Global Service Learning Experiences

 

Join us in Costa Rica’s Caribbean region for an immersive, hands-on experience in global health, traditional medicine, and social justice. At Salud Para Todos Caribe, we partner with individuals, universities, and professional groups to co-create meaningful service-learning trips that combine experiential education, cultural exchange, and community engagement.

Whether you’re a student in public health, medicine, naturopathic medicine, midwifery, social work, or global health, a practicing professional, or simply someone passionate about holistic healing, intercultural learning, and health equity, we welcome you to be part of our work in Talamanca.

 Sample 10-day trip itinerary:

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Day 1

Arrival and Transfer

Participants arrive in Costa Rica. Group pick-up from the international airport provided by Salud Para Todos Caribe staff. Overnight in San José or travel to the Caribbean region, depending on arrival time.

Day 2

Orientation and Foundation Classes

Program orientation and group welcome. Introduction to Salud Para Todos Caribe, tour of organizational facilities, and overview of Costa Rica’s healthcare system and the historical, social, and economic context of the Limón Province. Free time in the afternoon for rest or beach time.

Day 3

Community health fair

Participation in a community health fair, with roles adapted to participants’ experience and learning goals (e.g., logistics, health education, practitioner support, patient flow, children’s activities). Evening reflection and educational session on Indigenous history, culture, traditional medicine, and food systems in Costa Rica.

Day 4

Alta Talamanca Consult Day

Consult day in Indigenous territory (BriBri community, Kachabri). Evening seminar exploring the impacts of globalization, trade agreements, and other economic and political realities on global health equity in Latin America.

Day 5

Environmental Health and Traditional Knowledge

Local medicinal plant walk and hands-on workshop (e.g., tincture preparation). Discussion of environmental justice in Costa Rica’s Caribbean region, including the health impacts of banana and monoculture plantations. Evening session on Afro-descendant history, culture, and traditional healing practices.

Day 6

Community Health Fair

Second community health fair. Evening group reflection focused on ethical practice, power dynamics, and lessons learned.

Day 7

Free Day & Women’s Health Evening Class

Free day with optional excursions (waterfalls, hiking, cacao tour). Evening educational session on traditional midwifery, reproductive health, and women’s health systems in Costa Rica.

Day 8

Program Synthesis and Closure

Closing activities, group synthesis, and final reflections. Free afternoon. Group closing dinner with SPTC team.

Day 9

Return to San José

Travel back to San José. Optional activities such as visits to national museums, cultural sites, or urban ecological reserves.

Day 10

Departure day.

International departures. Adios!

Our trips are thoughtfully designed to co-create ethical service-learning experiences.

Join us in Costa Rica’s Caribbean region for an immersive, community-based experience in global health. Salud Para Todos Caribe partners with universities, professional programs, and individuals to co-create ethical global service-learning experiences that integrate experiential education, cultural exchange, and community engagement.

Our programs are designed for students and professionals in public health, global health, medicine, integrative medicine, midwifery, social work, women’s studies, international studies, and related fields, as well as for individuals committed to health equity, holistic care, and intercultural learning.

Each experience is customized in collaboration with participating institutions and individuals to align with academic goals, competencies, and learning objectives. While specific activities vary by group, all programs emphasize ethical engagement, cultural humility, social justice, and decolonized approaches to global health practice.

We believe meaningful global health education begins with deep listening and reciprocal partnerships. All programming is developed in collaboration with local communities and grounded in values of inclusivity, sustainability, and long-term relationship-building.

Looking for a Volunteer or Internship Experience?

We believe ethical global health learning begins with cultural humility, listening, and mutual respect. Our programs are built in partnership with local communities and rooted in values of inclusivity, sustainability, and decolonized global health.

Activities and curriculum are always adapted to the interests, backgrounds, and skills of each group. Trips are typically 10 days to two weeks long. We have long-term internship programs, as well as volunteer work for locals and healthcare professionals who are interested in contributing their skills to underserved communities in the Caribbean region of Costa Rica.

Get in touch with us to discuss your trip options, goals, and costs—we’ll help you build the experience that fits your learning and service interests.

 Thank you for being part of our community!