Birth Control and Sexual Health Care in Costa Rica
Tax deductible
Who We Are
Proyecto Vida Mujer focuses on providing quality, long-term birth control, sexual education, and reproductive health care to low-income women in Costa Rica. It is an important project under the umbrella of CEPIA (Culture, Education and Psychology for Infants and Adolescents) which is the largest non-profit in Guanacaste. Since the beginning of the program in 2018 we have served over 1000 women, largely through our many IUD clinics that we in several communities in Costa Rica.
Why
By empowering women to control when and if they get pregnant, we hope to address some of the many socio-economic issues we see plaguing our community, gender violence and gender inequality. Unplanned pregnancy is one of the leading causes of high school dropout rates for young women, generational poverty, and domestic abuse. Countless studies prove that women who have access to birth control attain a higher level of education, achieve an increase in income, and focus their limited time and resources on children already living in the home, improving these children’s health and education as well.
Who We Serve
Our population served is women who have little to no access to quality reproductive health care. We collect data from all women who apply for our program. The data shows that 48% of women surveyed are living below the poverty line, which in Costa Rica is defined by earning less than $185 per month. This statistic mirrors the 45% of women who have not received their high school diploma in the survey.
Chart below comes from participants after 2019 who applied to receive an IUD. Monthly household income in Costa Rican colones.
Our Future Plans
In 2022 important relationships were established with other nonprofits, clinics, doctors, and medical supply providers. This year, those relationships are allowing the program to reach even more women. Proyecto Vida Mujer has already hosted 3 clinics since the start of 2023 with another 3 planned by mid-March. Our goal is to reach 350 women in 2023.
What We Need
Because of secure relationships with many key partners that provide medical care and some of the needed medical supplies, Proyecto Vida Mujer’s annual budget for 2023 is $30,482. The cost to us per woman served is $85. We ask for a contribution from the women, and they give what they can pay. Women who receive an IUD in our clinics typically can donate $2 while in a private clinic this procedure is about $250.
We have a commitment of $7,800 so we need to raise an additional $22,682 to fund the project for 2023. All donations are US tax deductible.
Thank you again so very much for taking the time to learn about the important work we do. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out at any time. Any support you can give is greatly appreciated.
Please contact us for any questions, including to see our statistics and projected budget: Geneva Garcia Ellen- +506-8510-1691, [email redacted]
Organizer
Geneva Garcia Ellen
Organizer
Albuquerque, NM
Amigos of Costa Rica
Beneficiary