Name: Carolyn Dilbeck

Program: Valpo Study Center in Costa Rica

Location: Heredia & San Jose, Costa Rica

Carolyn’s Internship Experience

This semester I have had the opportunity to do an internship at La Fundación Humanitaria La Carpio, an organization committed to improving the quality of the Nicaraguan immigrant community and those in need. They do this in a variety of ways, from providing food and bedding to those who need it to holding classes to helping people find gainful employment.  Above all, the focus is on empowering people to become financially independent and build a better life. Because I’ve lived a very privileged life, I have been fortunate enough not to have to see or experience what poverty or the immigrant experience is truly like. While we have been learning about the political and social problems many Latin American countries face and their effects in one of my classes, until now I had never seen it firsthand. Doing so and having the opportunity to interact with those who’ve been directly affected brought me an entirely different perspective. Hearing stories directly from the people who experienced them made them real to me in a way that hearing on the news could never do. It demonstrated to me that the root causes of the current issues we are facing regarding poverty and inequality are more nuanced and multifaceted than we often realize. As such, we must work together on solutions that take this into account.

One of the main take-aways from the experience was the generosity, hospitality, and openness of the immigrant community. Despite their relative lack of financial resources and material things, they showed themselves to be incredibly willing to share what they did have, from lunches at the foundation to incredibly harrowing stories of the hardship and sacrifices. I was humbled at how willing they were to open their hearts and share their experiences of how and why they left their home countries and what it took for them to rebuild their lives. While each of their stories was unique, one of the common themes was the need and desire to find a way to be useful and contribute to society, both for financial and social reasons. Many of them already had a background in a profession or possessed useful skills, and were more than willing to learn. However, more so than money or material possessions, what they lacked was an opportunity to develop these skills and education on how they can be used to find gainful employment.

This reality has shaped the approach that La Fundación takes in its assistance. While it does help people with basic necessities in the short term when necessary, its main focus is on empowering people to provide for themselves. For example, it has helped many immigrants form their own small businesses and connected them with resources that can help with their specific needs. However, despite the successes the foundation has had, the fact remains that it is limited in comparison to the scope of the problem. Education and employment remains inaccessible to many. In the face of such great need, I was initially left with a feeling of uselessness, and at a loss for what I could possibly do from my position as an outsider. However, I realized that my writing could be a powerful way to share their stories and experiences with those who are as far removed from it as I was. Hopefully, I can contribute toward a growing awareness of these problems and create a more understanding and justice-oriented world.