User:FlapjackMonty/RUtest

Republica United is a non-profit organization that raises money for students and children in need in Costa Rica. Their mission is to assist impoverished children and early education schools in the agricultural regions of Costa Rica. They help by donating school uniforms and supplies such as note books and pencils.

Mission
Republica United's vision is to eliminate illiteracy and impact the lives of children who do not have the opportunity or financial resources to attend school, and to develop globally aware leaders who have the opportunity to obtain knowledge and access to resources through the use of technology.

Republica United provides direct assistance to impoverished children and early education schools in the agricultural regions of Costa Rica through new or improved educational infrastructure, uniforms, and programs resources.

To bring that vision into reality, Republica United identifies schools and individuals who are in need of assistance. Through generous support and the work of their volunteers, Republica United assists in the repairs of schools, introduces technology, provides program resources, introduces leadership programs, and provides school supplies and uniforms.

Services
Republica United is currently working on receiving donations to help schools in Costa Rica, and they look forward to helping Nicaragua and other parts of Central America. Many children in Costa Rica miss out on school because they cannot afford school Uniforms. Republica United uses donations to help local children attend school by providing uniforms for them. They also negotiate with local companies in Costa Rica to produce the school uniforms rather than using expensive shipping methods to transfer them. The local schools inform the organization on what children are in need of school uniforms.

Money not spent on school uniforms is put toward school furnishing, repairs and new supplies for students. The government of Costa Rica does not help pay for school supplies for the children, so many students do not have all the resources to get the most out of their education. Many of the schools are not in the best condition, so money is also spent to help make repairs to help make the schools a better place to learn. Republica United is also looking to help with computer labs. This can be very difficult because it is nearly impossible to ship computers over to Costa Rica because of legal regulations. Republica United is looking to make a difference wherever they can by providing students with notebooks, pencils and school uniforms.

<!-- A brief overview of Costa Rica Costa Rica is a Central American democratic country that borders Nicaragua to the north and Panama to the south. Costa Rica’s land mass area slightly exceeds that of Vermont and New Hampshire combined (19,730 sq) mi ("Profile," n.d.). The population of Costa Rica is around 4.516 million people. The major cities in Costa Rica include the capital city of San Jose, Alajuela, Cartago, Heredia, Puntarenas, Limon and Liberia. Costa Rica used to be known principally as a producer of bananas and coffee, but pineapples have now surpassed coffee as the number two agricultural export product of the nation ("Profile," n.d.). Due to the rising cost of oil prices and falling international commodity prices during the seventies more emphasis has been placed to reduce reliance on Costa Rica’s cash crops coffee, banana, and beef exports. Tourism is now a major business and source of foreign revenue in Costa Rica ("Geography," 2005). Costa Rica's major economic resources are its fertile land and frequent rainfall, its well-educated population, and its location in the Central American isthmus, which provides easy access to North and South American markets and direct ocean access to the European and Asian continents ("Profile," n.d.). More emphasis has been placed to reduce reliance on coffee, banana, and beef exports as result tourism is now a major business industry that also generates foreign revenues for Costa Rica. Education in Costa Rica is free – thus Costa Rico enjoys a relatively high literacy rate 94.9percent. The country has the highest literacy rate among countries in Central America. Primary and High schools are found in virtually every community and students are not required to pay for basic schooling ("Education in Costa," n.d.). Primary school comprises of 6 years and a high school education is comprised of 5 years. But even though primary thru high school education is free, in order for students to attend classes they must wear the compulsory school uniforms and provide their own school supplies as these are not provided by the government. It becomes a daunting task for the poor to send their children to school hence these are the goals of Republica United; to help provide uniforms and school supplies and stationary to the less privilege children to ensure that they are able to obtain an elementary or high school education.

References Education in Costa Rica: The Exception in Central America. (n.d.). Education in Costa Rica. Retrieved from http://jrscience.wcp.muohio.edu/fieldcourses04/PapersCostaRicaArticles/EducationinCostaRica.html Education in the Costa Rican Constitution. (n.d.). Education in Costa Rica. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_in_Costa_Rica Geography. (2005). Costa Rica. Retrieved February 28, 2011, from http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0107430.html#ixzz1DtZV2t59 Profile. (n.d.). Background Note: Costa Rica. Retrieved February 27, 2011, from http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/2019.htm#profile -->