Bienvenidos! Hello from Clara Vista! I am Tammy Stone, the founder and President of Clara Vista. We have been working in Venado, the community in which PLED is located, since 2011 with the goal of inspiring leadership from within the community and empowering these leaders with the tools they need to be their own agents of change. Sustainable Community Projects, with Local Leadership, properly monitored to meet Goals!
Clara Vista has been working together with the community of Venado since July 2011, with the start of Venado's recycling program. We've spent years getting to know the community. We started with workshops on community goals in January 2015 and the conducted household surveys to monitor those goals. We hosted workshops to verify community needs and identify root issues in January 2016; and hosted workshops to develop projects that address their needs in July 2016. All of this work is documented in a 5-year sustainable Development Plan. The Venado Community Center has grown over the past few years to include an after school daycare program, surf rental and repair shop and a computer lab. Here are just a few of our milestones!
March 2012: Started 1st Bandera Azul group
August 2012: Founded Asociación de Vecinos de Venado
November 2013: New well installed to provide reliable drinking water
January 2014: Started community center
January 2015: Started Surf Program
March 2015: Hired first community center assistant for daycare
February 2017: Start computer education programApril 2017: Complete Final 5 year plan
December 2018: Complete water distribution project connecting 100%of households to the distribution network.
January 2019: Start rural sustainable tourism program
April 2019: Issued first microloan
Clara Vista’s experience engaging the PLED community in Venado has been overwhelmingly positive for both communities and we are interested in further developing that relationship. The main reason that tourism is popular in the Venado area is because of the local culture and environment. Venado residents consist of few large families, normally everyone is related to everyone else and there is a sense of safety and contentment. Therefore, we are really focused on engaging PLED residents in traditional cultural practices, with local families, and in the natural environment. Through our authentic tours, you can learn how to fish like a local, tour the beach via ox cart, and learn how to bake typical pastries!
We are happy to introduce you to your new Costa Rican community. Please stop by the Venado Community Center, reach out to our Sustainable Tourism Coordinator Casiana at casiana@claravista.org, or say hi on Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/claravistafoundation/
Also, with the holidays coming up, please consider giving back to your local community and donate here: www.claravista.org/donate. We are 100% running on public donations, so every little bit helps!
Pura Vida y Buenas Vibras <3 Tammy
