Your Impact

All of our programs have short, mid and long-term objectives that fit with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals or UN SDGs. This enables us to report on our collaborative impact across the world in a streamlined manner, measuring which UN SDGs we are making a substantial contribution to. Furthermore, this will help our local partners and communities measure and visualise their contribution to the UN SDGs.

Prior to your arrival on base, you will be educated about the history of the UN SDGs. Then, once on base you’ll learn about the specific goals of your location, the long-, mid- and short-term objectives, and also clarification of how your personal, shorter-term involvement contributes to these goals on a global level.

Our aim is to educate you on local and global issues, so that you continue to act as active global citizens after your program, helping to fulfil our mission of building a global network of people united by their passion to make a difference.

Costa Rica was the first country in the world to make primary education both free and obligatory in 1869, funding the education program through the state’s share of the great coffee wealth. In those days only one in ten Costa Ricans could read and write. By 1920, 50% of the population was literate. In 1948, the country abolished its national army and shifted the portion of its national budget allocated to armed forces to the education system. By the 1970s 89% were able to read and write. Costa Rica now boasts a literacy rate of 93% for those ten years or older. In addition, in 1994, a policy to place a computer in each of the nation’s 4,000 schools, plus obligatory English classes, was implemented.

Despite this, education is not readily available to everyone. Elementary and high schools can be found in every community, but many cannot afford the required uniforms, and rural schools often lack books for students. Children often spend as little as three hours in school as the class schedule is divided into two sessions in order to accommodate the number of students.

Cimarrones, home to our volunteer community project, is a central valley town in the mountainous central region of Costa Rica which is home to multiple volcanos, botanical gardens and some of the oldest coffee farms in the country.

GVI has been working in local communities in Costa Rica since 2011 and aims to support those communities in developing themselves and particularly in developing the younger members of the community. GVI works in Cimarrones to support community and economic development, as well as education focused initiatives. Our current partners include the Liceo Rural Nairi Awari High School, Escuela Las Brisas de Pacuarito and a local women’s entrepreneur group.

As such, the main UN Sustainable Development Goals of this project include, #4, Quality Education, and #5, Gender Equality.

Project Objectives