With ESG and SDG impact measures, we present to you our 2024 Nosara District Census Project.

Introduction and Background

The Alianza para el Desarrollo Comunitario (Alliance for Community Development) is seeking funding to implement a crucially-needed census for the District of Nosara in order to facilitate improved planning and development. The last credible census took place in 2011, and planning and funding of critical resources based on projections from this census are woefully inadequate and inaccurate due to the explosive growth in the District. The absence of reliable information to date has led to attempts by private organizations to fill information gaps, often with particular agendas and questionable quality and, ultimately, has allowed the district to be effectively ignored by different levels of government. 

Located on the Pacific coast of Guanacaste, Costa Rica, Nosara was once a quiet little beach town. However, the increase in construction and cost of living has resulted in a community with inadequate public resources, sharp social and economic divisions, and increasing crime and murder rates as rival gangs fight to control the drug supply to wealthy individuals who have discovered the area. 

Nosara is a community at risk. Nosara experienced close to a 400% increase in drug and gang-related murders from 2022 to 2023, and there is a growing sense among locals that they have little voice in local governance and that their opinions matter less than those of wealthier foreigners. Crime rates and inequality are increasing rapidly,  in part due to the lack of law enforcement and executive oversight. Distance from the seat of the Canton in Nicoya (60 km) further exacerbates the problems in Nosara.  

This proposal details the phases and activities of the 2024 Nosara Census, identifies key individuals, organizations, and government institutions, and provides costs to complete the project.

Background 

The population and housing census has been a fundamental tool for state development and planning in Costa Rica since the beginning of the country’s republican life. In an historical effort to map the country's demographic and socioeconomic characteristics, the law of July 2, 1861 established the obligation to conduct a census every ten years, with the first one being carried out in 1864 under the supervision of the newly created Central Office of Statistics (Thiel, 1900). Since then, with the evolution of the General Directorate of Statistics and the subsequent creation of the National Institute of Statistics and Census (INEC) through Law 7839 of 1998, Costa Rica has maintained the tradition of conducting periodic censuses that have adapted to the country's needs.

The censuses have been carried out in detail and have retained specific characteristics since 1963, including simultaneity and the type of census (de jure census), covering dwellings, households, and individuals. The last effective census took place in 2011, and indicated a population of 4,912 people in the District. The results of the 2022 Census were not recognized or published, because it did not meet minimum standards for coverage due to insufficient budget to pay fieldworkers a reasonable wage, and data collection. 

Statement of Work

The proposed project will undertake a new census in the District of Nosara in order to provide updated and detailed data about population and housing characteristics. Like national censuses that obtain data for diagnostics and evidence-based policies, the intent of the 2024 Nosara Census will be to obtain data that will facilitate the formulation, monitoring, and evaluation of policies, plans, and programs for the public sector.

Objectives

A new and locally-led census for Nosara will help to establish proper budgeting, management, and use of public resources in the District for all Nosareños, including vulnerable populations. It will allow for proper allocation of resources and needed services, and for policing that can help combat the growing infiltration of gangs and drug-related violence in the District to provide for a safer community. Proper funding of local and governmental organizations will help to strengthen democratic institutions and improve governance and rule of law.

The 2024 Nosara Census will be a critical tool for planning and urban management, effective distribution of resources, and an urgent response to growing security challenges fuelled by the explosion of new markets for illegal drugs. The census will provide the foundation for  evidence-based decision-making, public-private dialogues about the causes and consequences of local problems, and a better leveraging of public and private resources for concrete solutions to these problems. 

Our intent is to conduct a census that is inclusive of the community, builds trust across the divide in the district, and provides confidence in the role of government. The census will be conducted using  best practice statistical quality standards. Our work will be backed by the National Institute of Statistics and Census (INEC) and the Costa Rican Social Security Institute (CCSS), plus a list of other public institutions and local entities listed in the proposal.

Project Duration and Cost 

We anticipate that the project will have the results ready in April 2025 if we start the planning phase in July 2024. After the results are ready, we will provide a follow-up program to ensure the allocation of public and private resources based on the Census results for eight months. The cost for the Census and the follow-up is estimated at $203,590. This is considering the participation of a team of 50 people working as interviewers, supervisors, logistic coordinators, and data processing specialists.  

Anticipated Project Impact 

Enhancing public and social investments by 50% using accurate demographic data from the 2024 Nosara Census in order to address key social and security needs by 2025-2026 and beyond.

A new census for Nosara will allow for proper allocation of resources to enhance policing to combat drug-trafficking, increase funding for schools and medical facilities, provide opportunities for funding underserved populations and environmental projects, and strengthen the ability for organizations, local government and public institutions to respond to the security needs of the citizens of Nosara. 

Our Mission

Our Mission is to enrich the community of Nosara and surrounding areas by bringing together a diversity of cultures, preserving the natural environment, and nurturing sustainable systems that empower the people.

Our Vision

Our Vision is a thriving local economy that is shared among all residents, built on sustainable principles and a prioritization of its people, their well-being and cultures, for generations to come. 

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