About Us

Improving Lives, Building Hope

What we do

Improve housing conditions of families and individuals in Santa Cruz through hands-on labor-intensive projects where homes are painted, dirt floors cemented, installation of septic systems, roof installations, as well as the creation of vegetable gardens. When it comes to identifying families, we prioritise senior citizens, people with disabilities and single-parent households.

Our Story

Our initiative began in 2012 and since we have organized to paint and improve more than 100 houses in the towns of Monteverde, Tempate, Brasilito, Huacas and Potrero, and at
least 5 schools in the area with painting, establishing gardens, as well as English classes to small children through activities and interactions with volunteers.

An idea born from local youth

The Siempre Amigos team was originally supported by two organizations in the Flamingo area, Centro Panamericano de Idiomas (CPI) and Casas del Toro Hotel. Two brothers and a close friend (Diego & Nicholas Najarro and Martin Campos) proposed to the aforementioned companies the idea of channeling the forces and energies of the many young people who came to study Spanish to include helping families in the Santa Cruz area in an organized and professional way.

Empowering Communities

The idea was proposed that with a conservative amount of funds and appropriate guidance in organizing the visiting youth —without experience in manual labor — it was possible to direct their desire and dedication to helping the marginalized in Costa Rica, while at the same time achieving a unique and enriching experience.

Transparency and Impact

Transparency and accountability are at the core of our organization. We are committed to making a tangible and measurable difference in the lives of those we serve.

Mission & Vision

As we gradually grow and learn, our goal for Siempre Amigos is to continue to create spaces that bring together a varying array of actors interested in taking action by coming together and working hand-in-hand to further improve our communities.

Mission

Costa Rica’s economy is largely fueled by international tourism; however, oftentimes wealth is not distributed well, creating vast inequality between locals in the area and tourists who come to vacation. Our mission as an organization is to unify forces and efforts of international and local volunteers to work together to reduce conditions of poverty and forge empathy, understanding, and unification of diverse cultures, coming together as one to help create a fair and more equitable world in the long term.

Vision

Provide a space where minds and hearts of various sectors of our global society have an opportunity to reach their own potential while at the same time developing more agents of change who, in turn, then transform their own communities.