WOMEN’S INTERNATIONAL LEAGUE FOR PEACE AND FREEDOM
COSTA RICA SECTION
REPORT MAY 2006-MAY 2007

The Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom – Costa Rica Section obtained its legal statutes in 1981. It had been organized several years previously by women interested in building a culture of peace. Peace as an ongoing event promoting harmony among human beings and nature, to prevent war, to transform a world of inequalities to one where social and economic justice is its guiding principle, where respect is shown for ethnical and cultural diversity, where every man and woman join hands in making a world of solidarity, peace, and life.

LIMPAL - Costa Rica makes an effort to attend to a determined population of children, adolescents, men and women migrants from Nicaragua who live in the metropolitan area as well as in rural areas, all in a state of extreme vulnerability, social, juridical and economic. These people are victims of frequent violations of their rights, constantly living within a culture of hopelessness, which is worse in the rural context which does not offer deserving labor or educational opportunities, continuing in their state within the circle of poverty.

For LIMPAL, it is a challenge to work with the migrant population, especially in the rural zone as the entire population urgently needs prompt attention, its problems are complex and require more resources as they are persons who relationships in two countries. Besides this, it is urgent to work with the women submitted to constant violence both publicly and privately.

LIMPAL - Costa Rica makes an effort to attend to a determined population of children, adolescents, men and women migrants from Nicaragua who reside in the metropolitan area as well as in rural areas, all in a state of extreme vulnerability, social, juridical and economic. These people are victims of frequent violations of their rights, constantly living within a culture of hopelessness, increasing in the rural context, which does not offer deserving labor or educational opportunities, continuing in their state within the circle of poverty.

LIMPAL  works through Committees:

• Peace Education,  with children and adolescents
• Women’s Workers, with banana workers, migrants and trade union leaders
• Women and Life, works with communities and families
• Disarmament, works against war and has a permanent campaign against war toys.

We also have a group of Young WILFers who work with peace education.

PROJECTS.
                                                                                                                                      
March 2006-March 2007. Isla Venado and Talamanca..
This Project was executed in two different of the country: The first one in Isla Venado, a coastal community of fishermen and women. There we worked with young women and with adolescents, both men and women, teaching them Human Rights and to have fish and  shell fish nurseries, with the collaboration of the National University of Costa Rica. The other project in Talamanca was directed to indigenous children and adolescents. We  worked with Peace Education and with programs to try to keep them in school and not abandon it and continue going to the High School. Both projects were successful. At Isla Venado, the Ford Foundation gave the young women a grant of  $US 3,000 to  realize their project of commercialization of “piangas” (shell fish abundant in the area). At Talamanca, due to our project the Minister of Education gave a grant for ten students to go or continue high school.  This grant includes money, transportation, uniforms and materials. This project was financed by CR-USA and executed by Mujer y Vida.

July-September 2006. Migrant Children and Human Rights. This project was directed to migrant children and children of Nicaraguan parents. It took place in the Elementary School of Los Guidos, a poor district of San Jose. This Project was executed by Young Wilpf

September-December 2006. Migrant Women and Human Rights. This was directed to Migrant Nicaraguan Women, within the ages of 20 and 50 years old, living in Los Guido de Desamparados, an urban marginal zone of San Jose. They received workshops of Self esteem, Migrant Legislation and Human Rights. Financed by the Swedish Section of WILPF and executed by Young WILPF.

September 2006-February 2007. The Project Educating for a Life Without Violence was directed to adolescents fruit harvesters between 15 and 20 years old. We gave them workshops on Identity. LIMPAL and CENDEROS, a Nicaraguan NGO, have a project of education in Human Rights and maintains a permanent advisory group with the cooperation of Save the Children, for adolescents 15 to 20 years old who work as fruit harvesters in the Northern part of the country. This project helps these migrants to legalize their situation with the Migration Department of the Costa Rican Government.

NETWORK:
We actively collaborate with the following networks:

• Civil Society Network for the Goals of the Millenium
• NGOs Coalition for the Convention of the Rights of the Child
• Forum for Children and Adolescents
• Forum for the Migrant Population
• Women against CAFTA.

In spite of our economic problems, we are satisfied with the work done during the year.

Adilia Caravaca, President Costa Rica Section

June 2007

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