CABEI promotes the development of the Costa Rican Caribbean: more than 30 thousand Limón residents and 1,600 students will have infrastructure that will improve their quality[...]

Limón, August 30, 2024.- A total of 30,000 inhabitants of the city of Limón, in the Caribbean of Costa Rica, as well as 1,602 students from the province will improve their quality of life with investments financed by the Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI) aimed at improving the health, educational and water management infrastructure with which it is expected to directly benefit vulnerable communities and promote more inclusive and sustainable development.

In the framework of the commemoration of Afro-Costa Rican Culture Day, on an official tour, the President of the Republic, Rodrigo Chaves, together with the executive president of the Costa Rican Institute of Aqueducts and Sewers (AyA), Juan Manuel Quesada, and with the participation of the CABEI manager in Costa Rica, Álvaro Alfaro, gave the order to begin the works of expansion and improvement of the sanitary sewerage system of the city of Limón.

This investment is expected to benefit more than 43,800 people from the neighborhoods of Limoncito, Pueblo Nuevo, Cerritos, and surrounding areas, who for years have dealt with an insufficient or non-existent sanitary system, with direct impacts on public health and the environment. Its total investment is US$54.6 million, of which US$42 million are financed by the CABEI, contemplating the construction of a modern network of wastewater collection, pumping stations, and other key infrastructure.

Within this same project, CABEI is also financing the Flood Control System in the Limoncito Area, which includes the expansion of the Limoncito River channels, works in Quebrada Chocolate, the construction of a railway bridge and the installation of early warning equipment with the aim of protecting dozens of families who, year after year, face the risk of losing their homes and belongings due to flooding.

Education for the future

CABEI's social impact also extends to the educational field in the province of Limón. During this tour, President Chaves and the Minister of Communication, Anna Katherina Müller, also announced the "Connected Educational Centers" initiative to be applied to the seven educational centers in this province that will be rebuilt through the Emergency Program for the Comprehensive and Resilient Reconstruction of Infrastructure (PROERI) financed by CABEI.

The reconstruction of the Chumico, Shiroles, Rancho Grande, Monte Sion, and Lider Bribrí schools, as well as the high schools in Sixaola and Limoncito, will benefit 1,602 students, who will be able to count on safe, modern and adapted facilities to promote a quality learning environment.

"We are pleased to be part of these interventions, which are equivalent to more than US$17.5 million in works that not only improve the educational infrastructure, but also open new opportunities for the youth of these communities, promoting equity and access to quality education in historically marginalized areas," said Alfaro.

CABEI reaffirms its commitment to the comprehensive development of the Costa Rican Caribbean, putting people at the center of its projects. Through these initiatives, which directly benefit thousands of citizens, the institution continues to work to reduce poverty and create opportunities, demonstrating its role as a strategic partner in building a more prosperous and equitable future for all the inhabitants of Limón.