Building a school with Visioneers in Costa Rica

Last year David completed his Bachelors degree in Industrial engineering. He became aware of Visioneers through an online advertisement. He worked for one month on a project building the sanitation facilities for a school in Limon2000. Below is his report:

Before I came to Limon, I had 4 weeks of Spanish lessons in Jacó. It was a very exciting time and was crucial for the project as I spoke not a word of Spanish. Now I can make myself halfway understood. On my arrival in Limon I received a warm welcome and on my first day already met a few parishioners in the church.

The next day we went straight to the building site. In coordination with the local workforce and the Pastor we made a few changes to the building plans for the bathrooms. Indeed communication was difficult at times but everything went fine with gestures and handsigns. And when needed a hand drawn sketch or the good old dictionary came in useful.

After a few days in Jacó I travelled with the Pastor to San José to meet a group of volunteers: Conny, Jenny, Willi and Joana. We then travelled onward together by bus to Limon.

In the evening we received a warm welcome from the parishioners. The following day we went directly to the building site. Conny and Jenny worked with me on the site whilst in the afternoon Willi and Joana gave english lessons for Limon2000 locals. Everyone gave their best and we made rapid progress on the building site. The work was really exhausting in part due to the heat but we didn’t let that hold us back!

At lunch time we were provided with tasty meals by some women from the parish. And after the days work we sometimes went to the beach to cool down. Willi and Joana had a lot of preparation for the english lesson but it was worth it! The lesson was received very positively by the parish and after a couple of hours the pair could respond really well to their diverse students. Both of them did a really excellent job!

A few days later we got reinforcements with the arrival of Volker. We had a lot to do but we now had another pair of hands. Bit by bit we laid the first foundations. New supplies of concrete were mixed over and over, then transported by wheelbarrow through the shell of the school to the future bathrooms.

Even Willi and Joana helped out now and then on the building site. After 9 days, between the local workforce and volunteers, we had laid a major proportion of the foundations. We were really proud of that. Some of the volunteers departed at this point and those remaining behind were Joana, Willi and I. Eventually the english lessons also came to an end as Willi and Joana left Limon. All students learned a lot and the children especially enjoyed the lessons.

The last week in March I was alone on the building site preparing the last stage of the foundations. The work was complicated by heavy rains at night however progress was made step by step.

At the end I left with best wishes and gratitude for my involvement. I learned something and leave the project with a lot of amazing experiences. I will remain for another while in Costa Rica and continue to support the project from afar. Should it be necessary I can go back and help out again.

Finally I want to thank all the volunteers and people in Limon, who helped out on the building site, as well as Pastor Julio and his wife with whom I lived and who took care of me. Also thanks to Pastor Carlos who helped out on the building site, drove us around the local area and many thanks to Natascha, founder of Visioneers, who also supported us and for giving me the opportunity to get involved and support this project and people. Thank you all!