Costa Rica - Los Guido

Los Guido is one of the poorest districts of San José, the capital of Costa Rica. Situated on the south-eastern outskirts of the city, it is home to around 30,000 inhabitants on just 3 km2.

In this locality there are several vulnerable settlements, including some "precarious" or informal settlements, i.e. urban developments that are not legally recognised and outside urban planning regulations, made up of a dense group of dwellings, generally self-built in very poor conditions. These are what in other countries are called favelas, slums, shantytowns, slums or shantytowns.

The precariousness of these places is likely to generate new realities of social exclusion and marginalisation. However, these settlements are located in a neighbourhood where the infrastructure has been improving in recent years, embellished by the hills and the heights of some of its sectors, and with a marvellous view of the southern mountain range.

Problematic

  • A very low-income population predominates throughout the territory, which leads many families to live in material poverty, and in some cases, immaterial poverty, that of those who have led them to a certain mentality and way of life that prevents them from leaving it. In many cases, different generations live in the same house, representing a problem of overcrowding. The scourge of drugs, which is widespread in some sectors, puts many people and their families at risk. It should also be noted that there is a significant presence of a vulnerable immigrant population, and a need to reinforce and strengthen the education of children and young people.

    On the other hand, family breakdown and, in some cases, domestic violence is a real social and human problem.

    On the spiritual level, Los Guido has only one parish and one priest to serve the entire territory, although the reality is that only 400 attend Sunday mass each week.

  • In terms of infrastructure, there is a lack of sewage and septic tanks, which leads to the superficial evacuation of wastewater and, consequently, a health problem. There is also improper solid waste management and poor waste collection.

    On the other hand, there are not enough green and recreational areas in the neighbourhood, and the existing ones are generally neglected.

It is in this problem, mixed with the goodness and kindness of so many, that the Ignis Mundi Mission is situated, oriented towards the most disadvantaged and vulnerable.

 

What do we do?

From a 37,000 m² plot of land, very close to sectors 1, 2, 3 and 4 of Los Guido, we realised the Ignis Mundi Mission.

We are developing an architectural project based on harmony, beauty and sustainability, through which we want to materialise the call to be Fire for the World.

The missionaries who live there opened the doors of the Mission to make this land a home for the neighbouring community.

  • Communal Areas

    Green areas, communal gardens, sports and recreational spaces, meeting places. All healthy natural experiences in relation to love, the family and the community create favourable conditions for true human development. These experiences are constituted as "preambles", because they serve as a prelude to a later encounter with Love, and are decisive for the Good News to be accepted by the whole person.

  • Mission House

    We are building a Mission House to develop programmes aimed at the most needy in fields as varied as physical and mental health, family orientation, entrepreneurship, ecology, home management, education, promotion of culture and music, legal and immigration advice, among others. As lay missionaries we put our training, talents, professional knowledge and apostolate at the selfless service of the needs of the place, coordinating, in collaboration with other volunteers, a mission oriented to social and human development in Los Guido. In this way we seek to integrate the social dimension of the proclamation of the Gospel.

  • Chapel

    We are also building a Chapel which will be at the disposal of all those who want to come and experience the joy of Love. By the way it is designed and integrated into the whole architectural project, it is a source of inspiration and irradiation for the whole mission, and symbolises the building of a Church Family.

 
The Ignis Mundi Association needs your support to make a vital project in Los Guido, Desamparados a reality. We are building a community center that will include a multipurpose gym and a skateboard park. These facilities will be
Almost all of our stories and reels feature a lot of young people, families and children. However, we also work with older adults. We have an adult workshop that is regularly attended by about 40 adults.
After the Kairos on Wednesday night, we woke up renewed on Thursday morning. The music, the dances, the atmosphere of depth and joy, the very strong presence of the Spirit that immerses you in the depths of our hearts.
We are often asked how our young sons live the mission. One day we will publish an interview so that they can share it directly with us, but in the meantime we can tell you that, for us as fathers, it is an immense
Asociación Ignis Mundi is committed to transforming Los Guido, Desamparados, with a new community center. This initiative will not only improve the infrastructure, but will also provide the community with a new place to live.
Every week is a new adventure. Life goes much faster than even we can plan for. Doors open and every day we have more projects. So much to do for so few hands. The workload is getting
The Ignis Mundi Association needs your support to make a vital project in Los Guido, Desamparados a reality. We are building a community center that will include a multipurpose gym and a skateboard park. These facilities will be
In Los Guido there are currently three precarios; they are small "informal" neighborhoods of self-built houses with very poor infrastructure as they are not legally registered. In this photo you can see several of our members.
The human embrace as a way to glimpse a glimpse of what the embrace of God really is. There is nothing like it! Recently, at the end of one of our workshops that lasted several months with a group of adults, in which we were striving to
The faith of children, that which springs from the innocence of a pure heart, which responds to the most natural part of the soul, to the experience of knowing oneself to be loved and cherished, and which expresses a sincere trust that has not yet been disappointed n