Hope Partners

Sometimes the smallest seeds of hope planted in impoverished and marginalized communities can blossom into incredible life change. In Rincon Grande de Pavas, Costa Rica, Hope Partners works closely with hundreds of children and students to reduce hunger, help them realize their potential, and give them a boost to meet that potential.

 Of the 60,000 people who live in the community, only 20 percent of the youth graduate from high school. They struggle daily against malnutrition, gang violence, neglect, and inadequate housing. Rafa was one of these youths, and he was exposed to the worst of these and more. Nothing in his life pointed to success, but his grandmother brought him to the Hope Center, a former soup kitchen turned into a haven for children by Hope Partners. The center’s community of mentors fed him, taught him to read, write, and speak English, and pointed him toward God. Rafa developed trusted relationships with his mentors, who encouraged his dreams and helped him heal from his past.

Because of the Hope Center’s influence, Rafa graduated from high school. He earned a scholarship to study psychology at one of the best private universities in the country and dreams of using his degree to give back the hope and support that was given to him.

Thanks to your generosity during last year’s Be Rich campaign, you helped fund a second Hope Center, which Hope Partners broke ground on in August 2022. The new center is located across the street from the second-largest school in Costa Rica and provides Hope Partners the opportunity to work with hundreds of new children and students just like Rafa. Not only will these children experience healing in many ways, but they will also spread light to their families and friends in Rincon Grande de Pavas.