Costa Rica | Medical Mission

NOVEMBER 23 – DECEMBER 2, 2026

Step beyond the clinic and experience osteopathy in a completely different context. Work alongside local healthcare professionals while sharing your knowledge, learning from different approaches, and contributing to better access to specialized care.

Surrounded by professionals from your field and immersed in a new culture, you’ll have the opportunity to put your osteopathic skills into practice, broaden your clinical perspective, and grow both personally and professionally.

This is more than a mission — it’s a chance to learn through real experience, connect with like-minded professionals, and use what you know to make a meaningful difference in the lives of local communities.

BOOK YOUR SPOT

+34 692 412 031

hello@handswithheartfoundation.org

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, genetic disorders, and sensory impairments.

Clinic

Clinic supervision is a key element which helps to integrate all the knowledge we cover, and provides practical guidance and ensures a consistent approach to patient care.

Goals

Main symptoms associated with different conditions: epilepsy, convulsions, reflux, constipation, breathing difficulties, spasticity,  feeding difficulties, muscle weakness.

Conditions

Joint mobilization, fascial release, visceral balancing, cranial normalization, Spinal decompression, soft tissue therapy, functional rehabilitation, and neuromuscular re-education.

Mission Programme

Hands With Heart Foundation’s Costa Rica missions are immersive humanitarian experiences dedicated to providing free healthcare and support to children with disabilities across the country.
The first part of the mission takes place in Cartago, where volunteers work alongside local therapists, caregivers, and community organizations that we have collaborated with for many years.
The second part of the journey takes us to Talamanca, deep into the rainforest, where we reach more remote communities and continue providing care and support to children and families who have limited access to healthcare services.

Mission Overview:

Participants take part in hands-on clinical and community activities, including osteopathic care, physical therapy support, caregiver education, and adaptive movement sessions, while also learning about the cultural and social realities surrounding disability in Costa Rica.

Midway through the mission, there is a day and a half for rest, reflection, and integration in the beautiful beaches of Puerto Viejo. Volunteers spend two nights recharging, connecting as a team, and preparing in groups for the second part of the journey.

Team-Leaders Goal:

A Team Leader does not simply coordinate a mission. A Team Leader protects the atmosphere in which dignity can flourish. And people learn dignity from the atmosphere we can create together.

Every Hands with Heart mission is unique.

Different countries, different cultures, different teams and different challenges. Yet one responsibility remains constant: protecting the atmosphere in which children, families, volunteers and local professionals can experience dignity.