An important component of the LeaderSurf leadership development program is our Leaderserve humanitarian aid project. During each week-long leadership program we commit a day to giving back to the local community. We vary our projects based on the local needs and the program locations. We are very proud of the impact we have made on communities in both Nicaragua and Costa Rica.

In February 2019, program participants spent a day at the new CEN-CINAI center. The National Directorate of Education and Nutrition had just opened a new Children’s Center for Comprehensive Care in La Esperanza, Costa Rica. The center is focused on improving the nutritional status of the maternal population by providing childcare, nutrition and support.

Our diverse group of program participants from the United States, Norway, Dominican Republic and Costa Rica spent the day assisting at the center. We brought clothing and school supplies to help the center and the families it will support.

Additionally, we purchased and installed a swing set. The swing set will stand at the facility and provide years of entertainment and fun for the children who will be receiving care at the CEN-CINAI center. Assembling the swing set was a fun challenge for our group of leaders. Having just met a day and a half earlier, the LeaderSurf participants had to work as a team to map out the location, dig the holes for the footings and assemble the swing set. The video below shows a time-lapse of the group in action.

The highlight of completing the swing set project was seeing the faces of the children who were present as they played on the swing set for the first time. We were told by the center director that these children had never been on a swing set before. This added a new perspective to our group.

The LeaderServe aid day impresses upon the LeaderSurf participants the importance of serving others. The project is the best way we know of to teach people the power of servant leadership. Too many people think leadership is a self-serving act, but our program participants get to see first hand the importance of helping others and the joy it can bring. Leadership should be a selfless act. As one of the participants describe it, “seeing the children's faces and hearing them laugh as we left was well worth it. “