Two Decades in Costa Rica

For more than 18 years, the Rotary Club of Lethbridge has been quietly transforming communities across Costa Rica. The map of that work tells the story best: 65 communities reached, 23 projects completed, nearly 100,000 lives touched, and a $740,000 CAD impact, most of it powered by Rotary Foundation grants and matched dollars.

Open a map of Costa Rica and you'll see the dots. They cluster across the country, each one marking a community where Rotary has shown up. Pacific coast villages. Mountain towns. Neighbourhoods on the outskirts of larger cities. Sixty-five communities in total.

Each dot is a Rotary project. Each project is a story of clean water, a small business loan, a classroom resource, a health initiative. Put together, they're the story of what one Canadian Rotary club has done in Costa Rica over the last 18 years.

What the Dots Represent

23 projects completed over 18+ years
65 communities touched, both rural villages and urban neighbourhoods
~99,000 people impacted (35,000 across rural communities, 64,000 in urban areas)
$740,000 CAD in total project value

Almost 100,000 lives. And the map keeps growing.

Community members in western Costa Rica standing in front of a sign recognizing their Rotary-funded water project — A community in western Costa Rica gathered at the sign recognizing their Rotary water project. Every dot on the map looks something like this on the ground.

Where the Money Comes From

One of the most powerful parts of this story is the leverage. The Rotary Club of Lethbridge and its partner clubs have contributed $210,000 in club cash over 18 years. The projects themselves are worth $740,000. The difference is The Rotary Foundation.

17 direct-funded projects: $110,000 in club cash, delivered through District Grants and direct giving
6 Global Grant projects: $650,000 in total value, built from just $100,000 in club cash

That's roughly 3.5 dollars of impact for every dollar the club has invested. It's also a reminder of why The Rotary Foundation matters: club giving doesn't just fund projects, it unlocks them, multiplied by matching dollars from districts, partner clubs, and the World Fund.

Workers trenching alongside a road to lay new water lines in Curime, Costa Rica — Trenching for new water lines in Curime, Costa Rica. The work that turns leverage into infrastructure.

What Kind of Work?

The 23 projects span four areas, chosen with input from the communities themselves.

A weathered, leaky blue water tower in northern Costa Rica, slated for replacement through Rotary project funding — A leaky water tower in northern Costa Rica being replaced through project funding.

Water (5 projects, $555,000): the largest category by dollar value. Clean water systems for rural communities, including tanks, pipe networks, pumps, chlorination, and household meters.
Microcredit (3 projects, $146,500): small-business loans that build local economies and lift families out of poverty.

A Costa Rican microcredit entrepreneur smiling broadly, holding up two heads of hydroponic lettuce from her business — A microcredit entrepreneur in central Costa Rica with hydroponic lettuce from her business. Small loans, real livelihoods.

Education (12 projects, $24,000): the largest category by project count. School support, learning resources, and capacity-building.
Health (3 projects, $24,800): targeted health initiatives in underserved communities.

Different scales, different focuses. But the same underlying principle: respond to what each community has identified as the next thing it needs.

Schoolchildren in southern Costa Rica pointing at a colourful world map mural, with Rotarians showing them where Canada is located — Students at a school in southern Costa Rica learning where Canada is on the world map.

Why It Matters

Long-term international service doesn't happen by accident. It happens because a club shows up, year after year, in the same country, with the same partners. They earn trust, build relationships, and learn what works.

That's what makes Global Grant projects possible. That's what turns the clubs' $210,000 into nearly three-quarters of a million dollars of community impact. And that's what 65 dots on a map of Costa Rica actually represent: not just projects, but two decades of presence.

A red and yellow fire prevention lookout tower in southern Costa Rica, with the Costa Rican and Canadian flags displayed at the entrance — A fire prevention lookout in southern Costa Rica. The Costa Rican and Canadian flags at the gate tell you who built it together.

The Bottom Line

23 projects. 18+ years. 65 communities. 99,000 lives. $740,000 in impact.

One Rotary club, its partners, and a map that keeps adding new dots.