CEPIA stands for Culture, Education and Psychology for Infants and Adolescents and is a Costarican non-profit organisation that seeks to promote culture, health, sports and education for children and teenagers and their families from poor backgrounds in the communities of Guanacaste, Costa Rica.
The organization CEPIA offers these children, teenagers and families a wide range of programs:
- after-school program for 300 children and teenagers offered weekly by volunteers
- psychological assistance for children victims of violence and abuse, on a daily basis
- Integrated Education for teenagers dropped out of school and living in a vulnerable situation, all year round
- Professional training for teenagers and adults (weekly cooking course, computer instruction, English course, Eco-jewelry, Crafts, Beauty Care among others)
- Scholarships for children and teenagers living in poverty or reintegrating the educational system (school supplies, uniforms,transportation…)
- Material support for single mothers living in extreme poverty (in exchange for volunteer work)
- Public library open every Saturday afternoon
- Events for the family (monthly movie nights, conferences for parents twice a year)
- Reinforcement of public schools through material support and training for teachers once a year
The programs of CEPIA are aimed at children and teenagers from 3 to 20 years old attending public schools and teenagers not attending school for reasons related to poverty, unhealthy environments and learning disabilities. All our programs involve the families of the children.
For more information about CEPIA visit there website: http://www.cepiacostarica.org/EN/
