Costa Rica Peace Corps Director Gives Interview Committing his Support to Global Housing Solutions’ Colorado Project: The First Such Collaboration in the Organization’s History

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sarasota, Florida, United States of America (Free-Press-Release.com) December 16, 2010 -- Peace Corps Country Director, Steven Dorsey, has expressed willingness to support Investments in Costa Rica and Global Housing Solutions ’ social housing project, in Colorado, Costa Rica. This unique collaboration will bring the Peace Corps’ fifty years experience to bear at the grass roots level of this community’s inception.

The involvement of the Peace Corps adds massive value to the project, which already offers sound investment returns, by helping to guarantee the project meets its goal of providing investors with social and political returns too.

Mr Dorsey said: We would be glad to place a Peace Corps Volunteer in or near the Colorado Project to help build a real community. Building houses does not build a community organically. It takes concentrated effort and skills execute community organization and development, and that’s where we come in.”

In a recent interview, Investments in Costa Rica asked Mr. Dorsey to describe some of the real, grass roots changes social housing projects achieve in his experience. He said: “Social Housing opens new opportunities for disadvantaged and underserved populations”.

He described how this works, saying: “It gives them the opportunity to become home/property owners, as most are disenfranchised. It can also help them feel more part of a community that is organized (depending on how that organization is carried out).” He also noted the personal value of social housing projects: “It strengthens the self-esteem of individuals and families. It provides stability and security for children in their education and health.”

Mr Dorsey drew attention to the fact that, while Costa Rica is a tourist haven, there are under developed areas and many who live in inadequate, unsafe housing. In his opinion, providing Social housing to these communities will help to lower the growing disparity between the wealthy and under-served.

The Colorado Project is a venture philanthropy project, part of a new wave of socially responsible investment sweeping the corporate world. Projects of this nature combine perfectly with the Costa Rican government’s goal to eradicate poverty in the next two decades, which the national bank also guarantees with its proven backing of investments in social housing over the last 23 years.

To read the full interview, please visit the Investments in Costa Rica website.

costa rica philanthropy     Investing in Costa Rica     peace corps costa rica     social housing investment     venture philanthropy