Vida Nueva, Costa Rica

According to government statistics, the Puntarenus region of Costa Rica has the highest incident of inter-family violence in the country, some of which has resulted in the deaths of its victims, mainly women and children. This is attributed to the lifestyle changes caused by a migration of farmers and peasants from country to urban areas in search of work. Families, who were previously self-sufficient living off the land, now find themselves working in insecure or temporary unskilled jobs and struggling to pay for food, utility bills and rent.

This migration has led to the dispersal and break down of traditional extended family support networks, which in turn has contributed to higher incidents of domestic violence, family breakdown and many other social problems. Furthermore, domestic violence has traditionally been very much a hidden issue due to cultural and religious values.

Vida Nueva was the first founded institutional network to develop a practice to address these issues. The organisation worked to reduce incidents of domestic violence by providing legal, psychological, emotional and other support to its victims, by empowering its victims to find solutions to the problem and by bringing the issue to the forefront of public dialogue. TRAID's 2002 donation of £10,600 allowed Vida Nueva to continue its crucial services to twice the number of victims.

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