I have spent a month in Costa Rica volunteering as part of a Jersey Overseas Aid initiative, facilitated by the organisation ‘Accountants for International Development’ (AfID). The goal is to support charities in low income countries by improving their financial management. This work is vital for charities, enabling better financial information for faster, more informed decision-making, introducing best-practice accounting processes tailored to their size, and meeting the standards required to access larger institutional donors.
I assisted a charity called CREAR, based in a small coastal town on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica. CREAR focuses on supporting local children’s education in a community facing significant challenges. Income inequality is striking, and local schools are under-resourced. Many children receive only a half day of schooling, and at the local secondary school, this year only 9 out of 27 students passed their graduation exams. This situation is heart-wrenching for parents who understand how crucial education is for their children's future. Tourism is a major part of Costa Rica’s economy, and English proficiency is often essential for securing good jobs.
Very few students in this town currently go on to university. CREAR is stepping in to bridge these gaps by providing teachers for both in-school lessons and after-school activities. They also offer a small number of university scholarships, giving local youth a chance to build brighter futures.
After settling in quickly, I worked with CREAR’s Director, Andrea Keith, to identify how I could make the biggest impact during my time there. We decided the priority would be introducing accounting software to streamline their processes, this was very successful and we were able to process all 2024 data before I departed. Going forward, this will save time on administrative tasks and allow the team to focus more on their core mission of empowering local children through education. Hiring a consultant for this type of work would have been far beyond CREAR’s budget, so the support of Jersey Overseas Aid will make a significant difference.
One of the things that stands out most about CREAR is its commitment to the community. Many of its staff were once local school students supported by the charity. It’s inspiring to see how education is not only transforming individual lives but also creating a cycle of opportunity for future generations.
During my visit, I also had the privilege of attending a primary school graduation ceremony with the CREAR team. It was moving to see a generation of children celebrating their successes and experiencing the feeling of a community coming together to celebrate them. The wildlife in the school playground was also pretty amazing. The highlights were an iguana, a scorpion with its young, and a coati, which looks similar to a lemur. A group of monkeys apparently makes their way past the offices regularly but I didn't see!
An iguana and coati spotted in the school playground.
