Beneath the smiling and friendly visage of Costa Rica's tourism industry lies a dangerous and demoralizing secret: the sex trade. Boosted by immigrant workers and sex tourism, this industry runs rampant in a country where prostitution is legal; women are often forced into contemporary slavery-type conditions in order to make ends meet and support their families. There is hope, however, for in the last decade an organization emerged to counter the sex trade and help women escape a lifetime of suffering and victimization. The organization works to restore human rights and help women leave the sex commerce industry by providing them with education, vocation training, arts and crafts projects, spiritual counseling and therapy.

As a volunteer, you can help serve in the following ways:

• Teach English to women and their children
• Teach arts and crafts (painting, drawing, music, dancing)
• Supervise children at the day care center
• Organize games and recreational activities for the children
• Help with daily chores around the center (serving food, cleaning, organization)
• Light construction work such as house repairs, cleaning, and mural painting

Requirements: a basic knowledge of Spanish is required in order to effectively contribute to this program