Costa Rica with Education Equals Hope - Sep 2026

You and your family have an incredible life-changing opportunity to take part in a Movement vision trip to San Ramon, Costa Rica in partnership with Education Equals Hope (e=h) in September.

This trip is for you if:

• You value the importance of education and intentional relationships
• Enjoy learning about and experiencing new cultures
• You're willing to roll up your sleeves and help out with a construction project
• You want to gain a fresh perspective on life and be encouraged and challenged in new ways

About Education Equals Hope: 

Education Equals Hope’s mission is to provide for the education of students who are living in desperate and difficult situations. Education Equals Hope believes that holistic education is a fundamental part of the equation that empowers children and communities around the globe to break the cycle of poverty and impact the next generation. We provide educational support for children, teens, and adults, and work to provide educational resources for entire communities in regions of our world that have suffered from poverty, crisis and natural disaster.

e=h, in Costa Rica, helps 25 students attend school and serves with local ministry partners. You may serve at one or more of these ministry partners during your time on a Hope on the Ground or short-term team.

e=h’s work includes:

• Churches of all shapes, sizes and denominations.
• An after-school program for students to complete their homework in a safe, welcoming environment.
• Serving at the local orphanage.
• Working with adolescent boys and girls who experience difficult situations such as abuse and neglect.
• Leadership Development for students and parents, including an English as a second language class.
• Emotional, intellectual, missional, physical, social, and spiritual support to prevent crises.
• A community based non-denominational church.
• Meaningful support and encouragement to entire families from babies to abuelitos (grandparents) .

What you'll do:

• Explore context & culture. The first day of a team’s time on the ground is typically a day of orientations and cultural context. The Hope on the Ground team will share information about Costa Rica, then you will experience San Ramon’s historical city-center to see the culture firsthand. This is an intentionally slower day to allow the team to adjust.
• Break bread together. Food is a way of expressing love in Costa Rica, and almost every day will involve sharing a meal with our ministry partners. It is important to both give and receive during a short-term mission, and the ministry sites love to prepare and share food as a way of giving to the team members. The team may have the opportunity to spend time with a student in their home but some may attend an empanada making class lead by a Costa Rican mother whose child(ren) benefit from the program.
• Connect with students. e=h began as a micro-scholarship initiative, so teams will have the chance to engage with scholarship students during their time in Costa Rica. Teams may help with school lessons, run VBS programs, play games or lead a workshop. Don’t worry if you don’t speak much Spanish - soccer is the universal language!
• Work projects. You will also help our ministry partners with physical work projects. Many hands truly make light work! Team members will work alongside church and community members to complete projects. Projects may include moving materials, painting, cleaning, gardening, and more. These physical work projects are important, but more importantly, they are an excuse for the team to build relationships with the members of the community, as they work together towards achieving their goal.
• Worship together. Almost every partner in Costa Rica is a church, or is connected to a church, so teams will be part of a weekly worship service in some way. Some churches ask the team to preach the Sunday message, some ask for songs or skits, and others ask for testimonies or God stories from team members. It is a powerful experience to worship God together in a multi-cultural and multi-lingual way.
• Observe Sabbath. One day during your team’s experience will be a day of rest. You may get to go to the beach or zip-lining. There is time to process how God is working in your team each day, but there will also be an entire afternoon of solitude at a coffee farm. This is time to recharge, rest, and listen for how God is calling you to bear fruit after this experience.

Trip led by Kristy Gaines | Love Works Specialist
 

*The cost is $2900 including flight cost. This covers all travel, lodging, meals and ministry expense. You will fly into SJA (Juan Santamaría International Airport).

**Movement employees will receive a $500 mission grant. The grant is not available for family members. If this is your first mission trip with Movement you may be eligible for 2 days of PTO.