Faces of Costa Rica

Nicaraguan Immigrants Hope for a Better Life

Living illegally in Costa Rica is not easy. And Alicia Gonzalez is illegal. She left Nicaragua for Costa Rica twelve years ago, escaping extreme poverty. "The situation in Nicaragua is much worse than here. There are days when there is no work, no food," she said. But her current situation is pretty desperate.

Gonzalez lives in Corralillos, not far from the Nicaraguan border, with her husband and four children, ages 12, 9, 8 and 4. All live together in a small patchwork shack, originally made of wood, but now rotted areas are covered by plastic garbage bags or metal sheets (photo to left). Their home is not theirs. A kind woman lends it to them rent free. "It's not all that nice, but it is a roof over our heads and we are thankful for her kindness," said Gonazalez.

Neither Gonzalez or her husband have a steady job, because they are illegal. Each morning, Gonzalez gets up with the sun to cook tortillas and arroz con leche, or rice pudding, which she and her daughters sell in town. Her husband works sporadically as a machetero, cutting grass with his machete. During sugar cane season, the whole family works in the hot sun, following the plows and harvesting the sugar cane.

Gonzalez and her family are just a few of the estimated 400,000 illegal Nicaraguans living in Costa Rica, working hard to make ends meet and provide a brighter future for their children.

• Counting on the Future
• Nicaraguans in Costa Rica