Costa Rica | Medical Mission
Join our next medical mission in Costa Rica! You will provide essential healthcare and health education to children with disabilities and their families and work with passionate professionals, embrace new cultures, and make a profound impact.
By sharing the experience with colleagues from your same profession or similar and being in an international environment, immersing in different beliefs and cultures, you’ll play a fundamental role in providing specialized healthcare to local people.
Training pediatric disability
Online Classes
In order to provide the best quality of services to children in need we have developed a Training in Pediatric Disability (TPD) for our volunteers. The TPD will be delivered through online classes before the mission followed by on-site guidance and supervision.
The online clases are divided in 4 blocks of 1.5-2 hours where the main concepts and useful knowledge of Pediatric Disability will be covered. It will be very practical oriented, mainly on treatment tools which could be applied to the majority of the children that the volunteer will be treating during the mission.
On-site Guidance
The on-site part of the TPD will be based on clinical guidance and supervision by our team of senior osteopaths, who have more than 10 years of clinical experience working with children with special needs.
How we study disability
Conditions
Introduction to the most common presentations: CP, Hydrocephalus, Microcephaly, Autism, Developmental Delay…
Clinic
Clinic supervision is a key element which helps to integrate all the knowledge we cover.
Goals
Main symptoms associated with different conditions: epilepsy, convulsions, reflux, constipation, breathing difficulties, spasticity, atrophy…
Conditions
Joint mobilization, fascial release, visceral balancing, cranial normalization…
Mission Programme
DAYS 1 – 5: CARTAGO
The mission starts on Day 1 at 10:00 am in Cartago, where you’ll work daily at the Escuela de Educación Especial Carlos Luis del Valle, treating children with disabilities from 8:00 am to 2:00 pm.
Afternoons are dedicated to debriefings and workshops.
During this period, breakfast and lunch are provided; dinners are not included.
DAY 5 OR 6: Travel & Rest in Puerto Viejo de Limón
Around Day 5 or 6, the group will travel to Puerto Viejo de Limón on the Caribbean coast. This is a day for rest, reflection, and integration.
DAYS 6- 10: TALAMANCA JUNGLE
(AMUBRI REGION)
The second half of the mission is spent in the Talamanca region, specifically in Amubri and the surrounding jungle.
Here, volunteers will provide home-based care to children and adults with disabilities, primarily within the Bribri indigenous community.
This phase involves hiking, river crossings, riding motorbikes, and traveling by 4×4 vehicles to reach remote homes.
The daily schedule may vary depending on the distance to each community, but typically you’ll be working from 8:00 am until 4:00 or 6:00 pm.
During this part of the mission, all meals (breakfast, lunch, and dinner) are included.
FINAL DAY: PUERTO VIEJO DE LIMÓN
The mission concludes in Puerto Viejo de Limón around midday, giving you time to wrap up and prepare for departure.
Mission Overview:
- The mission will take place between November 24 and December 3, 2025.
- Our goal is to provide free healthcare to children with disabilities.
- We will collaborate with local associations, therapists and universities.
- The mission will last 10 days.
- Introduction courses will be provided by Hands with Heart Academy.
We would work at:
- Private homes
- Schools for children with disabilities
- Local institutions
What to expect:
This is a hands-on, demanding, and truly rewarding experience. Volunteers should be prepared for flexible schedules, long days, physical activity (including hiking and travel through rugged terrain), and work in varied environments. The mission requires openness, teamwork, and a genuine desire to serve vulnerable populations.
Whether working with children or adults, our focus is on providing dignified, person-centered care—addressing each individual’s unique needs, offering relief, hope, and practical support. You’ll have the chance to make a real difference not only in the lives of those you treat, but in their families and communities as wel
Team Leader:
Dr. Jorge Aranda, President of Hands With Heart Foundation
Included
- Accomodation
- Breakfast & lunch
- Uniform
- Certificate
- Cultural immersior
- Training
Not Included
- Flights
- Insurance
- Airport transfer
