La Gamba

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La Gamba is a small village in the southwest of Costa Rica on the fringes of the Esquinas Rainforest. The village is inhabited by 70 families (~500 persons) who live in at-grade houses which in general possess two to three rooms. Beside drinking water and electricity the infra structure offers two "Pulperias" (small shops), a public telephone, a school as well as two churches.

The main sources of income for the residents (Cr. ticos, ticas) are agriculture and animal husbandry which is mainly used for subsistence. Besides there are professions like smiths, carpenters, engineers, taxi drivers and more. A regular employment is out of the reason of an insecure economy rather uncommon than usual. One of the rare exceptions on this scale is the project “Rainforest of the Austrians” (ger. Regenwald der Österreicher) founded by Michael Schnitzler in 1991 which leaded among others into the Tropical Field Station La Gamba (ger. Tropenstation La Gamba) close to the village. In addition to the so developed employment for the residents this project has a lasting effect in the range of nature conservation and protection of species which establish a kind of sensitization in resident population in handling their environment.

From July 2007 onwards the organization Austrian Service Abroad (ger. Österreichischer Auslandsdienst) will send servants for their alternative civilian service abroad to La Gamba.