ROCAVERDE FOUNDATION FOR THE ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH (Environment Urban and Communal Project)
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About the project
ROCAVERDE FOUNDATION FOR THE ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH (Environment Urban and Communal Project)
📝 Detailed information
🏢 About the local organisation
ACI Costa Rica is a non-profit organization founded in 1967, whose main goal is to promote programs of intercultural learning and international volunteer service (IVS) for people from all around of the world, facilitating their experience in social and ecological projects, developing global citizens. ACI wants to contribute to solidarity and friendship between the different societies of our globalized world, to sustainable human development, and personal growth of our participants. Our organization is an active full member of the International Cultural Youth Exchange (ICYE), a federation of more than 40 intercultural and IVS organizations located in the five continents. ICYE Headquarters are placed in Berlin, Germany. The federation of ICYE has been recognized as International Peace Messenger by the United Nations. ACI Costa Rica has developed partnerships with other networks and programs such as: The Committee of Coordination of International Voluntary Service (CCIVS), associate to UNESCO, The Alliance of European Organizations (ALLIANCE), Volunteering Matters from United Kingdom (VM), VolontEUROPE, Weltwärs from the German government, and ERASMUS + from the European Union. The experiences we promote are mainly focused on incoming and outgoing programs, involving long and short-term periods, for groups and individuals. These programs are managed in cooperation with our local Costa Rican networks, partner organizations and communities such as: The Federation of Social Organizations (FOS) and YO ME UNO from the private initiate, and others.
ACI’s objectives:
- Promote brotherhood and solidarity between humans
- Work towards a sustainable human development
- Encourage substantial changes and harmonize the relationship between humanity and nature
The Don Bosco Oratory of Sor María Romero is a non-profit foundation that works with children from different marginal urban areas of the central area of San José, in order to support them in the areas of educational, recreational and spiritual formation.
They have an academic program endorsed by the Ministry of Public Education (MEP), which is focused on minors between the ages of 9 and 15, completing their sixth year of primary school.
"They are given uniforms, food, tickets, and they are also helped by providing workshops for comprehensive training such as computing and singing," explained Gabriela Calderón, executive director.
There are more than 100 students who have obtained their degree within this institution. According to Calderón, at the secondary level, they are all located in different centers such as: The City of Children, the House of the Virgin, Don Bosco Headquarters, San José School, Luis Dobles Segreda School, among others.
They also have the support of the Social Protection Board (JPS), the Institute of Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (IAFA), and the National Children's Trust (PANI).
They even serve parents of children's families. About 50% of the beneficiary children are from the La Carpio community.
💼 What the programme involves
Rocaverde Foundation for the Environmental Research is a small non-profit based in Costa Rica, whose main goal is to fight global warming and pollution by aiding other small projects in the country. We also aim to teach locals specially about global warming, carbon footprint and loss of biodiversity, so we might give a better planet to our youngers.
Our foundation has always been a bridge to connect projects with sponsors, specifically for environmentally related activities. We are constantly looking for crowdfund projects to help our partners, to show them that change is possible with help from others like us. As part of this effort, we’ve successfully entered the German and Swiss crowdfunding markets, and those funding our work in the aforementioned countries can apply their donations as tax deductible.
Unfortunately, during times of pandemic, most of the work done during the last years was halted abruptly. At this point we are looking to restart projects and connect once again with new or already known organizations around the world.
Most of our work is looking for partners, research institutions and organizations willing to work with similars in the Americas. We support volunteering, research and environmental projects as part of our duties.
Our most important goal is to build a network and database of partners, donors and associates willing to fund the environmental cause. Also by reaching people with low knowledge on pollution, global warming and biodiversity loss, and teaching them how to do things right, we are making our local contribution to the same cause.
Another important goal of ours is looking forward for young people to get involved on environmental conservation. Most people simply opt to ignore what’s happening around them as they prefer to do things to satisfy their short term needs. We believe young people can change the world and have the power to change the way the elderly think. Humans need to heal the planet as fast as possible and Rocaverde is here to help doing so.
Mission
Teach humanity to live in an environmentally friendly way
Vision
Become the most recognized, innovative, experienced and credible Foundation for environmental research and eco-friendly technologies development.
Volunteers will be working in
· Making contact with partners and donors around the world, mostly in the European Union.
· Looking for openings to participate in environmental projects and filling the required documentation within timeframe.
· Development of the concept “Friends of Rocaverde” on social media, which will be measured with results.
· Managing the social media and website of the foundation.
· The volunteer has to like (and be good) taking pictures and posting regularly on social media on topics related to environment.
· Support the ongoing projects of the foundation by paying regular visits to them, and actively collaborating and teaching with the example (for instance helping in a plant nursery or showing how to sow plants at a farm).
· Actively looking for projects that can be copied from other latitudes and that can possibly succeed in local conditions.
· Keep in close contact and follow up on Rocaverde Foundation’s partners.
🍲 Food
The volunteers must be willing to eat typical food everyday (rice, beans, vegetables), they will receive three meals a day.
Here are several typical dishes from Costa Rica:
- Gallo pinto or just pinto: breakfast dish made of rice and beans, spicy ingredients with Salsa Lizano (mix of onion, cauliflower, carrot, cumcumber, salt, sugar and spices)
- Casado: the most traditional dish of the country, it can be a mix of rice, beans, salad, tortillas, fried platano maduro and meat (beef, pork, chicken or fish) often served with fresh fruit juice
- Tamale: often served for breakfast, ingredients wrapped in banana leaves, it can be sweet or savoury (meat, vegetables, chocolate, fruits, etc.)
- arroz con leche: rice pudding, but with sugar, salt, lemon zest and cinnamon sticks
📍 About the location
Costa Rica
⚠️ Requirements
Requirements for volunteers
· Has to be an organized, structured person.
· Open minded, willing to learn new things everyday.
· Must like to work once in a while on outside environments like farms or public parks.
· Leadership Skills. Good attitude under adverse conditions is desired, with no fear of taking control of a situation and lead.
· Interest in environmental, pollution and biodiversity related problems.
· Very good written skills.
· Computer literate, being able to get the best output from common day-to-day technology.
· Analytical skills on information. Critical thinker and with good judgement.
· The volunteer should enjoy talking to people of different cultures and levels of education.
· Proactivity is a must. Must have the ability to influence others about a credible cause.
· Must be willing to work independently and/or remotely at times.
· Open to flexibility of schedules and tasks, in person and during remote work.
· Honest, responsible, punctual, positive person.
· Must like animals and insects, desirable.
ℹ️ Additional information
Work schedule
The schedule is flexible, considering there will be days when work will be performed on different timezones. Liking people is the key for volunteering with our foundation. Tasks vary from indoor work to once-in-a-while field trips. We try to use one day of the week for outdoor and field tasks, but if we get more than that we’re happy to take it.
Other days the work will be meeting a farmer, a congressman or a politician, or just new people in activities organized by the foundation, like a fruit harvesting day in a farm. Traveling every once in a while is very likely. Working remotely or away from the office is normal. A visit to a farm, a park or campus is constant, so enjoying the fresh air and/or petting cows is desirable.
Regarding times, 80% of the work will be done 5 days a week, 6 hours a day, weekends off. A normal office day could be filling forms, a meeting, following up on a potential sponsor, then coffee break, and after that some research or reading, information analysis, updating our website, taking pictures and posting on social networks, and so on.
Exposure to people is a great way to increase the volunteer’s communication skills in different languages, and it’s rewarding when the goal is making lots of friends.
The total cost of your volunteer program with our partner will be:
The cost of your volunteer project (400$ for 4 weeks) + the administrative fee (265$ for 4 weeks) + 35$ for the pickup from the airport + orientation day (29$ for 2 nights in a hotel and 40$ for the food).
The Spanish class is optional, classes will be given online and individual, price: 10$ per hour
The total fee of the project will be calculated with the coordinator of SVI.
Interested in this project? Create your account and apply online.
Sign in to apply📅 Available sessions
ROCAVERDE FOUNDATION FOR THE ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH
01/01/2021 → 31/12/2023
ROCAVERDE FOUNDATION FOR THE ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCHAUTO-EXT
01/01/2024 → 30/12/2026
ℹ️ Key information
Age required
18–99 years old
Solidarity donation
300.00 USD ≈ 269 EUR
French tax residents may be eligible for a tax reduction of up to 66% of their costs (membership, plane tickets, solidarity donation).
📍 Location
Costa Rica
Costa Rica
🌍 Location info
Local currency
Costa Rica Colon (CRC / ₡)
Exchange rate
1 CRC = 0.001986 EUR
Rate as of 31/05/2026
🛡️ Before you leave
✅ Features
🏠 Accommodation
🗣️ Languages spoken