Puerto Jiménez is a laid-back welcoming community located on
the famous Osa Peninsula where it is situated between Corcovado National Park
and the beautiful Golfo Dulce. The
peninsula is home to 2.5% of the world’s biodiversity and attracts tourists
from all over the globe who come to visit one of the last remaining primary rainforests
in the Pacific Central Coast. Puerto Jiménez is a gateway community and a home
base for many travelers whose final destination is Corcovado National Park or
one of the many eco-lodges or hotels available on the peninsula.
While the Osa Peninsula is a remarkable destination for
international tourists, a majority of the local population lack the resources
and the ability to communicate in English, which in turn limits their ability
to economically benefit from the beauty of their community. Speaking English is a prerequisite for
advancing in a career in tourism.
Unfortunately, due to limited resources many students from rural areas are
not given the opportunity to learn English until they enter the seventh
grade. Many of their peers who live in
more urban settings have an English teacher in their elementary school and have
had contact with the language for several years before entering high school. JumpStart is one way that Costa Rica
Multilingue, Peace Corps, and the community of Puerto Jimenez are working to
solve this problem of inequality in access to opportunities and education.
JumpStart is an intensive English camp during the entire
month of January that is specifically designed for sixth grade students who are
preparing to enter high school in the coming year. The 20 students who will attend the JumpStart
camp at CTP Puerto Jiménez come from the surrounding rural communities of Dos
Brazos de Rio Tigre, La Amapola, La Orquidea, IDA Guadalupe, and Bambu. Sixteen of the twenty students have never
received English instruction in their elementary schools. They need the preparation and support of a
JumpStart camp in order to be successful in their high school English classes
and to open doors for their future.
Without this intensive camp, they are at risk of dropping out of high
school and being shut out from the economic benefits that the stunning Osa
Peninsula has to offer to those who can communicate effectively with
tourists. The community of Puerto Jiménez
is working hard to support and help make this camp a reality. Several local businesses, hotels, schools,
and NGOs are donating materials, snacks, their time, and much-needed funds to assist
in the transport of students to and from the camp everyday. We are so thankful for their support and
dedication to promoting education here in Puerto Jiménez. However, we are still in dire need of
donations to cover student transportation costs, costs incurred to provide 80
hours of training to a local teacher, and the cost of printing student workbooks. Please consider making a donation to this
excellent cause and offering the opportunity of a better future to a student
here in Puerto Jiménez. Thank you!!
Students in OSA are constantly able to explore new natural enviornments!
Brittany and Luke, PCVs in Puerto Jimenez who will teach the camp, enjoying the nature there.
