The mission
of Pura Vida is to facilitate the sharing of First World resources with Third
World communities in a meaningful, respectful, and long term way. Our primary
focus is on providing educational opportunities for children in rural Third World
villages through scholarships, tutoring, and support of local schools. We encourage
others to work with us as we give our time, knowledge, and resources to help poor
rural communities attain a standard of living in which their children can thrive.
How We
Work Pura
Vida is:
Ecumenically
Christian
Community
Based
Supporting
and Encouraging
This
is an ecumenical project in that we work with volunteers and representatives
of a wide variety of Christian churches, from evangelical protestant and Roman
Catholic. Our directors are from diverse Christian faiths, as are our partners
in Guatemala. While we do believe that our doctrinal differences are not unimportant,
we elect to focus on that which brings us together, not that which divides.
Our
work is community based in that we focus on a few specific communities,
rather than spreading our time and resources thinly across many. That way we get
to know the people, gain their trust, and understand their needs.
We
will focus on supporting and encouraging communities, helping them from
the inside. We focus on projects that "prime the pump", putting people
in a position to better themselves and their community. Thus, our primary focus
is on education. We find that this work also helps educate us as well. Exposure
to third world poverty can change the life of a volunteer.
Carla
