Who we are

Promoting education and well-being of young people

ur mission is that no teenage girl or boy in Costa Rica is left without the possibility to study, and to promote their well-being and personal growth, with special attention for vulnerable youth, e.g. due to teenage pregnancies, bullying, economic hardship etc.

Fundación Tejedores de Sueños is a Costa Rican foundation constituted in the year 2010 with the aim to “promote education and well-being of Costa Rican teenagers, through a programme of scholarships to promising youngsters from low-income families, within a comprehensive framework of strengthening of values and motivation for education specifically, and to co-operate towards the well-being of their environment in general.

Our Team

Fernando Mayorga CastroPresident – Representative of the Government

I come from a family of educators; perhaps that is why it has always been very clear to me that education is the best investment that can be made to change society. I am convinced that for each young person we support through a scholarship, we are opening the door towards a better future; therefore, I also believe that our best contribution for the country (apart from the support to the group of scholars we have) is creating awareness of the importance of fighting student exclusion in our secondary education.

Linda De DonderExecutive Director

I come from a rural area in Belgium and am of a low-income family. I loved to study, and I am very clear that, if it wouldn’t have been for the support of my teachers in college and a scholarship from the government, I would hot have been able to study.
I co-founded Fundación Tejedores de Sueños because I firmly believe that each young person, wherever they come from, has the right to dream of the future they want and go to school to build it. And it’s up to us to support and guide them so they can achieve that dream.

Zahyra Rodríguez MalavassiDirector – co-founder

I co-founded the Foundation because I have always loved to help the community as a volunteer in the activities that are acarried out. This Foundatioin has made every effort so that low-income students can succeed and don’t leave the classrooms for financial reasons. That has been achieved a lot, which is a huge source of satisfaction for us and the Foundation.

German Fonseca SolisDirector – Representative of the Municipality of La Unión

When I left school, I couldn’t continue studying due to our economic situation. I had to work, however I set out to make an effort and study at night. It was hard, working and studying, but I succeeded, and now I like to help Young people to study so that they have a better future.

Rosa Madriz AcevedoAdministrative Assistant

I work with the Foundation since 2016. I love to see the happy faces of each of our scholars. It is very satisfying for me to see the achievements they realize each year.

Lizbeth Rodríguez ChacónDirector

As a Social Worker immersed in social problems, education has been affected but it is undoubtedly a tool to promote change in social cohesion.
Tejedores de Sueños is a helping hand so that each young person and their environment have academic and comprehensive opportunities to have quality of life.
“I believe in the foundation and in the people who take advantage of opportunities”

Urbain BoutelegierCoordinator “Healthy Youth programme”

I am a retired medical doctor in Belgium. I had to work to pay my studies. Thanks to this experience, I have a deeply rooted social conscience, which I always tried to use to the benefit of those who have fewer opportunities than I had.
Therefore, when my friend, Professor Désiré Collen, proposed me to coordinate the support of his organization Life Sciences Research Partners for Fundación Tejedores de Sueños, I did not hesitate. Since 2016, I am active in and for the Foundation, and currently I am one of the driving forces of the action Al Cole en Bici (Biking to school) which collects donations for bicycles so that young people from rural areas can continue studying.

¡Our allies in the work!

This is a task we cannot do alone. Which is why we have joint efforts with big institutions and companies that share our vision and our passion for the benefit of the Costa Rican youth. Without our allies, the Foundation’s work would be incomplete and it is our desire to find every day new allies so we can build a better country together.