Project Launch:

La Inmaculada is an impoverished neighborhood near Quepos, with high rates of drug use, teenage pregnancy, STDs, child abuse, and commercial sexual exploitation of minors. Young girls in the area are particularly vulnerable. This project will educate 6th grade girls about their sexuality and how to make safe and healthy decisions about sex. A group of girls facilitated by a psychologist will meet once a week for ten weeks, and changes in their knowledge and behavior will be closely tracked. The project will culminate in a rafting trip for the girls, an experience many of these girls have never had and one that was donated by a local rafting company when they heard about the project. Overall, the girls will be given an opportunity to learn, open their minds to new ideas, build their confidence and become stronger advocates for their own needs and concerns.