers.

Our Care projects are based in and around the city of Liberia, in the northwest of Costa Rica, and in the smaller towns of La Cruz and Santa Cruz, located one to two hours drive from Liberia. The placements are spread throughout the towns and are normally within walking distance or a short bus ride of your host family.

Volunteering at a Kindergarten or Care Center in Costa Rica

The majority of our Care placements are in kindergartens and day care centers for disadvantaged children, with ages ranging from just a few months to thirteen years old. The placements often under-staffed, so there is a great deal you can do to contribute to the much needed care and support of the children on your Care placement.

You will help with day-to-day practical tasks, such as ensuring that the young children have been washed and fed, as well as developing important life skills by assisting with basic education, including teaching numbers and the alphabet. You might help with reading, writing, and arithmetic as well.

Songs, games, and sports are also popular activities to help with. The children will welcome any new ideas that you may have, such as drama activities, putting on a concert, or arranging a sports day. Enthusiasm and a willingness to throw yourself into your work, and of course a love of working with children, are vital!

With older children, you can make a real impact just by offering your friendship. This is also the perfect opportunity to put any skills you have to good use. Suggestions for various games and activities will always be well received. From finger painting to soccer, the time you dedicate will help to add fun and enjoyment to their lives. Anyone with skills in art or music could put these to use by suggesting activities to the local staff, who will be glad to make room for your ideas. The options available are limited only by your imagination!

The working day usually runs from about 7 or 8am to early in the afternoon, but your specific schedule will be decided with your supervisor when you arrive.

Volunteer ProfileHaley Haas

The children there were all lovely and lively and even if you don’t speak Spanish, like myself, you always felt needed and that you were making a difference either by teaching them new things or just by seeing how happy they were, which is probably what made it the most rewarding part of my experience. Read more...

Special Needs and Elderly Volunteer Work in Costa Rica

We also work with disabled and special-needs children and teenagers in a special education center. You will be working alongside local staff in the center, caring for babies, children, and young adults with conditions such as Down syndrome. By giving much-needed support to the staff and care and attention to the children, our volunteers really help to make a positive contribution. You will need lots of dedication and patience on this placement, but you will be sure to find it an immensely rewarding experience.

Volunteers can also choose to work in a home for the elderly. Volunteers can work here full time or visit the home for a couple of hours in the afternoons after working at one of the day care centers in the mornings. The residents are aged between 80 and 102! They greatly appreciate receiving visits from our volunteers and enjoy activities like reading, card games, arts and crafts, and light physical exercise. Volunteers can also help arrange special events like dances or school visits.

Most of the care centers and kindergartens in Costa Rica have a vacation from mid-December to mid-January or mid-February, with a shorter break in July. Volunteers are able to travel or enjoy the festivities with their host family over the Christmas period, then from the first week of January we organize a variety of special community programs. These may include painting a care center, sports coaching, or working with a smaller number of children at the care centers that remain open during the holiday period.

All volunteers on Teaching, Care, Sports, Journalism or Spanish placements in Costa Rica have the opportunity to add a 7-Day Conservation Project to the end of their main placement. For more information visit our 7-Day Costa Rica Conservation Project page.

Need more information?

Apply Now