Hotel Bahia del Sol, committed and aware of their social responsibility, supporting
the association CEPIA.
Culture, Education and Psychology for Infants and Adolescents
www.cepiacostarica.org
cédula jurídica 3-002-417696
Mission and Vision
Mission: CEPIA is a Costa Rican based non-profit and non-governmental
organization, which seeks to improve the quality of life of children and adolescents
from poor backgrounds in Costa Rica by promoting:
- cultural development
- educational and market opportunities
- physical and mental health
- social cohesion and participation
Vision: CEPIA commits to being a transparent organization which is democratically
and professionally organized. CEPIA acts as an active defender of equality, equity,
and diversity, as well as a promoter of rights and empowerment of children and adolescents.
The organization CEPIA holds a holistic, integral, diversified, dynamic, participative,
contextual gender-sensitive and humanistic vision on education.
Team
CEPIA was born in August 2005. The Board of Directors consists today of the following
persons:
- Laetitia Deweer President
- Caroline Lemaire Vice President
- Olivia Benavides Secretary
- Ana Graciela Mejía Treasurer
- Julian Chaves Supervisor
- Isabelle Vandevelde Voting member 1
- Van Salcedo Voting member 2
- José Gerardo Brenes Alfaro Voting member 3
CEPIA has the following 3 employees:
- Bach. Sandrine Tcherniack Executive Director
- Bach. Max Chaves Office manager
- Master Ana Francis Rosales Clinical Psychologist and Master in
Gender and violence
CEPIA has a team of 70 residents and Costarican volunteers, and
also temporary helping hands and university students.
CEPIA programs:
Extracurricular Classes: Classes for children and teenagers taught
weekly by volunteers and staff in 11 villages. They teach English, computer instruction,
arts and sports. Weekly a total of 250 minors of age benefit of
these classes.
Psychology and Education: CEPIA staff provides
weekly psychological and educational counseling to children that
were referred by teachers, parents and others. CEPIA’s staff offer around 580 sessions
a year.
Train teenagers into the future: Teenagers dropped out of school,
living in the street, in poverty, prostitution, pregnancy, with family problems
participate weekly in English classes, Computer instruction, women’s group, psychological
counseling, educational support and professional trainings. The 30
teenagers participate in these trainings and volunteering in CEPIA to promote their
empowerment and autonomy in the future.
Women’s Groups: CEPIA invites women from the communities to weekly
activities, trainings and workshops.
Reinforcement of the Schools: CEPIA offers workshops
to the 160 teachers of our area, organizes joint projects, seeks funding to improve
infrastructure.
Care for children in poverty: Mothers and Children
living in a poverty situation (31%) receive support (clothes, furniture, food, materials
for the house, etc.). The mothers receiving food participate in trainings and volunteering
in CEPIA to promote their empowerment and autonomy in the future. In addition, the
participants are helped in finding a job and in seeking governmental help.
Scholarships: 400 children receive every year their school supplies
package. Besides that, around 20 teenagers a year from very poor backgrounds receive
a scholarship to be able to study in a high school.
Trainings for the community: CEPIA offers trainings and courses
to more than 150 people (older than 15), such as beauty care, English, craft, etc.
Some of these trainings are developed in collaboration with CINDEA Santa Cruz.
Environment: CEPIA realizes projects of reforestation and cleaning
of schools, beaches and streets in collaboration with other organizations, businesses
and public institutes.
Events for the families: Movie nights and educational talks for
the community (about environment, education of children, etc) to improve education
and social cohesion.
Library: The library in the CEPIA centre in Huacas lends books
and didactic materials to children, parents, teachers and the community in general.
Who for and why?
The programs of CEPIA are aimed at children and teenagers from 0 to 19 years old
attending public schools (primary schools of Huacas, Brasilito, Potrero, Playa Grande,
La Garita Nueva, La Gairta Vieja, El Llanito, Matapalo, Santa Rosa, Villarreal and
Los Pargos, as well as the Villarreal High school) and teenagers not attending school
for reasons related to poverty, unhealthy environments and learning disabilities.
CEPIA always works with the family of the child.
The coastal region of Santa Cruz is caracterized by: violence; family desintegration;
school drop out (40%); night high school only graduate 56.1% of their students;
8-11% of elementary school classrooms are in bad state; only 12.9% of teenagers
older than 18 have completed their high school education in the rural areas like
Santa Cruz (28.7% national level and 37.8% in cities), and only 67.7% of kids youngers
than 13 have completed their elementary education; desnutrition of minors of age
(6%) ; teenage pregnancies (20%); adictions; unemployement of young people
without high education (40%); poverty among children and teenagers (31%); low birth
weight (7%) ; overweight of children and teens (14%) ; the lack of cultura,
psycho-pedagogical and sport activities for children and teenagers from poor backgrounds.
Public schools are poorly equipped, lack quality and are short staffed. Few children
in our area receive sports, music, arts and computer instruction inside the school
program. Children often live in poor, difficult family situations and psychological
support is almost inexistent. Many children have learning problems without being
diagnosed and attended.
These factors together can contribute to high risk situations (violence, drug abuse,
school drop out, criminality, integration in gangs, drug sale, sexual transmitted
diseases, suicide etc…). These risk situation lead to fewer labor opportunities
and lower life quality.
The members of the organization CEPIA created in 2005 the center of attention and
prevention CEPIA for children, teenagers and their parents.
Participation in cultural, educational, formative and sports activities with CEPIA
leads to greater school outcome, prevents emotional, social and physical problems,
increases social cohesion, stimulates the elaboration of a life project and a greater
personal development. At the same time it helps eradicate child labor, commercial
sexual exploitation, school drop out, violence and poverty. In the long run, taking
part in the CEPIA programs can provide them greater chances in an increasingly competitive
and skills-oriented market and the realization of a happier family life. Through
collaborations with other organizations, the impact increases. CEPIA offers the
infrastructure and the professionals to develop activities of health promotion,
attention, education and prevention.
Partners & Associates:
CONACOES: CEPIA is a member of the National Commission against
Commercial Sexual Exploitation.
Management Committee of the Protection Network against sexual exploitation of
children and teenagers: CEPIA participates in this network that brings
together all private and public institutions (PANI, OIJ, CCSS, Municipality of Santa
Cruz, DINADECO, CONACOES, UNICEF, MEP, etc.) fighting against violence and sexual
exploitation of children in the region of Santa Cruz.
PANI (National Organization on Infancy): CEPIA identifies and accompanies
children and their families in the process of information, counseling and reporting
abuse and violence. In addition, CEPIA finances some necessities of the shelter
in Santa Cruz.
Ministry of Public Education (MEP): CEPIA received permission to
work in the schools and with the teachers. CEPIA also works with the MEP to improve
teacher’s trainings and basic and higher education.
Associations of Integral Development (ADI): CEPIA collaborates
with the association of every village to improve health conditions and infrastructure
for children and teenagers.
Public Force: CEPIA and the Public Force of the villages collaborate
in situations of violence, crisis, and school desertion. CEPIA organizes trainings
for officials from the Public Force.
CINDEA & INA: collaborations on matters of education and professional
formation for teenagers and adults.
Country Day School
La Paz Community School
OFIM – INAMU
Ministry of Health
Municipality of Santa Cruz
Emergencies 2000
CATURGUA
Fundacion Accion Joven
World Vision
Amigos de la Educacion
Budget and funding sources
CEPIA needs 100 000 $US per year to realize its programs and projects.
CEPIA’s funds are coming from private donations, donations from hotels and businesses
and fundraisings through events.
How can you help?
Got money?
1. Pay into the accounts:
Banco de Costa Rica: 325-1354-4 (cuenta corriente in US$)
Swiftcode: BCRICRSJ Banco de Costa Rica, oficina Flamingo
Banco Nacional:
Swiftcode: BNCRCRSJ Banco Nacional de Costa Rica, oficina Tamarindo 145
200–2-145-3257-5 (cuenta de ahorro en US$)
Cuenta cliente: 15114520020032579/Cedula: 3-002-417696
100-01-145-000420-6 (cuenta ahorro en colones)
Cuenta cliente: 15114510010004209/Cedula: 3-002-417696
2. Write a cheque to “Asociación CEPIA”
3. Donate in cash or with your credit card (only VISA)
4. “Adopt a child”: you adopt a child from very poor backgrounds. You maintain direct
contact with the child and you support his/her basic needs (school supplies, clothes…).
Donations to CEPIA are tax-deductible in Costa Rica.
Got skills?
Volunteer with CEPIA, participate and work directly with the CEPIA kids. E-mail
us.
Got stuff?
We need materials for sport and art activities, travel equipment, computers and
office equipment.
Contact
Asociación CEPIA
E-mail: cepiadirector@racsa.co.cr
TEL./FAX: (506) 8301 82 82
(506) 2653 85 33
(506) 2653 83 65
Website: www.cepiacostarica.org
Address: 300m west of the intersection of Huacas, behind the Restaurant Guaymí.
Santa Cruz, Guanacaste, Costa Rica
PO Box: 45-5159 Villarreal, Guanacaste, Costa Rica
Sandrine Tcherniack
Executive Director
cepiadirector@racsa.co.cr
Max Chaves Contreras
Office manager & Communication
cepiaoffice@racsa.co.cr
Laetitia Deweer
Board President
cepiacostarica@racsa.co.cr