Team Members will be based in La Alegria, near the town of Guacimo, a bustling agricultural town. The area principally survives on farming, especially bananas, cocao, corn, coconut, plantain, rice, cassava, soursop, macadamia, nuts passion fruit and ginger. The town has a few amenities such as internet, a bar and a mini-market. Team Members will be traveling on 25 % of days but by doing so will see many in-country projects and the highlights of the nation. TMs will be staying in local style guesthouses when on the road and during the projects TMs will stay in local accommodation and work on behalf of local community leaders to help on community education projects as led by and requested by the local community. TMs will also visit the Whole Trade suppliers, Arenal Volcano and National Park and enjoy the wildlife and natural areas that Costa Rica is so famous for.

Living conditions are basic. Team Members will be staying in local guesthouses while on the road, 2 to 4 a room sharing, sometimes more, and in local accommodation close to the community they are working in. Team Members will be staying in local style accommodation, shared rooms, with running water and cold water showers, and limited access to electricity. Team Members will help out around the accommodations on a rotational basis, assisting with the cooking and cleaning as needed. Meals will be supplied by a local cook with assistance from the TMs, and the food is typical of the area, with plenty of vegetables and fruits, and of course rice and beans. Vegetarians are well catered for. Please feel free to bring some of your more treasured treats for when you are tired!p>

No formal skills are required as each Team Member will be supported by the GVI Program Manager, GVI staff, local community members and National Park Rangers. Full training through presentations, interactive activities and handouts will be given, covering in-country information, health and safety, project aims and objectives, 20 hours of group Spanish Language lessons, an Intro to TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages), education in Costa Rica, sustainable development and micro-financing, turtle species identification, life history and population dynamics.

Team Members will need to be enthusiastic, presentable, happy to work hard, long hours in hot and humid conditions, to live and work in basic conditions, and to be flexible. The needs of the project, the area of the work, weather conditions and the logistics behind the work mean changes to the plan will occur at some point and Team Members must be aware of this and willing to be flexible. Team Members must be physically fit as they will need to work 8 to 10 hours a day in physical conditions, although options for less active individuals do exist.

20 hours of group Spanish classes (based on skill level) are included and are highly recommended for those with no previous Spanish experience or those who want to brush up on their Spanish language! The language lessons will be spread out throughout your time in Costa Rica. Although Spanish language is not essential (GVI Staff Members will act as your interpreters if needed), the experience of Costa Rica and interaction with the communities is greatly enhanced by the level of Spanish they can attain. Pre-departure study from the training pack that will be emailed in advance is highly recommended. For those keen, we can arrange additional hours of practice and informal lessons.

Team Members will arrive on a Saturday in San Jose and are picked up from the airport and taken to their hotel. There they will meet the GVI team, introduce each other and then have a welcome meal and stay the night. The following day the team will have travel to EARTH University and have a welcome meeting and orientation. Team Members will visit the banana plantation, the paper recycling plant and the integrated farm. EARTH University are a Whole Trade supplier and TMs will learn about the product, where it comes from, who produces it and how it is produced. On the Monday Team Members will rise early be ready to see the WPF in action. We will meet the Grameen Trust Country Director, learn about micro-financing and the impacts of the WPF in country, and meet attend a borrowers meeting. On Tuesday the team will receive an orientation for their project work and will visit the school to see where they will be working and why their work is important. In the afternoon TMs will start their Spanish lessons, in groups according to skill levels. On the Wednesday through until Friday the work begins in earnest.

Days start early with a group breakfast and briefing and then traveling to the project site, arriving to start work at about 8 am. The project sites will change according to local needs and the success of previous groups. Team Members will work in groups upon specific projects until they are finished. Team Members will work with local community members and local teachers as required. Tasks will include English Language re-enforcement, one on one lessons, and adult education programs. Work breaks at midday for lunch and a rest. After lunch, work starts again before returning to the base for 2 hours of Spanish lessons.

On Saturday the team will visit the western side of the country and see New Chapter’s Costa Rican farm, to see who makes the produce and where it comes from, and learn about medicinal plants, the rainforest, bio-dynamics and have a workshop on composting. TMs will also have the chance to night-time displays of the nearby Arenal volcano, and enjoy the hot springs. During the second week the program of education continues, with Spanish lessons as well on the Monday afternoon. The third weekend will be spent visiting the nearby Tortuguerro National Park and exploring the forest, waterways, and beaches. Team Members may see some spectacular animals and in the evening will have the opportunity to join a research group or National Park Rangers to search for nesting turtles. The last weekend will be free for people to do as they choose, rafting and beaches are popular. On the last Thursday we have a celebration with the community and a chance to say thank you. On the Friday we head back to San Jose for a final night’s celebration and a chance to say goodbye to one another. On Saturday Team Members are dropped off at the airport.

A substantial part of the fee goes towards the day-to-day running costs of the projects throughout the year including professional long term staff, transportation, food and accommodation, equipment, a group donation of USD$150 towards Whole Planet Foundation to support sustainable development and the sustainability of the project, enough to fund a loan to a local family, donations to fund the refurbishment work at the school and a donation of at least USD$10 to the National Park per person. Each Team Member also receives USD$10 credit for internet and / or international phone calls. In addition, there is a USD$10 per person towards a carbon neutral fund, which will be used either to purchase and plant 50 tress or be spent in alternative carbon reduction initiatives.

Volunteers on this project will work on one or more of the following initiatives.
Education Development

IT Instructors

Teacher's Aids

English reinforcement

English Syllabus construction and development

Education re-enforcement

Community Education

Micro-enterprise support

Micro-financing

English language lessons

Vocational training to adults

Community workshops

5 to 12 plus GVI Project Staff