No menu items!

COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER

HomeArchiveCasa de Derechos Opens in Desamparados

Casa de Derechos Opens in Desamparados

Navigating Costa Rican bureaucracy to access the services one needs can be a confusing process for immigrants and Ticos alike, and the new Casa de Derechos, inaugurated Nov. 2 in the southern San José suburb of Desamparados, seeks to make it easier by pooling resources under one roof.

Legal advice, counseling, alternative conflict resolution, information about sexual health and help filling out government paperwork are among services available at the center, which was designed with immigrants and refugees in mind but is available to anyone.

Strategically located in Desamparados, the second most heavily populated canton, the center is a joint effort of the DesamparadosMunicipality, the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the Association of International Consultants and Advisors (ACAI) and the U.N. Children’s Fund (UNICEF). Funding for the building’s renovation came from the Netherlands and U.S. Embassies.

“This is a place where people can come to learn their rights and how to get access to them,” said UNHCR spokesman Giovanni Monje, explaining that the center is the first of its kind in Costa Rica and is modeled after similar centers in Quito, Ecuador, and Bogotá, Colombia.

Ramón Eduardo Monsalve, a refugee from Colombia who’s lived in Costa Rica for four years, sold sweet crackers with dulce de leche in front of the new center recently as part of a fair at which refugee small business owners sold some of their products.

He said he could have used a center like Casa de Derechos when he first arrived to Costa Rica.

“I almost left because I had such a hard time,” he said. “Now thank God I’ve gotten ahead.”

Casa de Derechos is located 100 meters west and 50 meters south of the DesamparadosMunicipality in front of the Funeraria del Recuerdo Park. It’s open from Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; for more information, call 219-4976 or 250-9105.

 

Trending Now

Exiled Nicaraguan Journalists in Costa Rica Face Growing Harassment

Nicaragua has increased its “harassment and retaliation” against exiled journalists and their families who remain in the country, according to a report published Thursday...

Honduran teen deported by US feels like foreigner in native country

Emerson Colindres had just finished high school when he was sent back to Honduras by the United States, a country that he had called...

Short Term Rental Income in Costa Rica to Face New Tax Rules

Property owners in Costa Rica who rent accommodations through popular platforms like Airbnb or Booking.com will soon face a new tax obligation. The General...

Former Costa Rican Minister Indicted in US on Drug Trafficking Charges

Celso Manuel Gamboa Sánchez, once a top Costa Rican security minister and judge, now sits in a maximum-security prison cell awaiting possible extradition to...

Honduras Mayor Murdered in Motel Ambush Stirs Outrage

Francisco Martínez Domínguez, the mayor of San Isidro, a small municipality in Honduras, was brutally killed in Siguatepeque, about 90 km north of Tegucigalpa....

Women’s Copa América Showcases Talent and Pushes for Equality

The Women’s Copa América, Latin America’s most important women’s football tournament, is a showcase of talent and a tool to help close the gender...
Avatar
spot_img
Costa Rica Tours
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Travel Insurance
Costa Rica Rocking Chait
Costa Rica Travel

Latest News from Costa Rica