An Important Community Initiative
The Esperanza CEN Committee with staff from the CR Ministry of Health
Guanacaste has become a region well-known for its tourist destinations, with upscale hotels and restaurants catering to visitors from around the world. Even though our province is associated with beautiful beaches and vacation getaways, it also struggles with some of the highest rates of poverty and unemployment in Costa Rica. It’s a harsh reality that the most vulnerable members of the population often struggle to meet their basic needs.
Our local area is no exception to this problem, so almost four years ago, we met with the Director of the CEN program in San Jose to explore bringing a CEN-CINAI center to our neighboring community of Esperanza. The CEN program provides free daily or monthly food to supplement the nutrition of children and pregnant or nursing women, and offers daycare and early education. Together with Steve Mack of Guanacaste Community Fund, we presented the Esperanza community as a case where CEN was needed to provide valuable assistance and support.
Once a survey of the area was completed and it was established that the community’s need justified a center, our community engagement manager Kuki Araya began working with the regional CEN office of Nicoya to navigate the development process. We promoted the creation of a CEN committee of community members, and worked with them to find a suitable building that could house the program. Last month we reached an agreement in which the government will fund the program, the Harmony Hotel will provide 2 years of rent on the building, the Guanacaste Community Fund will help with necessary equipment, and the local CEN committee will raise funds to make important improvements to the facility.
The effects of this program are important and far reaching. When the program gets underway at the new center, it will provide:
- Free nutritious meals to 36 kids every day, 14 of which are under 2 years old
- Healthy meals and healthy lifestyle education to 10 pregnant and nursing women
- Free daycare service for 35 children
For the kids, this will be a place to play and learn healthy life long habits, like properly brushing their teeth and washing their hands. For the parents, it offers more time and opportunities to work and study, knowing their children are safe and well cared for while they go about other duties in their day.
We’re very proud that our partnership with the CR Ministry of Health, the Esperanza Development Association and The Guanacaste Community Fund is bringing the CEN-CINAI Daycare program to the Esperanza Community. Find out more about the national program in this video (with english subtitles).
Update: As of September this year, the local CEN committee is in the process of raising almost $9500 for building repairs and improvements for the Esperanza facility. If you would like to support this effort, please get in touch with Kuki at sustainability@harmonyprojects.com.
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