Category: Costa Rica

Maria, 22, is a former sponsored member who now works as a social worker for Unbound while pursuing a nursing degree.
Costa Rica, Education, Sponsor a child, Unbound
Feb 1 2017

Nursing a dream

Costa Rican youth works hard to get ahead

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Maria, 22, is a former sponsored member who now works as a social worker for Unbound while pursuing a nursing degree.

Maria, 22, is a former sponsored member who now works as a social worker for Unbound while pursuing a nursing degree.

Children learn many things from their parents. Maria, 22, from Costa Rica, is going to school to become a nurse, has a job as a social worker with Unbound and is a former sponsored member and scholarship recipient through Unbound. She credits her parents, Francisco and Maria, with teaching her and her eight siblings many important lessons. One of the many values she and her brothers and sisters have learned from their parents’ example is the importance of hard work.

“We have always worked, since we were children,” Maria said. “Our parents instilled [work ethic] in us and taught us to recognize the value of things. By working, we learned to fight for what we wanted. In spite of the fact that we had to work, we had a very beautiful childhood.”

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Making Christmas cards.
Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Madagascar, Nicaragua, Sponsor a child, Unbound
Dec 21 2015

Cards full of love

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Every year, sponsored friends of all ages gather to make Christmas cards to send their love and holiday wishes to their sponsors. Check out these photos to get a glimpse at the work that goes into making the Christmas cards.

A sponsored girl in Costa Rica looks at the card she made.
Sponsored elders make Christmas cards in Costa Rica.
Sponsored children make Christmas cards in Madagascar.
Christmas cards drawn by sponsored children in Madagascar.
Sponsored elders make Christmas cards in Ecuador.
Sponsored children make Christmas cards in Nicaragua.
Sponsored elders make Christmas cards in Ecuador.
Sponsored children make Christmas cards in Guatemala.
Sponsored children make Christmas cards in Honduras.
Sponsored children make Christmas cards in Madagascar.
Sponsored children make Christmas cards in Honduras.
Sponsored children make Christmas cards in Honduras.
Sponsored children make Christmas cards in Madagascar.
Sponsored children make Christmas cards in Nicaragua.

Send your sponsored friend a Christmas greeting today!

Central America, Costa Rica, Education, Sponsor a child
Oct 23 2015

Finding encouragement

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Moisés studying at home.

Moisés studying at home.

When Moisés describes his typical day, it doesn’t sound too different from what you might expect from a 19-year-old living in the United States.

“I get up in the morning and, logically, I get a hot cup of coffee. I practice a little with my guitar and use the computer a bit.

“Not every day is the same for me. I ride my bike, I run errands, I work, etc., and at night I go to school.”

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Central America, Community, Costa Rica, Sponsor a child
Sep 25 2015

Mom overcomes hardship, tragedy to stay focused on kids

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Ivannia (center) holds Maria and her grandson Aaron, with Jose and Kimberly at her side.

Ivannia (center) holds Maria and her grandson, with Jose and Kimberly at her side.

As a mother raising her children on her own, Ivannia knows she has a long road ahead. She’s already overcome a lot in her life. With support from her parents, her children’s sponsors and a group of mothers from her community in Costa Rica, Ivannia keeps her family moving forward.


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Central America, Costa Rica, Economic Self-Sufficiency, Education, Sponsor a child
Jul 31 2015

‘Keep a smile on your beautiful face’

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Flor flashes a grin as she cooks a tortilla in her family's kitchen.

Flor flashes a grin as she cooks a tortilla in her family’s kitchen.

Flor starts her day at 4 a.m. She wakes up, brushes her teeth and then grinds corn so her grandmother can make and sell tortillas. She then works as a nanny from 6 until around noon. After that she tries to spend some time with her family before she heads out again for her night classes from 6 until around 10. After class, she takes the bus home and gets ready for bed.

“That’s my daily routine,” she said. “That’s how my beautiful days are.”


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Rafael Villalobos, program coordinator for Unbound in Costa Rica, visits with a sponsored child and his mother.
Central America, Community, Costa Rica, Sponsor a child, Sponsor an aging friend, Unbound
May 11 2015

The work of Unbound

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Rafael Villalobos, program coordinator for Unbound in Costa Rica, visits with a sponsored child and his mother.

Rafael Villalobos, program coordinator for Unbound in Costa Rica, visits with a sponsored child and his mother.


In the United States we still have a few months before we celebrate Labor Day, but many countries, including Costa Rica, the Philippines, Kenya, El Salvador and others, observed the holiday on May 1. In honor of Labor Day, Rafael Villalobos, coordinator for Unbound in Costa Rica, shared a reflection about his own work at Unbound.

I want to start by sharing a quote from Confucius, who said, “Choose a job that you love and you will never have to work a day in your life.”

This has been my work experience with Unbound.

It’s not just a job, it’s a mission, a lifestyle, something that inspires and gives meaning to life.

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Marjorie and Ulises
Central America, Costa Rica, Health, Sponsor a child, Unbound
Apr 29 2015

Family shows autism is no barrier to a dream

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Ulises with his mother, Marjorie.
Marjorie with her son Ulises at their home in Costa Rica.

Autism affects one in 68 children, and it’s one of the fastest growing developmental disorders in the last 20 years.

April is Autism Awareness Month — a month dedicated to educating the public about autism and helping to create a safer, happier world for those challenged by this disorder. Unbound sponsorship offers support to families around the world who are impacted by autism.

Ulises is a 22-year-old sponsored youth who has autism. He lives in Costa Rica with his mother, Marjorie, who takes care of him.

“My dream is that one day he would do things on his own, so he would be independent when I’m no longer with him,” Marjorie said.


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Ashley in front of her home in Costa Rica.
Central America, Community, Costa Rica, Sponsor a child, Unbound
Apr 3 2015

One step forward, never one backwards

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Ashley in front of her home in Costa Rica.

Ashley in front of her home in Costa Rica.


“Do you feel poor?”

That’s how Henry Flores, director of the Unbound communications center in El Salvador, began his conversation with Ashley, a sponsored 15 year old from Costa Rica.

A difficult question to ask; an even tougher one to answer.

How could a teenager living in a poor community behind one of the largest shopping malls in the area, where she and her mother, Juana, can only see the walls that hide their reality from the beauty and fantasy of the department stores, answer a question like that?

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Sponsor Jennifer Afflerbach, center, with her sponsored friend Bryan and his mother, Sirlen, on a 2012 Costa Rica awareness trip.
awareness trips, Central America, Costa Rica, Sponsor a child, Unbound
Mar 27 2015

A vision of courage

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Sponsor Jennifer Afflerbach, center, with her sponsored friend Bryan and his mother, Sirlen, on a 2012 Costa Rica awareness trip.

Sponsor Jennifer Afflerbach, center, with her sponsored friend Bryan and his mother, Sirlen, on a 2012 Costa Rica awareness trip.

By Jennifer Afflerbach, Unbound sponsor

Eight simple words of encouragement: “I can tell you are a good mother.”

That’s what I wrote to Sirlen, the mother of Bryan, the child I sponsor in Costa Rica. Little did I know what a profound effect it would have on her — and on me.

“Thank you for saying that,” she wrote back. “Your letter brought tears to my eyes.”

And her letter brought tears to mine, as I envisioned this strong, courageous mother of four children under the age of 8 being buoyed by such a small gesture on my part.

I knew I had to meet this woman. So I went on an awareness trip to Costa Rica the next year. When we met face to face, it was as if we were old friends — we connected instantly.

And my instinct had been right — she is a very good mother.

After the visit, when I wrote and inquired about their long journey home on mountainous roads, she replied that the trip wasn’t the most difficult part, the goodbye was.

Again, she brought tears to my eyes.

Sponsorship may cost $30 a month, but you can’t put a price tag on the relationship.

Start the journey of sponsorship today.