Hygiene Distribution Aid in Costa Rica

The journey of migrating from one's home to find a better life for one's family can be a difficult and emotionally taxing experience. Along with having to leave behind loved ones and familiar places, picking up one's life and moving means having to deal with language barriers, cultural differences, and a lack of access to necessities like food, housing, and healthcare. In addition, they are seen as an outcast and usually looked over or ignored; the fear of potential xenophobia and discrimination can make migrating extremely difficult, both mentally and emotionally. Depending on the country being immigrated to, there may be a vast change in living standards, laws, and customs which can add to the difficulty of the transition. For these reasons, DTCare aims to help migrant workers and their families where we can by providing accessible hygiene aid distribution on the border of Panama and Costa Rica.

With the help of our donors and volunteers, DTCare assembled hygiene kits for people passing through Paso Canoas in the province of Chiriqui to help them in their journey. These kits contained soap, toothbrushes and toothpaste, wet wipes, combs, and razors. In addition, the DTCare Panama team was able to distribute more extensive, harder-to-find items such as clean clothing, diapers, and food. Often, migrants carry essential items with no room to hold more than one item. Many have only clothes on their backs to keep them warm. DTCare will continue to strive to help these people to maintain a basic level of hygiene and reduce the risk of infection from inadequate sanitation. In our effort, we hope to empower people to maintain dignity and self-respect as they journey to find a better life for themselves and their families.