Audley Seminar: Discovering Costa Rica

Red-eyed tree frog, Monteverde Cloudforest

This morning I went along to another of our weekly client seminars, which this week was on ‘Discovering Costa Rica’. Although we are currently very busy in the e-Commerce department working on a new version of the website, I am really interested in Costa Rica having recently built a feature on Wildlife of Costa Rica, so went along to find out more!

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An Audley Traveller meets the girl she sponsors in Guatemala

Meeting sponsored child

After eight years, and many exchanges of letters and drawings, there came an opportunity to meet. And for one Audley traveller it was an opportunity too good to miss; an opportunity that crossed cultures and brought people together. An opportunity that now will always be recalled as a ‘cherished day’.

Mrs Sheena Walker-Roberts has been sponsoring a girl in Guatemala through international children’s charity Plan since 2001.  Guatemala is a beautiful country with a vibrant ethnic Mayan culture.  However, it is still recovering from the throes of a long civil war and discrimination against the indigenous population is rife.  Plan has been working to tackle the inequality and poverty faced by Guatemala’s poor since 1979, and when Sheena decided to holiday there with Audley she seized the opportunity to find out just what that work entailed. What followed is a remarkable and emotional journey into a rural and isolated community and an extraordinary coming together of cultures and people. Continue reading »

Audley supports Costa Rica community project

Audley have just started a scheme in Costa Rica to support an indigenous community called “Boruca” located in the county of Buenos Aires in the Puntarenas Province. Around 50 women from the community make hand-woven items such as bags which we buy from them. The money goes directly back into the community and pays for the production and transportation of the items from their village to Buenos Aires city and onwards by bus. The women share the remainder of the money between them.

Upon arrival in Costa Rica Audley clients will receive one of the handmade items from the community along with a bit of background information about them.