Costa Rica - A Peace Corps Publication

Since 1963, more than 3,000 Peace Corps Volunteers (PCVs) have served in Costa Rica in a variety of projects in the areas of health, education, the environment, community development, agriculture, small business development, and youth development. Throughout the program's existence, Volunteers have been consistently well received by the Costa Rican people and local partner agencies. The children, youth, and families (CYF) project was the primary sector of the Peace Corps/Costa Rica program from 1998-2002. In 2003, a second project in rural community development (RCD) began, which focuses on the poorest rural communities in the country. In 2005, a third project in Community Economic Development (CED) began. In 2010, a fourth project began in teaching English as a foreign language (TEFL). History and Future of Peace Corps Programming in Costa Rica: Peace Corps/Costa Rica (PCCR) celebrates Peace Corps 50th anniversary in Costa Rica in 2013. PCCR has been operating continuously since January 23, 1963, with the arrival of the first group of 26 PCVs who were assigned as English and science teachers to public schools