As part of our expansion projects, we are planning the opening of a new Child Care Center in Los Guido in Desamparados. This fourth childcare center will have the capacity for attend 250 children.

The main objective of this project is to benefit a greater number of children in our society, specifically in Los Guido in Desamparados, which is a community that meets the requirements of the Association’s target population. Furthermore, the project responds to the needs identified during an investigation about child work carried out in Desamparados by an inter-institutional team.

Project Background

Aware of the social problems present in the community of Los Guido, and motivated by the preventive work and integrated assistance that the Roblealto Association offers to the children in social vulnerability conditions in Costa Rica, the Housing Research Foundation (FUPROVI) donated a 2.677.11 m2 lot in order to build a Child Care Center where the children and the families of this specific community can enjoy the benefits of our assistance programs.

The lot is located in San Jose, third canton of Desamparados, 13th district of Los Guido, sector 4, and it was transferred to the Roblealto Association on October 10th, 2001. The lot was segregated from a property owned by FUPROVI where they plan to build a housing project.

Justification of the proposal

Poverty is still the main problem that affects the rights of the children and adolescents in Costa Rica. According to the 5th State Report of Children and Adolescents in Costa Rica, the under-18 population in poverty has increased. In the year 2000, the total population living in poverty was 756,100, and 370,437 of them were children and adolescents under 18. In 2005 the number of Costa Ricans living in poverty increased to 932,077, and 440,224 of them were underage, which means that we went from 29.6% in 2000 to 32.2% in 2005. This situation affects negatively the development opportunities of the underage population.

The incidence of poverty has a negative impact on this population because, in order to face their damaged life conditions, they tend to redefine the priorities within the family unit. Unfortunately, the underage population is the one who suffers the most restrictions and limitations in regards to the attention given to basic needs such as food, care, protection, health, education, housing, and recreation among others.

In order to improve the family economic condition, the mothers have to look for a job. This creates the need for Child Care services in order to provide their children with a secure place that guarantees the access and fulfilment of their needs.

Child Care services are difficult to obtain for these groups under extreme poverty conditions because they are usually expensive and their cost can even exceed the family income, which limits their chances to improve their economic condition. From there the need to create a Child Care Center that provides social support to children under social vulnerability conditions. These Centers will also serve as an effectively proven, local operative model for the National System for Integrated Protection, a body proposed by the Children and Adolescents Code for the Fulfilment of the Childhood Rights.

The lack of a Child Care Center that focuses on children under poverty conditions is a serious problem and therefore a nationwide need; however, there are communities where this problem is even worse. One of these communities is precisely Los Guido, where we are planning to build our next Child Care Center.

Through the donation from the Universidad del Diseño along with the Engineers and Architects Association we received the construction plans and design for Los Guido Project. We are currently raising funds to initiate the project. Your prayers and support are highly appreciated in seeing the construction of the Child Care Center in the near future.