MULTI-WAY SOCIAL INCLUSION
F R O M T H E TOA D ´ S C AV E
TO “CUEVADELUZ” T H E C AV E O F L I G H T
In the past few years, an idea that germinated from Costa Rica´s most feared shantytown has blossomed into one of the largest social enterprises in the country.
Amazing results Just a few years ago, a particular sector of La Carpio, known as ¨the Toad´s Cave¨, was considered the epicenter of Costa Rica´s criminal activity. Not even police forces dared go in. Today, due to the goodwill of countless volunteers, it is known as ¨Cuevadeluz¨, the Cave of Light
CUEVADELUZ IS A TRUE
CENTER OF INTEGRATION AND CULTURE
Hundreds of volunteers arrive weekly to share their knowledge on a subject of their choice for at least three hours. The multi-way social integration that this implies changes both the community´s and the volunteer´s life. The development of SIFAIS has been surprising, and the project’s success has been extraordinary. It has exceptional effects on anyone that comes near it, be they volunteers, students, neighbors, or onlookers.
The GOODWILL of many people has helped us acquire donations of both money and talent, allowing us to raise two, four-story buildings and keep our weekly, volunteer imparted workshops active. Over the years we’ve had over 1000 volunteers come and go, and around 900 students participate in workshops each semester.
A Few of our accomplishments so far: A symphony orchestra
Dance groups
A camerata
Yoga groups
Nationally and internationally ranked judo team
Foreign language lessons (English, French, Mandarin…)
A jazz ensemble
Soccer teams
A Montessori
Karate teams
A FABLAB
Boxing groups
An effective sewing venture
Computer networking classes
“CUEVADELUZ” T H E C AV E O F L I G H T
Those two, four-story buildings mentioned beforehand house all these activities, and won first place at the International Biennial of Architecture 2016, and at the Interior Design Ibero-American Biennial of Architecture in Madrid of that same year. In a short time, an initiative that has zero resources and no steady income has managed to infect the hearts and modify the
behavior of all those who come near it. In the neighborhood itself, three drug bunkers shut down, without any police intervention. And now children can finally run and play around the streets with ease and a sense of safety. SIFAIS´s Cuevadeluz has become a place in which you breathe in positive energy and in which our dreams of becoming better and dedicating our time to others awaken.
Constructive Revolution Nevertheless, to be able to keep this Constructive Revolution going, we must give our administration some breathing room concerning the search for and generation of income. At SIFAIS we´re betting on the four cardinal attitudes that characterize our volunteers´ work: trust, constancy, madness and tenderness. These have been key in unleashing a hurricane of personal, civil, and institutional generosity, managing to turn the darkest of places into a source of light and hope for everyone. We want to invite you to be a part of this Constructive Revolution and we invite you to place a smart bet: help us spread the characteristics of a SIFAIS volunteer as a model for volunteerism that brings about surprising social change.
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FROM THE CUEVA TOAD´S CAVE... DEL SAPO...
LA CARPIO PERCEPTION 2012
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GANG LIFE
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la TOA“CUEVADELUZ” THE CAVE OF LIGHT LA CARPIO PERCEPTION 2016
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“CUEVADELUZ”
THE CAVE OF LIGHT
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La Carpio: A Virtuous
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MULTI-WAY SOCIAL INCLUSION
2290-5690
sifais.org
www.sifais.org