BuildLouder Trip to Costa Rica Starts January 15!

To prepare for our first ever BuildLouder trip at Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity and our inaugural trip to one of our tithing countries, I have been studying the history and culture of Costa Rica. I’ve previously traveled to Honduras and Guatemala on similar trips, and I was expecting to have a similar experience in Costa Rica. After a quick reconnaissance trip in November to visit the area that our team will travel to in just a few short days, I was surprised to experience a vastly different landscape than I anticipated both physically and politically.

Costa Rica is a democracy with a growing economy, a very clean countryside and an enormous tourism industry. When I arrived I was surprised to find that people on the street looked just like me and the only notable difference was the language that they spoke (much more fluently than me!). Upon first arriving, I observed a laid-back style of people who didn’t seem to have a worry. Though refreshing, I was initially concerned that the kind of advocacy trip I was looking to lead might be difficult, so I had to investigate further.

After meeting with the Habitat for Humanity Costa Rica affiliate and the country coordinators, I learned about a much different view. Though perhaps less obvious to the casual observers, there is a situation of severe poverty in Costa Rica. There are hundreds of thousands of people affected by a cost barrier to affordable land as well as a lack of Land Tenure. I visited informal settlements and slums that could easily compare to some of the worst in the world. Just beyond the cover of the beautiful rainforest and the carefully crafted tourist resorts, there are families of poor immigrants fleeing neighboring countries because of political turmoil in make-shift shacks, clinging to slippery hillsides that are vulnerable to mudslides and volcanic eruptions.

In the coming days, a group of 12 volunteers, staff, advocates and elected officials will visit the slums and hear about what the conditions are like from the people that are living there and learn about what is needed to provide dignified shelters for families in need. We will also visit with non-government organizations and government offices about Costa Rica’s social housing issues. We will learn what we can do as dedicated volunteers and advocates to make a tangible difference in the lives of the world’s poor, and we’ll work towards our goal of ending poverty housing.

Follow us over the next two weeks as we experience and learn together about the situation in Costa Rica, spend time building with a local family and meet with officials.

Trista Matascastillo, Community Relations Senior Associate