Help me to my dream internship in Costa Rica

Hello everyone,

My name is Julia, and I’m a 20-year-old International Communication student from the Netherlands. As part of my studies, I have the amazing opportunity to spend a semester abroad studying and another semester doing an internship. This upcoming school year, I’ll start with a study abroad semester in Mexico, followed by my dream internship in Costa Rica.

The internship will take place in Tamarindo, a beach town on the west coast of Costa Rica. After visiting the country for the first time, I completely fell in love with the nature, the people, and the wildlife. However, I also saw how tourism is having a negative impact, wildlife like hermit crabs are losing their shells because tourists take them as souvenirs, and endangered leatherback turtles are in desperate need of protection.

Thankfully, there are several amazing non-profits working to protect Costa Rica’s unique environment. I’ll be joining one of these small organizations, where my mission will be to help improve their communication efforts and raise awareness. The goal is to inspire more sustainable behavior among both tourists and the local community, especially in and around the Las Baulas de Guanacaste National Marine Park.

During the internship, I’ll focus on developing a communication strategy, enhancing their social media presence, and creating audiovisual content to showcase their projects. Photography is one of my greatest passions (as you can see from the photos I’ve shared), and I’m excited to put that to use in a meaningful way.

While I’m incredibly grateful for this opportunity, it does come with significant costs. Because the organization is volunteer-run, the internship is unpaid, which I fully accept, as I truly believe in their mission. However, I still need support to cover expenses like transportation, accommodation, food, and other logistics. These costs add up to about €40 per day. While I’ve managed to save most of the amount, I’m still short about €2,500.

That’s why I’m asking for your help.

To give back, I plan to create a dedicated Instagram account where I’ll share updates about my work, the people I meet, and the impact your donation is helping to create. If you'd like to follow my journey, feel free to reach out!

Any amount, no matter how small, makes a difference and I truly appreciate your support in helping me reach this goal.

Thank you so much!

Warm regards,

Julia