For a variety of reasons many do not attend school or drop out early on in their education. These are the youngsters who are most at risk of ending up on the streets and involved in prostitution, drugs and crime.

Educación Plus works to prevent children and young people from the shanty towns from “dropping out” onto the streets. Encouraging them to stay in school not only helps academically. They also learn how to relate to others, and gain self-esteem, self-discipline and a sense of identity.

Uniforms and equipment
Education is an important key to breaking into the poverty cycle. It is officially free in Costa Rica. However, the cost of school uniforms and equipment can prove impossible for families who can hardly even afford to eat. Then it often becomes one of the first casualties of the very poverty it sets out to alleviate.

In February, at the beginning of the school year, we supply school uniform and equipment to nearly 400 unsponsored children. The extent to which we can help them depends on the funds available.