Summary
SOMOS Foundation is a registered Costa Rican non-governmental organization supporting the creation, development and sustainable operations of community development programs, social enterprise and public-private partnerships along the Central and South Pacific coast.Examples include the Costa Ballena Lifeguards, SafeBeach Patrols and the Ojos en la Calle reporting platform, the Stanford EnvironmentalLanguage and Leadership Program (SELAL), SOMOS Disaster ReliefInitiative and numerous animal and environmental rescue projects such as Bahía Ballena Libre de Plástico, children's, environmental education classes, and urban reforestation.
Created in 2020, the SOMOS 1% Pledge Program encourages philanthropic giving by local businesses (1% Partners) and their clients (donors), creating a culture of appreciation and support for non-profit efforts in their area. To facilitate this effort, SOMOS provides a customized online tax-deductible donation webpage foreach 1% partner, which they share with guests and clients, encouraging them to participate. Also referred to as Corporate SocialResponsibility and ‘Traveler’s Philanthropy’, 1% Pledge funds received by SOMOS are distributed to non-for-profit programs in the form of grants, professional services and consultation. Partners currently enrolled in the 1% program are Cuna del Ángel, Kura Boutique Hotel, Oxygen Jungle Villas and Bodhi Surf & Yoga.
Other Updates
March 21, 2022
SOMOS is a catalyst for collaborative development that operates as an articulator of initiatives, an incubator of innovative programs, and a manager of social projects and public-private partnerships. SOMOS creates spaces for local organizations, community leaders, companies and/or public entities to have constructive interactions, express concerns, find solutions, and develop strategic plans. As an incubator, SOMOS enables the means and conditions for the creation of new organizations as well as the generation of new programs and projects that benefit the local community. As an administrator, SOMOS uses its skillsets to manage projects of community and national level importance.
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November 1, 2021
Achievements include the development and approval of the membership program community of Bahía Ballena administered and executed by the ADI Uvita, which allows local residents to enter the park exempt from payment and generate funds for the association local development and more.
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December 10, 2020
In the second term of 2020, Fundación SOMOS’ efforts and resources were largely directed towards mitigating the economic impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic in the communities within Costa Ballena. The short term response was to provide food security in the form of emergency aid and assistance. That transitioned into working alongside community organizations to reopen the main driver of tourism in our community: the Marino Ballena National Park.
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