A Case Study of International Cooperation for Community Development and Primary Prevention in Costa Rica

Summary

This paper describes a case study of international cooperation between an interdisciplinary team of researchers from the United States and Costa Rica in a project implemented to promote community development and primary prevention in a small rural town located in the south Pacific region of Costa Rica. The community prevention process was implemented in three consecutive phases: entry into the community and consolidation of the research team, needs assessment, and development of local initiatives to address identified needs. Two primary prevention projects implemented by community residents to modify environmental risks factors illustrate the development process: a campaign to increase residents' awareness of water contamination and a campaign to improve garbage collection. A participatory model of prevention and community development was implemented as an effort to foster community members' involvement in the development of solutions to their own problems. The advantages and limitations of multinational research and prevention efforts are discussed.