Cambodia is a Southeast Asian nation whose landscape spans low-lying plains, the Mekong Delta, mountains and the Gulf of Thailand coastline. Phnom Penh, its capital, is home to the art deco Central Market, the glittering Royal Palace and the National Museum’s historical and archaeological exhibits.
Colombia is the second most biodiverse country in the world and is experiencing an economic and cultural transformation with its recently found civil peace and growing trade with the U.S. Urban areas have made great strides in reducing poverty and providing healthcare, but rural areas are still in great need of healthcare, education, and development support.
Costa Rica means Rich Coast however, I will have to disagree! The Whole Country is Rich, not only the Coast!! Costa Rica is a tiny country of only 51,100 km2; perhaps just a little bigger than West Virginia in the USA, but with 5 million inhabitants. Costa Rica has beautiful beaches, awesome volcanoes and mountains, natural hot springs. Its biodiversity accounts for 6.5% of all the planet biodiversity, 9.9% of its GDP (an important economic indicator) goes into health and 7.6% into Education. We are blessed that in 1948 the army was abolished and that we hold the Nobel Peace Prize (1987). Sounds like a paradise right? Indeed it is; however, the Pura Vida (Pure Life) phrase that characterizes us gets short in covering the whole reality that we live. Poverty, unemployment, lack of access to health services, increase in the number of migrants that stay in our country, saturation of our health system, medical personnel that leave the social system looking for better salaries in the private sector, are just some of the factors that Costa Ricans have to deal with every day. More and more we find “vulnerable communities” filled with Costa Ricans and immigrants, especially from Nicaragua. These people with no permanent jobs do not have access to the social system services. It is where agencies, such as ISL help to provide people with some basic human services to palliate their most basic needs. That is the other half of the story about Costa Rica. We sure hope to count with you, your generous heart and your feet and hands to help us bring a little more of the Pura Vida to them. Thank YOU for choosing Costa Rica for your next educational, cultural, mission trip! Enjoy paradise and help others! Remember, “Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due when it is in your power to do it” (Proverbs 3:27). Gracias! Pura Vida! See you here soon!
Dominican Republic and Haiti, two sovereign nations with completely diverse cultural and historical identities, share a beautiful island located right in the heart of the Caribbean known as La Hispaniola. The spirit and charm of their people is distinguishable in their lively music and delicious cuisine, but both exhibit incredible warmth and hospitality.
Dive into this vibrant country full of color, music, and deeply-rooted culture. A place of religious, cultural, and linguistic diversity, India is full of beautiful surprises around every corner.
Discover Visakhapatnam, India with ISL where the Eastern Ghats meet the Bay of Bengal, and hearts meet a mission.
ISL’s Baja Mexico program is an on-going humanitarian project that takes place in Puerto Peñasco, situated along the beautiful Sea of Cortez. We work with global health agencies, local health ministries, and other NGOs in our partner communities. Volunteers are able to gain valuable experience participating in community clinics and/or working in institutional and community health contexts.
Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, Panama is the southernmost country of Central America. Panama has access to two different oceans, mountains, a vast rain forest, a modern metropolis (Panama City) and the Panama Canal–a lot to see and do! Panama also has a rich array of cultures ranging from indigenous and Latino to peoples of African, Asian, and European descent.
The narrow desert belt of Peru’s Pacific coastline stretches the length of the country and harbors fishing villages, beautiful beaches, agricultural lands, and Peru’s major towns and cities. The amazing Andes Mountains separate the arid coastline from the lush Amazon Basin. The Amazon Basin is also home to millions of indigenous highland people, who speak the ancient Inca language of Quechua and live in traditional villages with steeply terraced agricultural fields and wandering herds of llamas and alpacas.
One of the most diverse countries in Africa, Tanzania is full of natural riches and cultural wealth. Located on the eastern side of the continent, Tanzania is home to Africa’s highest mountain, deepest lake, largest game preserve, most famous national park, and most abundant movement of wildlife. In addition to its many geographical gems, Tanzania is home to a cultural mosaic of more than 120 distinct ethnic groups.