Project Launch:

Higueron is in a mountainous, rural part of the district of San Andres de Leon Cortez, in Costa Rica, where coffee is king. Students there can choose to go to high school in San Andres, a neighboring small town, or San Pablo, the municipality. For the last five years, only 30 percent of elementary school graduates have gone on to high school. A two-day art education camp, supported with a $300 grant from World Connect’s Kids to Kids Program in 2011, encouraged some of these youngsters to pursue higher education. The camp aimed to help students answer the question "Who am I?" This exploration helped to build the students’ self-esteem and sense of individuality, allowing them to think of themselves as unique with bright futures.