This settlement is full of contrast, sitting on a beautiful peninsula, surrounded by gorgeous beaches and with a front seat view of the multi-million dollar Marina Pez Vela: this is Quepos' poorest area, high in unemployment & criminality, low on education and opportunities and at the mercy of the ocean.
With a population of mostly immigrants from Nicaragua and Cuba and people who can't afford living anywhere else, El Cocal is at the mercy of an ocean that rises a little closer to their homes every passing year. The residents have no ownership of the land, as it is on maritime zone, so public services are precarious: potable water is a commodity, electricity hangs precariously from makeshift installations; there are no health services, no access roads.
There is an elementary school for the kids: rundown, understaffed and with very little resources to work with. Most kids (coming from single parent homes, or living with their grandmas, uncles, or whoever will shelter them), wont make it past sixth grade. Once they grow, the men will take whatever job they can find, no matter how risky or low paying; or will descend into a criminal career or an addiction. Women have no better opportunities, and many will have children at a very young age.
Despite all their troubles, the people at El Cocal are very warm and welcoming; they just need an opportunity to have better lives.
Full Circle has visited El Cocal, we want to start with providing school materials, a roof over the playground for the kids to be able to play when it rains and when is extremely hot along with fans and much more. The community would really like to have the option to learn English: it may give them (or at least their children) a chance to get a foothold in the booming Costa Rican tourist industry. Let’s work together in helping this community flourish for a brighter future for these precious kids and their families.
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