Lifting Hands 2017

Following the recommendation to wear a mask in public places, fashion designer Garita decided to join the Lifting Hands Foundation to make mouth covers for people in vulnerable conditions, mostly unemployed due to the national emergency due to Covid-19. 270 masks were made with love and are preventing the spread of SARS-CoV-2 produced by Covid-19 by the community of Bajo de Los Anonos and other areas of the country.

“I wanted to do something for their safety and that of others, some have to work or go out. I designed the pattern and we used the cloth pieces from the NGO, with recommended fabric for the masks, ”said Garita.

Garita is a volunteer as a sewing teacher at Lifting Hands and her affection for the beneficiaries encouraged the entire development of the masks for a month. In addition, she indicated that each of the masks was passed through "quality control" to guarantee their effectiveness and the safety of the community.

“I did the test to blow the candle, the aerosol… the particles did not pass. It worked with one layer, all the masks were effective, "said the volunteer.

The suggestion was made by the Minister of Health, Dr. Salas, since last May 11; However, by June 22, it became a request to the entire population that uses public transport, those who visit health centers, prisons, banks and also for those who serve the public, among others. This personal protection utensil is in high demand worldwide; however, not all Costa Rican citizens have the economic possibility of acquiring reusable or disposable masks or masks.

“The use of masks is not inclusive. For a person living in economic poverty, it could mean having to choose between buying rice or a mask.

The 270 masks are reusable and also, from the foundation, they explained to the beneficiaries about the purpose and the correct use of them.

Garita started as a volunteer in the NGO more than five years ago. She taught tutoring in French, English, recycled art and then went to Spain to study a master's degree in fashion design. When she returned, she wanted to contribute as a sewing teacher, which has been highly exploited by the mothers of Lifting Hands, who seek to undertake with what they have learned.

The objective of this initiative is to support, advise and train comprehensively young women at social risk to contribute to the recovery of their dignity and make them self-sufficient, responsible and committed to society.

Phonetically the word MOR sounds “more” (English), which refers to the empowerment of women: more confident, more loving, more secure, among others. However, in Spanish it comes from Mujeres de Amor, which is a readable, short, direct and emotional name meaning Woman of Love.  

Some of the tools developed during this semester are:

• Professional and labor advice.
• Coaching: the best version of themselves.
• Support: with the partners and the coach, a group where they can feel identified and accompanied.
• Leadership Tools Recreational activities.
• Neuro-Linguistic Programming.  

During the activity, the participants worked as a team developing topics such as self-esteem, emotional intelligence, gender equity, nutritional status, gender and women's autonomy, protection in adolescence, violence and abuse, poverty and unemployment, crime, relationships, family problems, among others.

MOR DAY:

The objective of this initiative is to support, advise and train comprehensively young women at social risk to contribute to the recovery of their dignity and make them self-sufficient, responsible and committed to society. Phonetically the word MOR sounds “more” (more in English), which refers to the empowerment of women: more confident, more loving, more secure, among others. However, in Spanish it comes from Mujeres de Amor, which is a readable, short, direct and emotional name.

Some of the tools developed during this semester are:

Professional and labor advice.

Coaching: the best version of themselves.

Support: with the partners and the coach, a group where they can feel identified and accompanied.

Leadership Tools Recreational activities.

Neuro-Linguistic Programming.  

During the activity, the participants worked as a team developing topics such as self-esteem, emotional intelligence, gender equity, nutritional status, gender and women's autonomy, protection in adolescence, violence and abuse, poverty and unemployment, crime, relationships, family problems, among others.

This year, we signed up for the Ecological Blue Flag process and it has been a challenge. Our first effort was to start recycling sheets and cardboard boxes, and we could see an improvement in the amount of trash we had.

A few months later, Gutis Farmaceutical, one of our allies, donated us a recycling station and although everything is a process, thanks to the support of the volunteers, we have seen the results with great success.

Today we celebrate, happy and grateful, because the Susty organization donated their services to us. Susty is a corporate sustainability management tool with which we report our environmental efforts for the Ecological Blue Flag Program. This means that they give us a whole system to download all the necessary documents so that at the end of the year, we only download and our sustainability report is ready.

Educating with Love

A new class for moms called "Educating with Love" is part of the new Lifting Hands program focused on parents. It is designed to promote positive discipline, where parents talk with children to build trust, without any physical or psychological violence. We seek to make alliances to improve communication and that there is empathy on both sides. So far, there are 11 mothers and 1 father, who have already graduated from the course. In this space you learn a lot: you talk about everything a bit, many values are covered and a quite positive change is noticed both in the parents and in the stories they tell. Everyone gets to share experiences of techniques they have applied. Parents in general participate a lot, they come up with many questions and concerns, which is very good because it helps prepare what the program should focus on and even what more research should be done. It is very gratifying to see how they have been growing and learning.

New Kisá course culminates successfully

The name of the Kisá project is rooted in the Hebrew which means "knitting, covering," "house." Through the project, we offer children and adolescents the best care, psychological containment, stimulation of creativity and imagination, recognition of emotions and establishment of values so that they grow healthy and fully.   All this through Positive Discipline and other paradigms so that the approach is completely comprehensive, so that children have a healthy psycho-emotional development, in pursuit of their happiness and well-being. Its basis is mutual respect, without imposing and seeking solutions together with adults and minors, so that it becomes your "safe space", your home that shelters and protects.