As a Raleigh participant travelling to Costa Rica and
Nicaragua, it would be wrong to miss an opportunity to tell everyone back home
a little bit about this part of Central America that Raleigh chooses to run
its expeditions in, and has done since 2001. Raleigh and these two beautiful
countries have formed an amazing two-way relationship – with the communities
and ecosystems benefitting from Raleigh’s involvement, and Raleigh participants
benefitting from all the amazing experiences the two countries have to offer –
in terms of culture, history, people, breathtaking natural beauty and wildlife.
Let me not write about Costa Rica and Nicaragua in the same
sentence any longer however – as both are very different and the task,
challenges and benefits as a result are unique from one another.
Costa Rica, meaning ‘rich coast’, is a democratic, peaceful
and relatively well-developed country, however what often goes unwritten and
unspoken is the indigenous community who live in remote areas and as a result
don’t benefit from the same excellent facilities for education, clean water and
sanitation and power enjoyed by the majority of the population. As a whole, it
is known as the happiest country in the world, a notable achievement and one
they can be proud of – Raleigh’s aim is to ensure that this starts to apply to
the whole country including these indigenous peoples with he community projects it runs.
Costa Rica is also one of the most bio-diverse nations on
this planet, and as a
result is protected by a huge national conservation system and a policy of
sustainable development – which we at Raleigh also get involved in on our environmental projects.
Nicaragua, the largest country in Central America, is in
contrast the second poorest in the western hemisphere. It is starting to
increasingly benefit financially from tourism because of the beaches, scenic
routes, the architecture of cities such as León and Granada, and most recently
ecotourism and agritourism, particularly in Northern Nicaragua. Despite this, however,
many communities are facing extreme poverty and have few basic amenities such
as clean water and safe sanitation, hence Raleigh’s efforts in providing school
buildings, housing and sanitation in the projects we operate on our
expeditions.
It is an honour and a privilege to be here in this part of
the world and able to immerse ourselves in a mutually beneficial relationship
with both of these nations. Gracias por recibirnos!
