Start Your Journey
Costa Rica Volunteering Programmes
Help build a stronger community by dedicating your time and knowledge to interacting with impoverished people in Costa Rica.
Sign up to become a volunteer to help improve the quality of life of those in need.
You can educate the children, provide emotional support, or just organise various activities and creative workshops in Costa Rica.
Fill the Assessment Form to see if you qualify here.
Conserve Sea Turtles
Help in protecting and conserving sea turtles of Costa Rica. Along with saving these critically endangered animals, this will increase alternative livelihoods for coastal communities to address the need for poaching and hunting turtles and to achieve a long-lasting, sustainable sea turtle management.
Location: The project is located in the north of the Caribbean province of Limón, 1km north of the Pacuare River Mouth.
Basic accommodation and food available.
The project is located in a quiet, remote area, bordered by the sea on the front and a canal on the back; therefore, it is only accessible by boat. The accommodation is basic and simple. Electricity is only available from solar panels and has to be used rationally. You will have to wash your clothes by hand. Pillows, blankets, and bedsheets will be provided.
What can you do:
- Night Patrols: An average night patrol will take 4 hours, but can last longer in case of sea turtle encounters. Once a turtle is encountered on a night patrol, the volunteers work directly with it, taking carapace and nest dimension measurements, collecting eggs, and collecting data. The number of eggs, nest location, and turtle identification information (tag number) are then recorded by the hatchery attendant for further data analysis, for example, determining hatchling survival rate.
- Hatchery Work: The main tasks in the hatchery will be relocating nests (as described above and after having had thorough training), monitoring nests, keeping predators out (ants, crabs, and dogs), taking temperatures and measurements, and releasing hatchlings.
Please remember:
- Safety and sea turtles always come first!
- We address threats like illegal poaching, hunting, or environmental damage.
- The majority of the work is at night, either working between the hours of 7:00 PM and 4:00 AM on night patrols walking an average of 14 km in the dark on soft, wet sand, or working in the hatchery monitoring it.
- There may be times when volunteers will be asked to work both during the day and night, and more than 30 hours/week, but also times when volunteers don’t have a lot to do and have to spend their time on their own.
- Night patrols will STILL take place during the rain.
- There will be some nights when few or no turtles are nesting. Patrols will still take place. We cannot be sure when or if turtles will nest.
You will be provided with practical training in data collection on the beach and in the hatchery (how to take measurements, tagging, tissue sampling, weighing, relocating, etc.)
Requirements:
You must be in good physical condition (on night patrol, you will walk on average 14 km in the dark on soft, wet sand), able to work hard, and live in basic conditions. We recommend having basic knowledge of Spanish.
Hands-on Volunteer
On this kind of programme, you will be working on day-to-day tasks, depending on where the help is needed. Such tasks may include interacting with kids, helping out at a second-hand store, or teaching math or language classes.
If you want to develop new skills, as well as explore a different culture, this programme might be suitable for you.
The duration of the programme depends on how long you can stay, but you will need to dedicate a minimum of one hour a week to volunteering. You can plan all the leisurely activities and explore Costa Rica in your spare time.
Teaching Volunteer
On this programme, you will be doing tutoring, teaching sports, or organising workshops for students. The classes are one hour long, but the workshops can range from an hour to two hours in length.
If you are teaching an academic class, you must follow the Ministry of Education guidelines. Depending on the groups you are working with, you can choose the teaching methods and the speed at which you think is suitable for the students to learn the material efficiently.
At the end of each quarter of studies, there is an educational or sports-related field trip organised for you to bond better with the students and reflect on what they have gained from the studies. The amount of volunteering hours will depend on the time and schedules. The schedules are reorganised every 4 months.
Community Help
If you are a student who needs to complete your community service hours, this programme is for you. Depending on where the help is required, you will be doing a variety of tasks. This programme is normally finished after completing 150 hours of volunteering.
Fill the Assessment Form to see if you qualify here.